To keep making this dinner

[Soitis83]

So, once a week I'll make a pasta and the sauce I make by myself. I roast loads of veg and blitz it in the blender with coconut milk. My two year old loves it, I love it and my husband loves it. Problem is, my 4 year old (who used to devour the whole plate) has now decided he hates it and refuses to eat it the last two times I've made it. Do I stop making it as it makes dinner time so stressful, or do I carry on making it as everyone else enjoys it and it's healthy? Making two separate dinners is just not an option as I also have a 3 month old and cooking dinner is hard enough as it is!

I don’t blame him to be honest!! I’ve never heard of blitzed roasted vegetable and coconut milk, especially with pasta! Maybe with a spice blend (Thai, Vietnamese, etc.), but it just sounds bland and mush like - sorry!

Can you blitz 1/4 vegetables with passata, then tip out and blitz the coconut milk and vegetables. You wouldn’t need to rinse the blender or anything so not much extra work.

I would just give him pasta with a bit of pesto or olive oil and chuck some ham & grated cheese on it! The rest of you can enjoy the pasta and sauce which sounds delicious!

I did this originally and 'help' chop the veg. Used to work a treat and now not at all! It used to help as he wouldn't eat veg, now my 2 year old is the veg dodger so the only way to get veg into him is blending it

I promise it's much nicer than it sounds! But that's a good idea thank you

You've never had a creamy pasta sauce? That's all it does, make the vegetables into a creamy veg sauce.

That's exactly what it does! Never tastes of coconut

Did you read the part that said he used to finish his whole plate?

I did, I assumed that in the meantime his palate has matured.

Surely coconut pasta is not a thing?

It really isn't normal. Pasta dishes are Italian and so use Italian type flavours. Coconut is used in Asian or Caribbean dishes - think Thai, Indian or Jamaican. I mean, everyone has their own little "tweaks" when it comes to cooking but coconut in a pasta sauce is really out there and does not sound appetising. I love coconut too.

setting aside who likes coconut and who doesn't, I get fed up with things that I have really enjoyed and need to take a break before I enjoy them again. I always thought it was pretty normal.

Have you ever had a creamy pasta bake? It doesn't taste like coconut. More of a creamy roasted tomato pasta bake.

It's no different to cream really. I think it sounds quite nice, but would add some protein in myself.

This is probably what's happened. I'm a bit weird and could happily eat the same meal every night. But seeing as it's the only way to get a lot of veg into my two year old (and DH to be fair) I've just made sure we have it once a week. Maybe I need to try new recipes for hidden veg because you're right, he's probably just fed up with it

Chopped chicken works well in it!

You'd obviously season it though wouldn't you! And taste as you go etc.. I thought everyone did that and it goes without saying!

i would offer butter and cheese as a toppings instead of just dry pasta, but yes, just let people pick sauce or no sauce.

Definitely seasoned. I just stated the main ingredients

Pasta can be whatever you want to be, if you're creative in the kitchen!

If you've been to Thailand you may see that they sometimes do their dishes with spaghetti! And in Beijing I had a Chinese style bolognese.. so it's not as uncommon as you think. Besides, this sauce doesn't have any strong Asian flavours, coconut milk is about as tame as it gets! Hardly miles away from a creamy tomato or veg sauce!

How interesting! He's very, very big on his independence too so this makes a lot of sense.

I love coconut and I love pasta but sorry that sounds awful. Yes my 2yo would eat but I'd expect by 4 he's finding it odd.

Creamy sauce would be with cream or bechamel.

Try blending it with mascarpone and aa bit of basil instead?

Ignore the people saying it's weird OP, they are likely not so adventurous or creative in the kitchen 😊😊

You've tempted me to try it now. I have a butternut squash to use up so may do it with that, sounds quite autumnal!

The vegetable flavour would mask the coconut though. I did veganuary and made swaps like this and you honestly couldn't tell the difference. If you can't have dairy or don't like it, it's a very similar swap.

I like cooking with new things and am adventurous with food but a coconut milk vegetable smoothie on pasta would not be top of my list for dinner!

Looks like no protein in that meal ?