Quesbo Little Chefs · Around the world · Destination 11
A little bowl of comfort.
Taste the Netherlands.
Thick split-pea soup, carrot stamppot with mini meatballs and tiny, golden poffertjes. Three comforting discoveries to cook, share and remember in your tasty passport.
Welcome to the next stop in Quesbo’s Cooking Adventures Around the World. Find a grown-up cooking companion, wash your hands and get ready for a cosy kitchen adventure. Today we will watch split peas soften, turn vegetables into colourful mash and count tiny pancakes as they reach the plate.
These family recipes inspired by Dutch cooking celebrate food that is warm, generous and lovely to share. Our soup offers an optional smoked-sausage finish, our carrot stamppot comes with little baked meatballs, and our poffertjes can be made in a special dimpled pan or an ordinary non-stick frying pan. Choose one recipe for today or explore all three over several cooking sessions.
Choose your first taste
A little taste of the Netherlands
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. This stop explores three comforting dishes from Dutch cooking: a thick soup, a vegetable mash and a plate of little pancakes. They are a small taste of a much wider food story.
Erwtensoep, also called snert, is a thick split-pea soup often enjoyed in cold weather. Stamppot combines mashed potatoes with vegetables; our carrot-and-onion version is inspired by hutspot. Poffertjes are small, puffy pancakes, traditionally cooked in a pan with little hollows and often served with butter and icing sugar.
Quesbo’s imaginary passport adventure
Daan, Quesbo’s grown-up cooking companion, opened the door to a kitchen warm with soup steam. Outside, rain tapped on the window; inside, split peas softened and potatoes waited to be mashed. Quesbo whisked the pancake batter while Daan looked after the hot pans. Once the poffertjes had cooled enough, Quesbo dusted them with sugar and served the least perfect ones first. Everyone smiled. The passport gained a new golden word, drawn inside a cosy blanket: COMFORT.
First taste 01 / 03
Thick Dutch Split-Pea Soup
An erwtensoep-inspired bowl for a cosy family table
A gently bubbling pot turns dried split peas into a thick, comforting soup. Potato, carrot, leek and celery soften alongside them, with optional smoked sausage added at the end. This erwtensoep-inspired family version can also stay vegetable-based: use vegetable stock and leave out the sausage.
Allergens: Contains celery. Check the stock and optional smoked sausage labels for additional allergens, which vary between brands.
Your ingredients
For the soup
- 250 g dried green split peas, rinsed
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 leek, sliced and washed thoroughly
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 1 medium potato, diced
- 1.4 litres reduced-salt vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 200 g fully cooked smoked sausage, optional; prepare and heat according to its packet
- Black pepper, to taste
- A splash of water, if needed to loosen the soup
Get ready together
EquipmentLarge heavy saucepan with lid, Wooden spoon and ladle, Sieve for rinsing the peas, Chopping board and knife for an adult, Scales and measuring jug.
Little hands can- Pick over and rinse the split peas with help
- Wash the prepared leek and other vegetables
- Measure cold stock before it goes near the hob
- Compare the thickness of a cooled spoonful
- Chop all vegetables and prepare any sausage
- Boil, skim and stir the hot soup
- Check the peas are soft and the sausage is thoroughly heated
- Remove the bay leaf, ladle the soup and check serving temperature
Let’s make it
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Rinse, wash and prepare
Check the split-pea packet for any preparation instructions, pick over the peas and rinse them in a sieve. Wash the vegetables. An adult chops the onion, dices the carrot, celery and potato, and slices the leek. Rinse between the leek layers to remove any trapped grit.
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Start the soup
Put the peas, onion, carrot, leek, celery, potato, stock and bay leaf into the large saucepan. An adult brings the pan to the boil, skims off any foam with a spoon, then lowers the heat to a gentle simmer. Follow any initial boiling directions on the pea packet.
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Simmer until the peas soften
Partly cover and simmer for about 60–70 minutes. An adult stirs along the bottom every 10 minutes so the peas do not stick. The peas should break down into a thick soup and the vegetables should be tender; allow more time if needed. Add a little water if the mixture becomes too thick before the peas are soft.
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Remove the bay leaf
Once the peas have softened and the soup is thick, an adult finds and removes the bay leaf. Stir gently to bring the soft peas and vegetables together. The soup should be hearty but still easy to ladle.
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Add the optional sausage
Use fully cooked smoked sausage for this short finishing step. An adult removes any inedible casing and cuts it as directed on the packet, then adds it to the soup and simmers for about 5 minutes, or as long as the packet requires, until hot all the way through. For children's portions, cut sausage lengthways into narrow strips and then small pieces, rather than leaving round coins.
