Rainbow Pizza + How to Get Kids to Eat Their Veggies
This rainbow pizza has a special place in our meal rotation lately. It is perfect for a quick meal (lunch or dinner!), and its also a sneaky fun way to get your kiddos to eat their veggies. PLUS — Check out the recipe for a super easy 10 MINUTE Pizza Crust Recipe!
One of the things I get asked all the time is about teaching kids to eat their veggies in a fun and easy way. And by “fun and easy” I mean anything that doesn’t involve threatening to throw away a favorite toy. Over the years I have noticed that my kiddos are 1000X more likely eat their veggies if they are in charge of what goes onto their plate. My solution is to get them involved in the meal process. That means they will be much more likely to be excited and willing to try it. Which hugely increases their chances to actually enjoy it!
My hints for making this work:
- Start at the grocery store – Make it a game to see who can find ingredients for each color
- Have kiddos help you wash and dice (if age appropriate) the produce
- Have your kiddos help to roll out the pizza dough
- Make it a rule that everyone (yes, even mom and dad!) have to choose at least one thing from each color
I recommend you use parchment paper for this meal! The parchment paper will help you to roll out the pizza dough easily. It will help you to easily transfer your rainbow veggie pizza creation from the counter to the oven to the table. Plus it makes an easily disposable plate!
Love Pizza? Try these other fun and family friendly pizza recipes:
- Chicken Tikka Pizza – If you love chicken tikka masala, you have to try it like a pizza!
- Hawaiian Sourdough Pizza – Forget delivery! This homemade Hawaiian pizza recipe has all your favorite toppings!
Go here for the BEST homemade pizza dough recipe and easy homemade pizza sauce!
Rainbow Veggie Pizza + How to Get Kids to Eat Their Veg
Ingredients
**5 Min Pizza Dough**
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 packet of yeast or 2 1/4 tsp
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cups flour + more for kneading and rolling
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 TBSP olive oil
**Toppings**
- 1 cup Pizza Sauce
- 2 cups Shredded Cheese
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tomato
- 1 orange peppers
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup corn
- 1 yellow peppers
- 1 green bell peppers
- 1 cup spinach
- ½ cup broccoli
- ½ cup shredded purple cabbage
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.**Pizza Dough**In a large bowl, mix the warm water, sugar and yeast.Allow to sit for 1 minute until its slightly frothy.Add the flour, salt and olive oil and mix with a fork until its a shaggy mess.Flour a clean counter and knead the dough for 4 minutes.Place the dough back into the dirty bowl and cover with a dish towel.Allow to rest for 5 minutes.Divide the dough into 4 small balls and roll out into circles.**Assembly**Place each portion of dough onto a piece of parchment paper.Top each portion of pizza dough with sauce and shredded cheese and then at least one topping from each color (that’s the key, you have to make it a rule that you have to do one thing from each color!)Transfer the parchment paper to a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (or until the cheese is melted and the crusted is just beginning to become golden brown).Remove and allow to cool for a minute or two before slicing and enjoying!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for other ways to get your kids interested in eating veggies? Check out this easy Crock Pot Pork Ramen!
And Check out the “Eat Like A Princess” Series! Designed to introduce easy to make new foods and cuisines from around the world to children while they eat meals their favorite princesses would have enjoyed!
What a fun meal idea! Get the kiddos in the kitchen to make their own pizzas! How fun! I love the rainbow veggie idea for adults too. I’m thinking these could be great appetizers at parties with friends! Saving this recipe to use later!
My kids are going to LOVE these!! We have pizza night most friday night, and they love getting involved in making their own. I am sure they will be even more excited adding lots of rainbow veg 🙂 Oh and I totally agree – kids are definitely more inclined to eat their veg if they are involved in the process!
This looks like a great recipe for kids!
I absolutely love that you’ve gotten the whole family involved in making this recipe. Inviting kids to help in the kitchen is such a great way to get them interested in what they’re eating (and, as you noted, actually eating their veggies!) and a wonderful opportunity to foster creativity. I would dive into a rainbow veggie pizza myself! So fresh and delicious!
PRETTY! OK this totally looks like a great way to get a grown up kid (me) to eat his vegetables. Basically you just gotta put it on a pizza and I’ll eat it.
I think my favorite part of this recipe is the helpful hints about having the kids find the right color items at the market! Such a great way to get them interested!
First of all, this pizza is beautiful! I love all the colors and how bright it is, and what kid wouldn’t want to eat it? What a delicious and healthy meal or snack for my kiddos! I can’t wait to make this with my boys, they love to make pizza, and I think they would love to do this one!
This is for sure a great way to get kids to eat their veggies. I have a 3 yr old ‘helper’ who would think this would be fun to make and eat.
What a fun idea! I love cooking with my kids and getting them involved, though I’m hoping that process gets a wee bit easier in the next few years (my youngest isn’t two yet, but wants to be in the kitchen cooking ALL the time, which makes for a lot of carrying and one-handed cooking). I think my oldest would be on board with this one, especially given the way it intersects with food and craft. My youngest will probably take a bit more convincing; he adores choosing and holding produce in the store, but when it comes to eating it there tends to be something of a full stop. Lol. Ah well, perseverance and ridiculously pretty pizza will wear down his resolve.
There is really nothing I love more than cooking with my daughter (and eventually my littlest one when she gets big enough to cook!). I think people underestimate how much kids can help in the kitchen. What a great way to teach a healthy attitude about food and a love for a variety of different foods! Also, this looks SO delicious and pretty!
Love this idea! What a fun way to serve veggies for the kids!
Jeni, this is a great idea! When the kids are involved in the choosing and prep of the food, it’s less suspicious (what’s that green stuff???) and more familiar. My daughter (now 21) would help me in the kitchen, chopping vegetables and making dressings, stirring and tasting, so she’s always been involved and has never been a picky eater as a consequence. This is a kid who ordered oysters on the half shell when she was 8. Your efforts will pay dividends!
I’m all for getting kids to eat all of the different veggies! Brilliant idea!
I love how you combined healthy and happy. Sometimes you have to be super creative to get kids to eat what’s good for them. Good job, mama!
I always have trouble kneading out my pizza dough- I need to try your version! Normally I just use store-bought, and I think homemade is so much tastier! I love that you’re getting your kids excited about veggies!!!
Great idea! So creative!