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!

Would he eat the roasted veggies without them being blended? I bloody love roasted veg. You could take a bit out for him first before you make your sauce? New textures and flavours and all that. Add a bit of your sauce on the side too if he finds it a bit dry, or add balsamic vinegar and a splash of olive oil, or pesto as previously suggested

Try making it without the coconut milk and then have a bowl with some parmesan and a bowl with some coconut milk on the table and let people add what they want themselves.

Hahaha but it's not going to be a smoothie is it..

Add garlic, chilli, salt, pepper... anything else common to a savoury pasta dish. I can't see why that wouldn't work! If I try it I'll report back 😝

Besides, OP likes it and everyone in her family did until now. So if it truly was grim they'd never have liked it in the first place!

It works great with butternut squash too! I sprinkle cheese before it goes into the oven and it's divine!

I went dairy/ soya free for 18months. So I've experimented a lot with coconut milk. You can always taste it! If dairy is the issue I'd try blending with almond or cashew milk.

trying it with passata or pesto sometimes is a good shout.

I'd serve his pasta and sauce separately and maybe add an easy veg that he'll eat on the side for him. Toms, cucumber, peas.

I have chopped chicken but I was just talking about the sauce I'm my op as that's where his problem lies

Not the point of the thread, but could you share the full recipe including timings and seasonings? Sounds potentially delicious to me

I've experimented with lots of milks before landing on coconut milk. You can't taste the coconut what so ever but something about the thickness helps bring the sauce together really well

Pasta with the sauce on the side is a good idea or some plain pasta with cheese on it.

Try it with noodles and add some red or green pesto in it perhaps?

Absolutely!
One red onion chopped in half
One whole garlic
One chopped carrot
Once chopped red pepper
One chopped courgette
One beef tomato
Spray olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over, roast on 180 for 25 minutes. Blend with half a cup of coconut milk.
Cook chicken and dice into pieces.
Half cook the pasta.
Coat the pasta in the sauce and add the chicken (top with cheese if you prefer) and put it in the oven for 20 minutes.

My DH is also super picky so when I made this and he loved it I was over the moon!

My biggest win was when I was making pasta with peppers and cheese and ds said no, I don't like peppers. So I blended the peppers with milk and cheese and he absolutely loved it..

Coconut milk with roasted veg is perfectly fine. Take no notice of those who can't imagine other people having different tastes.

If I stopped making every dinner my 4yo suddenly decided to hate, I'd have nothing left to cook (except chicken nuggets, and perhaps nutella on toast).

In your situation I'd serve some plain pasta with sauce for dipping, and a bit of pasta coated in sauce so they can choose.

This sounds delicious, I'm going to make this for myself and my husband. My 3 year old DS will currently only eat chicken nuggets and cheese sandwiches for his tea at the moment 😂

you may not be able to but I bet I could!!

Please come back and let me know what you think!
But I completely relate to that, my 2 year old is so fussy. This is the only healthy meal he'll happily devour, hence why I'm so reluctant to give it up

I think everyone has different coconut tolerances - and how much you like it to begin with.

I love it in sweet and savoury dishes, but my friend swears she can taste it in anything. In my experience it's usually only
once I've told her it contains coconut beforehand 😜

I can smell it.

I do something similar but do cashew nuts soaked in water before hand as the coconut can add a sweetness that you either like or do t

but yes plain pasta and maybe some chunky bits of veg in it

Plain pasta, salad, garlic bread, sauce for those who want it.

This is what I’d do. Small portions of tomato sauce - could also be home made with tinned toms, onion, carrot, red pepper. If you don’t make a thing of not liking the other, I bet he’ll want it again after too long.

Sounds like it has very little flavour (where are the herbs?) and it certainly doesn't have enough protein for a main meal.

Maybe adding some chicken or silken tofu or something would help give it a bit of flavour.

I do a mac and cheese type dish with soaked cashew nuts, it's lovely. But you're right it is on the sweeter side.