Why do kids love Tex-Mex food? The reason really isn’t very hard to figure out. It’s the taste. Think about it. You have food covered in gooey American cheese. Tomato sauce. Steak and chicken. Refried beans and rice. And zesty spices. All things that kids love.

Tex-Mex for dinner? Yay!

There are lots of ways to make Tex-Mex that appeals to kids.

For example, there are Tex Mex breakfast haystacks, made with hash browns, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, Mexican cheese, cilantro, salsa, and eggs. What kid could turn down a meal like that?

Children love burritos. And they will love burritos made with green pepper, onion and mushroom mixed with a little salsa and smothered in good old American cheese all rolled up inside a nice warm flour tortilla.

There probably isn’t a youngster alive who doesn’t love cheeseburgers – and she will love Tex-Mex cheeseburgers even more. They are made with your traditional hamburger, but with salsa, egg, Mexican seasoning, Tex-Mex cheese, and bread crumbs mixed in.

Kids love chips and dip. But that’s nothing compared to some nachos and a Tex-Mex layered dip made with bean dip, guacamole, sour cream, taco seasoning, tomatoes, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Then there are the enchiladas. These have the flavors and ingredients that children love. One that is especially enticing to the younger ones is a cheese-filled enchilada covered with Tex-Mex gravy and chili con carne. The gravy, made from water, flour and a vegetable oil base, also has a lot of flavor with added cumin, chili powder and garlic powder. The chili con carne is loaded with every kid’s favorite: ground beef.

Another child favorite is chili, a dish everyone loves. There are probably as many different recipes for chili as there are kids. One recipe that the young ones in your family are sure to love uses ground turkey, along with kidney beans, green peppers, salsa, stewed tomatoes, cumin and chili powder. And of course, no Tex Mex chili would be complete without sour cream, shredded cheese and a little cilantro on top.

These are just a few examples of kid-friendly Tex-Mex cooking, but the truth is, there are countless variations that your children will love. You can turn almost any meal into a Tex-Mex treat for your children, everything from pork chops, to fish, meatloaf, pizza, even macaroni and cheese.

We love families with children here at Mattito’s.  We even have a menu just for the little ones. Visit the Mattito’s closest to you and bring on the youngsters!