Seeking Healthy Pasta Dishes

Hi Dawn,

I have a 6yo that is almost a vegetarian except for chicken nuggets, hot dogs (converting to morning star corn dogs), and the occassional fish stick, but like you minus the vegetables and fruit. She literally made it through Kindergarten on PB&J and luke warm mac n' cheese everyday. My 4yo will eat about anything. They both really like cold pasta salad and I can add different things to that such as chopped up tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers. I also use my Tupperware Quick Chef (I'm a consultant) to mince vegetables like carrots and add to Spaghetti sauce and "Cheese" Lasagna. They also like chips and salsa, so I make homemade salsa, again in the Quick Chef, and add different vegetables to it. They love it! I also have a new rule with my picky eater that she has to at least try something once and take 6 bites (same as age), after that she can have cereal (cheerios), as I am not going to make a seperate meal for her. Another thing that my picky eater is eating more of is crescent rolls and bread stick. So you can hide things in those as well if made from scratch. You can wrap just about anything in the crescent rolls, add some cheese and they are pretty happy with it.

Good luck!!!

This is not a pasta dish, but a meat dish. Have you ever tried pigs in a blanket? I took some croissants and put cheese on them and then put a hot dog and rolled it up and baked in the oven according to the directions on the package of croissants. I hope this helps. There is a site for recipes I go to often to find meals. It is called allrecipes.com. They may also have suggestions for picky eaters. Good Luck!!

My girls absolute favorite is just plain old pasta with a sprinkling of (shredded not grated) parmesan cheese. I do use the healthy pasta... usually the Barilla plus with Omega-3 or an organic or whole wheat variety. You could add any soft veggie.... a few peas, a little broccoli, cut up some edamame!

Morningstar makes veggiebites- my son's favorite was broc and cheddar- the bites have fiber, protein, and veggies which is great. Another thing is try adding pureed veggies to your tom. sauce or mac n cheese. For ex. add pureed butternut squash to spag sauce and mac and cheese its bland enough and won't change the appearance of his favorites. It will add the fiber he needs. My son is constantly constipated. Don't worry his diet will expand soon. Just keep trying new things. My son didn't eat a lot of meat until recently and he is 2 1/2.

This is my absolute FAVORITE!!!

Grill Chicken breast and/or shrimp, Green bell peppers, Onions, Red bell Peppers, tomato,and/or any other veggies you want.

Boil some rotini noodles(we use the wheat noodles)

In a seperate bowl mix Parmesean cheese(shredded), Italian Dressing and abouta table spoon or so of Garlic Powder until they make a thick paste. I usually use about half to 3/4 of the package of cheese.

Once the chicken and veggies are done cooking, cut them up into bit sized pieces and

mix the cut chocken and veggies with the sauce mix together in a big serving bowl.....Then Enjoy

Sorry I dont have any exact measurements I just add until it looks right. Once you have mixed everything together taste a noodle to see that you have enough of the sauce and if not just add more italian dressing straight onto the pasta.

My 3 year old daughter is also vegetarian and I am as well. We eat alot of pasta and she loves the Barilla spiral pasta with the added Omega-3, which has a good bit of protein. Her favorite way to eat it is with Pesto Sauce. We buy the kind in the jar from Costco and it is quite good. I don't think it actually counts as a vegetable but at least it is green! That is about as close as I can get with her some days.

Try www.allrecipes.com and www.kraftfoods.com
Jen

My daughter like just about anything with tomato sauce too. So, when I fix spaghetti or pasta I will add some cooked carrots, or zuchinni, or even squash. Most of the time she doesn't even notice she's eating vegies with her pasta. You can also get one of those cool cutters that "strings" the veggies, it even looks just like pasta. She also will eat salad (lettuce, cheese, and dressing) I was surprised, but that is one veggie I don't have to convince her of, she loves it. Good luck!

