Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas for the Picky Eater in Your Family
A Healthier Michigan
| 4 min read
Medically reviewed by Shanthi Appelo, MS, RD
Thanksgiving is a warm, joyous time surrounded by favorite traditional foods and treats. When you have a picky eater in your family, this can cause stress leading up to and during the holiday meal.
Here are some ideas and recipes that can help your picky eater join in on the Thanksgiving dinner:
Test new foods or dishes out ahead of time
If you aren’t sure how the picky eater will respond to a new ingredient or dish, try it out beforehand. You don’t have to go to the same lengths to prepare a dish that takes a lot of effort, but you can try out ingredients, flavors and textures ahead of time to see how the picky eater responds or if there is a way you can use that food in a dish they like.
Use food bridging to introduce foods that are similar to their preferred foods
You may find that the picky eater has an aversion to a food that is similar to one of their favorites. Try food bridging or using foods they already like to introduce new foods. There are a few ways to do this, including using a favorite ingredient in a dish they haven’t tried before or combining comfort foods with a new ingredient. Here are some ways to try out Thanksgiving foods mixed with common comfort foods for picky eaters:
Use butternut squash to make mac and cheese
Add roasted butternut squash to mac and cheese to make a rich and colorful dish. Butternut squash, once roasted and mashed, can easily be mixed into cooked pasta with cheese and other ingredients. This is an easy way to introduce butternut squash to a fussy eater’s palate.
Use sweet potatoes to make au gratin or mashed sweet potatoes
Try sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes to make an au gratin or mashed potato dish. The cooking time for sweet potatoes is less than for many potato types, so be careful not to overcook the sweet potatoes unless you are caramelizing them. Add a hard cheese like gouda or parmesan into the sweet potatoes au gratin, or top mashed sweet potatoes with cinnamon or a drizzle of maple syrup to make them even more enticing.
Use cranberry jam and dinner rolls to make small sandwiches
Cranberry sauce doesn’t appeal to many picky eaters, whether due to the bitter quality of cranberries or the texture or appearance. Use cranberry jam to introduce the flavor of cranberries. Combine the jam with dinner rolls to make sliders with added peanut butter if desired.
Include picky kids in cooking and food preparation
Involve the picky eater in cooking and preparing the Thanksgiving meal. Seeing how dishes or ingredients are prepared can help to demystify new foods and may help alleviate aversion toward some foods.
Include some of their comfort dishes in the meal
It may not be realistic to expect a picky eater to eat a full traditional Thanksgiving meal. If you’re able, providing a comfort dish or two on Thanksgiving can ensure the picky eater still has a meal and enjoy the time around the table with family and loved ones.
Don’t use punishment or rewards to get them to eat foods
Try not to bribe picky eaters or use punishment to try to get them to eat new or disliked foods. This can contribute to an unhealthy attitude toward food.
Don’t limit their meals leading up to Thanksgiving dinner
It’s not wise to skip or limit meals before Thanksgiving dinner to try to get a picky eater to eat certain foods. This may just add to any resentment of the offending foods and will leave the picky eater hungry and cranky. Stick to a regular meal and snack schedule as much as possible leading up to the meal.
With these tips and food bridging ideas in mind, use patience and transparency leading up to Thanksgiving dinner and hopefully your picky eater can broaden their tastes with a new dish or ingredient this Thanksgiving.