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Season and serve
Add black pepper to taste and a splash of water if you prefer a looser soup. An adult ladles it into six bowls. Let children's portions cool to a comfortable eating temperature before tasting. Enjoy the soft vegetables and the way the peas have thickened the broth.
Main meal 02 / 03
Carrot Stamppot with Mini Meatballs
Hutspot-style potato, carrot and onion mash with a little gravy
Potatoes, carrots and onions become a rustic orange-and-gold mash inspired by hutspot. Little baked beef meatballs and a spoonful of gravy make a hearty meal. Once a grown-up has checked everything is cooked and cool enough, little chefs can make a small gravy well in their mash.
Allergens: Contains milk, egg and wheat. Celery and other allergens may be present in the stock or breadcrumbs; check the labels.
Your ingredients
For the stamppot
- 900 g floury potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 400 g carrots, sliced
- 2 onions, sliced
- 100 ml milk
- 40 g butter
For the meatballs
- 400 g beef mince
- 1 egg
- 50 g breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for the tray
For the quick gravy
- 20 g butter
- 20 g plain flour
- 350 ml reduced-salt beef stock
Get ready together
EquipmentLarge saucepan and colander, Mixing bowl, Baking tray and oven gloves for an adult, Potato masher, Small saucepan and whisk for gravy, Chopping board and knife for an adult, Scales, measuring jug and spoons, Clean food thermometer.
Little hands can- Measure the cold milk, breadcrumbs and spices
- Count twenty meatballs from a safe distance while an adult arranges them
- Help mash a safely cooled portion in a stable bowl
- Press a little gravy well in a safely cooled serving
- Peel and cut the vegetables
- Mix and shape the raw mince and egg
- Use the oven, drain the vegetables and make the hot gravy
- Check meatball temperature, cut children's portions and check food has cooled
Let’s make it
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Prepare the oven and ingredients
An adult heats the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan, and oils the baking tray with the tablespoon of vegetable oil. Wash and prepare the vegetables. Keep raw mince and egg separate from ready-to-eat ingredients and use clean hands and equipment.
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Shape and bake the meatballs
An adult mixes the mince, egg, breadcrumbs, nutmeg and allspice and shapes the mixture into 20 evenly sized small meatballs. Arrange them on the oiled tray. Bake for about 18–20 minutes, allowing longer if needed. Check the centre of the largest meatballs reaches 75°C for at least 30 seconds with a clean food thermometer. Wash hands, utensils and surfaces after handling the raw mixture.
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Cook the vegetables
While the meatballs bake, put the potatoes, carrots and onions in the large saucepan and cover with water. An adult brings it to the boil and cooks for about 18–20 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are tender when pierced. Adjust the heat to keep a steady boil without overflowing.
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Drain and mash
An adult drains the vegetables thoroughly, keeping children away from the boiling water and steam. Return the vegetables to the pan, add the 100 ml milk and 40 g butter, and mash, leaving a little texture. Stir over a gentle heat briefly if needed so the mash is hot throughout. Children can help mash only after an adult has moved a safe portion to a stable, cool bowl.
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Make the quick gravy
In the small saucepan, an adult melts the separate 20 g butter over gentle heat. Stir in the 20 g flour to make a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the stock, adding a little at a time at first to avoid lumps. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until smooth and lightly thickened.
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Make a little gravy well
Divide the mash between five plates and serve four meatballs with each portion. Press a shallow well in the mash and add a small spoonful of gravy, with the rest alongside. An adult cuts children's meatballs into manageable pieces and checks that the mash, meat and gravy have cooled enough to eat.
Sweet finish 03 / 03
Tiny Poffertjes Pancakes
Little Dutch-style yeast pancakes with butter and icing sugar
A little yeast helps this flour-and-buckwheat batter become light and bubbly. A poffertjes pan makes rounded, puffy little pancakes; a flat non-stick pan gives a flatter version that is still fun to share. Finish with butter and a light dusting of icing sugar, then let a grown-up check they are cool enough to taste.
Allergens: Contains milk, egg and wheat, and also contains buckwheat. Check every ingredient label and any optional substitutions for your family's allergens.
Your ingredients
For the batter
- 150 g plain flour
- 50 g buckwheat flour
- 7 g instant yeast
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 300 ml milk, gently warmed
- 1 large egg
- 25 g butter, melted and allowed to cool slightly
For the pan and serving
- A little extra butter, for lightly greasing the pan
- 25 g butter, to serve
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- Fresh berries, optional
Get ready together
EquipmentLarge mixing bowl and a second bowl or jug, Whisk, Non-stick frying pan or poffertjes pan, Two teaspoons, Small spatula or skewer, used by an adult, Small saucepan or suitable microwave-safe container for warming milk and melting butter, Scales, measuring jug and spoons, Small sieve for dusting icing sugar.