Here is a great recipe for a tomato based sauce that "hides" vegetables in it. I made it several times when my son went through his picky stage. We even made pizza and lasagna out of it. It's from a Jamie Oliver recipe (he's a british chef), so some of the terms might sound odd--tins, courgettes, etc.

Hidden vegetable tomato sauce

2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

2 garlic cloves grated

approximately 1/4 of a butternut squash chopped (I used frozen ready prepared butternut squash, it defrosted quite quickly as I cooked it with the rest of the vegetables)

1/2 leek chopped roughly

1 stalk of celery roughly chopped

1 courgette roughly chopped

1/2 red pepper roughly chopped

1 onion chopped

(You could really use any vegetable you want, although I thoroughly recommend the butternut squash as it gave the sauce a nice thick, almost creamy consistency).

1. Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft and translucent.
2. Add the rest of the vegetables (except for the tinned tomatoes and butternut squash) and sweat on a low heat, covered for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
3. Remove the lid and add the butternut squash, cook for 5 minutes, stir occasionally.
4. Add the two tins of tomatoes, bring to the boil then simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and blend with a handblender (or if you don’t have one, carefully blend (in batches if needed) in a food processor).
6. Enjoy.

what about beef raviolis? and still make your own sauce. Theres a book that my mother-in-law got me but i have yet to use it bc my child is still a baby but its called Deceptively Delicious Simple Secrets to get your kids eating good food by Jessica Seinfeld. It has all the "hidden" ingrediants in the recipes. I just looked it up and you can get it from amazon.com for $10. Looks like it would be worth the money to try!

If your son will eat sauce, you can puree vegetables that are of similar color and "sneak" them in the sauce. For example, I would puree carrots and add them to the mac n cheese. Puree red bell peppers, green bell peppers, onions and broccoli and add them to the spaghetti sauce. Mash up cauliflower with mashed potatoes. Once you get him eating them, you can gradually make the chunks bigger. I think sweet potatoes are great, too, just baked by themselves with a little cinnamon and butter. I would recommend the pesto, too and if he likes it, I would add some spinach to it little by little.

My son is a "dipper" so he will eat anything he can dip. He gets lots of baby carrots and broccoli to dip in whatever sauce he wants.

Good luck! Keep trying, he'll eventually grow out of this.

When my son was little he did not like most meats, but to my surprise he loved ground turkey. I would use it in place of ground beef and he would be happy. I don't know if it was the difference in texture or what but it made him happy. Also he loved the beans and cheese from taco bell.

Hi Dawn,
Just a quick thought. Have you tried cutting up hot dogs into little pieces and hiding them in the mac and cheese? We do that with my 16 month old daughter when she goes through food phases like that. It might work. I've also heard people say that you should not play into the favorites and that the child will eat when he or she is hungry. That's awfully hard when your child is crying and is hungry. Thankfully, I've never had to go to that length. Good Luck! Hope this helps a little bit. I'm sure your son will come around to other foods in time!!

C.

My son was the same way at that age. Now he loves meat! I researched vegetarian meals, and he would eat beans and other proteins. There are lots of options out there, just do some research. And yes if you put the veggies in the pasta he will probably eat it! Just watch his weight and growth, make sure he's not eating all of one thing, and he'll be fine!

you can buy spinach pasta. with my 5 kids iput unliked foods in blender (puree)& added them to my recipe. they are in thier 40's. i recently told them.

We have a great pasta recipe from Pampered Chef with lots of colorful veggies. Your whole family will enjoy it (and you can add grilled chicken to everyone else's plate if you want).

Creamy One-Pot Pasta
--------------------

Ingredients:
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 jar (7 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, undrained
3 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (5 1/4 cups)
1 lb uncooked penne pasta
1 head broccoli (2 cups small florets)
2 medium carrots, peeled
4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil (optional)

Directions:
1. Thinly slice garlic using Color Coated Paring Knife. Place garlic and 1 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes into (8-qt.) Stockpot. Cook garlic over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add broth. Return to burner; increase heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta; cover and simmer vigorously 8-10 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked but still firm, stirring occasionally using Mega Scraper.

