The Best Way to Work Tex-Mex into Your Children’s Diets

The title may be a little misleading. After all, getting your kids to eat Tex-Mex is hardly work at all! What kid doesn’t love all that gooey cheese, beef, pork, chicken, beans, and salsa? Tex-Mex was practically made for kids.

But if you want to make your Tex-Mex cooking especially appetizing for your children, there are Tex-Mex dishes designed just for them. Here are a few. All of them can be found at Food.com.

First, we have the Tex-Mex chicken bake. This dish has tortillas with a warm, gooey cheese center, along with chicken. Inside the tortillas also are grated cheese, salsa and cream cheese. You fill the tortillas with the cheese-chicken mix, roll them up and bake them in the oven.

Another dish popular with kids is Tex-Mex pot pie. This recipe uses ground beef, red beans, salsa, cheddar cheese, and polenta, which is made from cornmeal. Put the mixture in a baking pan with the polenta on top and pop it in the oven for 25 minutes.

Burgers are always a favorite with kids, and taco burgers are no exception. These tasty treats are made with ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, cayenne, refried beans, green chilies, and hamburger buns. Cook the whole thing in a skillet and put the mixture on the buns, with a slice of cheese if you want.

There isn’t a kid anywhere who doesn’t like waffles. The Tex-Mex version is made with flour, cornmeal, cheddar cheese, chili powder, milk, eggs, and green chilies. You mix all of the ingredients together and then pour it into a waffle maker. You can serve them with salsa, sour cream or more cheddar cheese.

What kid doesn’t love cheeseburgers? The Tex-Mex variety are made with eggs, chunky salsa, ground beef, Mexican seasoning, Monterey Jack or Tex-Mex cheese and breadcrumbs. Mix it all together and put them on the grill. Yummy!

Tex-Mex ice cream sundaes! Need we say more? For this recipe, you will need flour tortillas, sugar, ground cinnamon, cinnamon ice cream, chocolate syrup, and maraschino cherries. You fry the tortillas, sprinkle them with a sugar and cinnamon mix, put ice cream in each tortilla, drizzle with chocolate syrup, and pop a cherry on top. Abracadabra! Ice cream sundaes your kids will love.

Lasagna is a real kid favorite, and never more so than when it’s Tex-Mex style. This recipe has chicken, spaghetti sauce, picante sauce, taco seasoning, cottage cheese, tortillas, Monterey Jack cheese, and stuffed green olives. You layer the tortillas, chicken, sauce, cottage cheese and olives, then bake. Mmm, good.

We have a terrific kids’ menu here at Mattito’s, one that’s sure to have at least one thing your youngsters are sure to love. Bring your children to the Mattito’s location nearest you soon!