Little hands can- Measure and mix the dry ingredients
- Whisk the batter with help, without tasting it
- Look for bubbles as the covered batter rises
- Dust safely cooled pancakes with icing sugar and arrange prepared berries
- Warm the milk and melt the butter
- Use and lightly grease the hot pan
- Portion and turn the pancakes
- Check the centres are cooked, prepare berries and check serving temperature
Let’s make it
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Mix the dry ingredients
Put the plain flour, buckwheat flour, instant yeast, caster sugar and salt into the large bowl and stir together. An adult gently warms the milk and melts the batter's 25 g butter, then lets the butter cool slightly. The milk should feel lukewarm, not hot; follow any temperature guidance on the yeast packet.
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Whisk the batter
In a second bowl or jug, whisk the warm milk, egg and melted butter together. Pour this into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Do not taste the raw batter. Wash hands and any surfaces or utensils that have touched raw egg or flour.
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Let it become bubbly
Cover the bowl and leave for about 45 minutes, until the batter looks bubbly and slightly risen. Use it for cooking once it has risen. The exact number of pancakes depends on the amount of batter in each hollow or spoonful, so keep them small rather than trying to reach an exact count.
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Warm the pan gently
An adult heats a lightly buttered non-stick frying pan or poffertjes pan over medium-low heat. If using the special pan, lightly grease its hollows. Keep the heat gentle enough for the centres to cook before the outsides become too brown. Children watch from a safe distance.
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Cook the first side
The adult drops teaspoonfuls of batter into the pan, leaving room between them, or fills the poffertjes-pan hollows without overflowing. Cook until little bubbles show and the edges have set. In a flat frying pan the pancakes will be a little flatter than ones made in rounded hollows.
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Turn and finish
An adult turns each pancake with a small spatula or, for a poffertjes pan, a suitable skewer. Cook the second side for about 30 seconds, allowing longer as needed until both sides are golden and the centre is fully set with no wet batter. Check the first pancake inside before continuing. Transfer to a clean plate and repeat with the remaining batter, lightly greasing the pan when needed.
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Dust and share
Serve warm with tiny dots from the separate 25 g serving butter and a light dusting of icing sugar. Add the optional washed berries, with an adult cutting or squashing them to suit the children eating. Let the pancakes cool to a comfortable temperature before children help finish their plates or take a bite.
Your tasty passport · Destination 11
You’ve tasted the Netherlands.
What will you try next?
Open your cooking notebook and make a new passport page. Write NETHERLANDS at the top, draw a dish you tried and add the date and your cooking companion’s name.
- Give it a taste score. Rate each dish you tried from 1 to 5. Everyone is allowed a different favourite.
- Choose your next step. Would you cook it again? Write “Yes”, “Maybe” or “Not yet”.
- Remember three discoveries. Erwtensoep is a thick split-pea soup often associated with cold weather; stamppot combines mashed potatoes with vegetables; poffertjes are little puffy pancakes traditionally cooked in a dimpled pan.
- Earn your COMFORT stamp. Draw your idea of a cosy meal. Was it the warmth, the soft texture, the familiar smell or the people sharing it that made your cooking adventure comforting?
Food detective: which recipe becomes especially thick, and which is small enough to fit several on one plate? Answers: the split-pea soup and the tiny poffertjes pancakes.
A word for your journey: Hallo means “Hello” in Dutch. At the table, Eet smakelijk! means “Enjoy your meal!”
Your next destination clue: travel north across the sea to a country where cardamom scents bakery buns and creamy soup warms fishing towns. Where might your recipe compass take you?
Food and discovery notes for grown-ups
Recipes adapted from Quesbo’s Netherlands cooking pages, with clearer preparation, supervision and storage guidance. These are family interpretations of the dishes. Food imagery is AI-generated for illustration, rather than photographs from a kitchen test.
- Holland.com, the official Netherlands tourism website
- I amsterdam, Amsterdam & Partners destination information
- Albert Heijn's own hutspot vegetable product and preparation instructions
- 24Kitchen's own poffertjes recipe
- Universitas 21 Health Sciences Amsterdam meeting information
- Transparent Language, Dutch-German-English translator Sten's own language article
- Food Standards Agency: cooking food thoroughly
- Food Standards Agency: chilling and storing food
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