2. Meanwhile, cut broccoli into small florets; place into Classic Batter Bowl. Cut carrots in half lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise on a bias using Santoku Knife. Drain sun-dried tomatoes; pat dry with a paper towel. Slice tomatoes into thin strips. Add carrots and tomatoes to batter bowl.

3. Cut cream cheese into cubes. Add vegetables, cream cheese, salt and black pepper to Stockpot. Stir until cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook an additional 2-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve immediately in Simple Additions(R) Dots Large Round Bowl. If desired, top with grated fresh Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Light: Calories 410, Total Fat 11 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Carbohydrate 65 g, Protein 15 g, Sodium 1000 mg, Fiber 5 g

Cook's Tip: For an interesting flavor twist, omit salt, black pepper, Parmesan cheese and basil. Add 1 tbsp Moroccan Rub or Greek Rub.

If desired, 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes can be substituted for the sun-dried tomatoes.

hey dawn,
my daughter is the exact same. I dont know if it will work for you but I got a juicer and i just juice a bunch of veggies and add a little fruit, dilute with water and she will drink a whole days worth of veggies in one cup. juicing is super easy too, you dont even have to peel stuff. plus, you actually get more of the nutrients from veggies when there juiced because your body doesnt have to break down the whole veggie, of course then you dont get the ruffage. To fix that problem and since she likes to eat so much cheese, i give her a handful of blueberries every day and that not only keeps her regular but believe it or not makes her diapers smell like blueberries.

Have you tried the "Sneaky Chef" (can't remember her name) or "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld??? They sneak veggies into everything! It's has worked wonders on my girls, especially my oldest who sounds just like your son! I have the "Sneaky Chef" book and the purees are great (my oldest refers to the orange puree as "orange butter" so it goes on everything!). I have tried 4 of her recipes (mac-n-cheese, pancakes, PB&J muffins, & one more I can't remember) and they were NOT good. Me, nor either of my girls would eat them... BTW, my youngest will eat anything and she wouldn't even eat them! I haven't tried Jessica's book but maybe it's better. I'm glad you've accepted his picky eating; life will get easier. My 3 1/2 year old is still picky but she is gradually more willing to try new things. Hope it helps and best wishes :)

You might want to try starting a small garden and grow your own berries and vegetables - most kids will eat what "they" grow. Be mindful, not all varieties are tasty as they are bred for shelf life and being shipped 3,000 to 10,000. Johnny's is a great place for seeds http://johnnyselectseeds.com

If space is an issue you can always do your planting in containers on your deck/porch in a sunny location. Do you know that you can even grow strawberries in a large hanging basket?
Just remember that the plants will get large so use very large containers.

Get creative: you can grow baby lettuce in an old wagon he can pull it into the sunniest locations of the yard or bring it in close for watering (which when it's hot and dry will need to be done pretty much daily once the plants are established.

Or, build a "Bean Teepee" here are a couple links for more ideas...
http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/Children/child...
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Kindergarden/kinder.htm

Regarding meat... I don' blame him for refusing to eat it - the meat sold in stores does not even resemble the meat our ancestors ate. Besides, it's full of hormones, not nutritious because the animals never get eat a blade of grass or an insect, most never even see the light of day.

Search for a local source of meat where the animals have been "grass-fed." Grass eating cows, for example, are more nutritious, have a proper ratio of Omega 3's to Omega 6's - which most Americans are deficient. You can learn more about meats, soy and so forth at: http://www.westonaprice.org/splash_2.htm

Buy the way, I don't eat store bought meats even if they say they're organic. Organic practically means nothing these days. For example, an organically raised cow means nothing more than it was fed organic corn (which could be Genetically Modified) and soy beans - both of which the cows stomach cannot digest. Cows need to eat real grass and not grains.

