What are your kids favourite pasta recipies?

[Bramshott]

The DD's (6 and 2) are definitely getting pasta tonight because I have (plain) spaghetti left over.

The trouble is, they only really like ready made pesto sauce and they've had that once this week, so they CAN'T have it again!

They are not big fans of tomato-based sauces (unless there's some magic way to make them more child-friendly!).

Sigh. I find this so hard. Left to themselves they would eat sausages / fishfingers and chips every day.

Any ideas? What do your kids like? Especially if they are slightly fussy eaters!

[meltedmarsbars]

Real carbonara with bacon and egg yolks and parmesan.

Bacon/tomato/cream cheese sauce.

I'm hard - if you don't want it thats not my problem, after all I've only given you a tiny portion and there is (name favourite pudding) for pudding if you are still hungry after that.

[pagwatch]

my DS1 LOVES pasta with a tin of tuna topped with grated cheese.
DD loves it too but adds ketchup.

Not a recipe but I can guarentee that when DS1 is babysitting for DD that is the meal she insists he serves up.

[Washersaurus]

DS1's favourite is spinach lasagne. I don't make it the tomato sauce using that recipe though - AK uses far too many ingredients.

BTW I have made this recipe leaving out various ingredients (not the spinach though obv) at different times and it always turns out tasty.

[overmydeadbody]

Bramshott just give them whatever you want to cook. They are not going to suddenyl start liking tomato based sauces unless they are continually given them to eat.

People need about 15 exposures to a new food before they acquire a taste for it.

Spaghetti is nice with melted butter cooked with garlic and bread crumbs and tossed into the spagheti with olives and anchovies.

[meltedmarsbars]

Completely agree OMDB

[Washersaurus]

Why not make meatballs with spaghetti? They are very tasty and this is the basic tomato sauce recipe I always use.

[purpleturtle]

DS1's favourite meal is spinach pasta. I use frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed, in a pan with fried onion/garlic, then cream cheese and a slug of cream, nutmeg.

All 3 children eat it.

[purpleturtle]

Also do 'cheesy leeky pea pasta' - soften a couple of leeks in butter, add garlic, handful of frozen peas and a slug of stock to cook peas. Touch of cream or creme fraiche or something. Top with grated cheese. Takes about 10 mins start to finish.

[overmydeadbody]

spaghetti is also nice with lots of melted butter, garlic and prawns. Serve with peas.

[Bramshott]

Oooh, now prawns is a good idea - DD1 has said she really likes those.

I KNOW I should be better about just serving them up stuff, and I do find it much easier at weekends when we all eat together, but because DH is home late in the week, I am just cooking for the DDs, and find it terribly hard if they are both refusing to eat something I've just spent the last 40 minutes cooking, and DD1 is sobbing quietly into her dinner because she doesn't like it .

Sigh - they are manipulating me aren't they?!?

[Aniyan]

DS's favourite is cooked pasta stirred into mashed sardines in tomato sauce (from a tin) - makes me gag but he loves it - so glad I though of trying him with sardines all those years ago!

Also, cooked plain pasta with chunks of spicy sausage and grated cheese on top.

[BudaBones]

DS loves pasta with just plain grated cheese on top. I only let him have it once a week. If he asks for it again I put peas and sweetcorn through it.

[meltedmarsbars]

Bramshott yes they are doing a brilliant job at it too!

Why do you not eat with them? My dh is never home for dinner, I eat with the kids - set the example.

[Bucharest]

One of dd's favourite pasta dishes is those teeny tiny pasta bits with brown lentils and grated cheese on top.

[Hulababy]

7y likes pasta with chicken strips, red pepper and pesto.

She also enjoys pasta tossed in some butter with a bit of cheese.

DD does like tomato based sauces too but likes them even more with some creme fraiche stirred in to make it a bit creamier.

[colditz]

Pasta with cheese sauce and broccoli

[Hulababy]

lol OMBD - I told DD she needs to try everything at least 20 times befofe I know f she truely likes it or not.

Fortunately she is most definitely not fussy and eats pretty much anything and will try everything at least once or twice. Not sure she'll ever get to like snails though.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

DD aged 3 - pasta and philadelphia and salmon, pasta and cheese sauce, pasta and chicken pieces - any pasta, although she is on occasion a bit at stuffed tortellini etc.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

aniyan i love that too so does dd.

[penona]

My fave pasta is with a tin of chilli sardines - yum! I have it as a treat when I eat alone!

My DD would, in fact does, eat pasta almost every day. Tonight they are having it with a chicken and mushroom sauce (which will be a pie filling for DH and I later). Fry chopped mushrooms, onion, garlic, add some cooked chicken, cook it in some stock with small pasta shapes for about 15 mins and add some creme fraiche towards the end. Plus lots of black pepper and parmesan ('mummy cheese' as it is known here!)

Glad my DD not the only one who adores anything with pasta. Must be the Italian in her!

[Bramshott]

Thanks so much for all your helpful suggestions! I will trawl though them properly later, but I think for today I will try to pick up some frozen prawns on the way home.

Meltedmarsbars - sorry if I wasn't clear. DH comes in about 7.30, and then we eat later on (which he normally cooks). The DDs need to eat about 5.30.

[mathanxiety]

Parsley, basil, tuna (drained), parmesan, butter, salt, pepper, olive oil as needed -- put in blender until smooth, adding olive oil to make the paste more liquid. Toss with hot spaghetti with chopped olives and crumbled bacon sprinkled over it if you like, plus more parmesan.

[Bramshott]

Well they had spaghetti with butter, thyme and prawns, with green beans on the side. DD2 did eat it (although she wanted me to feed her, which is turning into a bit of a theme recently!); DD1 predictably ate the prawns, then sat at the table sobbing until I cracked and sent her upstairs to calm down. She DID however, reappear later on, slather the remainder with ketchup, and eat it!

[meltedmarsbars]

I ban ketchup unless it is a "ketchup meal" ie sausages, etc. If she gets to slather it on everything she'll see that as victory!