Pasta is sugar, high glycemic. So are potatoes, corn, wheat, etc. So you may want to be mindful.

Do your best to NOT allow your son to eat anything that has artificial sweeteners, you will find lots of info on why it is an appalling food for us and our kids at http://www.westonaprice.org/splash_2.htm

A terrific option for replacing sugar: Agave (but make sure it's from the plant species by the name of Agave tequiliana, if it is it will be clearly stated on the label) this particular species is low glycemic and 3-4 times sweeter than sugar. Use it just like you would honey - it tastes better than honey!

And what I found helpful when my son was a tike... let him help cook Molly Katsen has some terrific children's cookbooks. There are many kids cookbooks available but most do not address food source, food quality, and only use the what I call non-foods in the stores.

A good cookbook for mom and dad is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon http://www.newtrendspublishing.com/SallyFallon/index.html

I know I put way too much in this comment but just picking one thing a year from the above list will help create a pretty healthy family. If I could only do two of the above things I would grow my own lettuce and tomatoes and buy the book Nourishing Traditions.

Hope this info helps you and others.

I am sorry that I don't have any recipes but as I was reading your request I had an idea.
What if you boiled vegetables, for example, carrots, pureed them with your fork and mixed it with the noodles along with a little bit of flour and heavy cream with a little butter for a cream sauce. The carrots would color the cream sauce and he would get carrots. Then next time you could do the same but make it green beans.
I don't know if he would eat this or it would work but it was just a passing thought as I was reading your request.
Good luck. He will grow out of it. Just always offer meat and veggies in his plate just as you do yours. Make sure he takes his vitamin so his body is getting the nutrition that it needs.

Tomato sauce actually can be counted as a veggie, and I have a couple "tricks" you could try. Does the little guy like peanut butter?? That's a good source of protein, and so are eggs.
Cauliflower can be mashed up and mixed with a cheese sauce, or in potatoes. Also, if he likes the pasta, try fixing the veggie pasta they have made from spinach, carrots, or tomatoes.

I'm sure others will have some suggestions too. But don't get discouraged, as chances are he'll develop a taste for meats and other veggies as he gets older. Kids don't starve themselves, and if he is healthy don't stress too much over it. Best of luck to you, enjoy your little boy.

Diane P.

Get the cookbook Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. She shows a lot of ways to add veggies to meals (puree, etc).

My child is on Atkins!!! She loves meat. We have a hard time getting her to eat anything else other then cookies. She is four years old now and request steak for dinner minus the salad and potatoe. I have developed an ability to trick her a couple of times per week. I will make casseroles with small veggies or homeade soup. Even if they pick the stuff out in soup they are still getting the benefits from the broth. I sometimes will make Casa Dias. I will use just about anything but I like to make them with cheese, brocolli and turkey. Cut his up and hide the meat and veggies. Another way to trick him is to make homade pizza dough and cut up veggies and shove them in the dough. Then you can have him help you put the toppings on. I also work full time so I know how hard it is to cook all of this stuff but I do most of my cooking on the weekends to make it easier.

They do have those veggie pasta the veggies are cooked into the pasta they are colored so kids seem to like them. I would also try bird's eyes pasta with veggies (in the frozen isle) I would make chicken chopp it up very small and put it in his mac and cheese. Always offer him whatever you are eating, don't make special meals or you will have a very picky eater and you will never get out of the kitchen. I make a really yummy chicken dish for my kids. I sometimes cut the chicken into nuggets, sometimes put a thin slice of ham and 1/2 slice of provolone cheese and 1-2 spinach leaves on top (YUMMY!!!)

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/Recipes/RecipeDetail?recipe_...

Here are a few of our favorite meals, The porcupine meatballs I substitute ground turkey-healthier-and you CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE!

http://southernfood.about.com/od/meatballs/r/bl30202l.htm

Cracker Barrel Fried Apples (yummy!!)

Ingredients
2 cups apple juice, plus
1/2 cup apple juice
4 large golden delicious apples, with peel,cut 1/2 inch wedges
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
4 tablespoons sugar
Directions
1 In a medium skillet, combine the 2 cups apple juice and sliced apples.
2 Simmer gently until apples are fork tender but not mushy, turning apples frequently.
3 Remove apples from juice using a slotted spoon and place in an oven safe dish.
4 In a blender, combine the remaining 1/2 cup apple juice, cornstarch, apple pie spice and sugar.
5 Blend a few seconds until smooth.
6 Whisk mixture into hot apple juice in skillet and cook, stirring constantly on medium high heat until it bubbles and becomes thickened and smooth.
7 Pour thickened mixture over apples and serve.
8 Please note the cooking time is an approximate.

Beef Noodle Bowl

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/Recipes/RecipeDetail?recipe_...

Another one is Campbel's Chunky Chicken Noodle soup. You warm it up and drain the juice for him. My 11 month LOVES this! it has all the veggies, chicken, etc in it and it is very tasty!

I will also be coming back to see the responses you got! Always looking for new meals!

Enjoy!!

I have a six year old girl who we still have the same issues with! Try cutting the tiny buds off of broccoli and adding it to his pasta (spagetti noodles, butter and cottage cheeze was a fave of ours). The buds have the most nutrition in them anyway, and it's a beginning to him accepting vegggies into his food! You can also try cutting baby spinich leaves into tiny little strips, or shred a carrot and putting those in there. I also gave my kids once an 'artist' veggie plate. I put a few fresh veggies out(cali, baby carrots and cherry toms, I think it was) and then put a bunch of different dips and sauses aroung the plate. It was a great learning experiance for me and for my kids. I learned, for example, that they HATE ranch dressing and therefore me giving it to them to help them eat thier veggies wasn't going to work! The winner at my house- baby carrots and baby spinich leaves with honey!! Now that their older they rarly still ise the honey, but they do still eat the veggies! Hope that's helpful! Good Luck!

there's these new veggie pasta noodles - they're spinich, tomato, etc., but pasta noodles - you should look for those in your grocery store. also, we sub. all pasta w/ whole wheat pasta - usually there's a store brand that's comparable in price, and whole wheat is much healthier all around.

I go to www.wholesometoddlerfood.com and http://www.toddlerdish.com/recipes.html often for yummy recipes!

good luck! you are NOT alone!

try sneaking meat in food like meat sauce or hamburger in the mac n cheese. not sure of any sites but just google healthy pasta good luck

You can try recipes from The Sneaky Chef and Decpetively Delicious books. They hide veggies well in foods and it will ease your mind that he is getting good nutrition. It doesn't replace the offering of veggies and meats but they get the nutrition without stress. In the second book the cauliflower can be picked out in a few recipies. You can smell it in the banana bread. Both have a few ways to add things to pasta. You can get these books online or at typical book stores and Target.

I used to do this all the time with mine-- make homemade tomato sauce. You can put anything in it you like-- garlic, onions, carrots, peppers, basil and ground MEAT! After you saute all of that in olive oil, puree it. Put it back in your pan and add your canned tomatoes and let it simmer for about an hour. He'll love it and will never know the difference! Also, you can try giving him quinoa instead of pasta. It's delicious, same consistency as cous cous, but is full of protein. Good luck!

i had a pasta cookbook it was from better homes &gardens it had a lot of really good recipes another favorate cookbook i've got is the joy of cooking its a malti purpose cookbook it will do main dishes ,cakes,pies,cookies,canning,conversion chart plus how to make ice cream its my favorite.both are very good cooksthere are a few places online if you dont want to buy a cookbook and have a printer to make your own cookbook.pasta.allrecipes.com ,www.recipetime.net,www.EatingWell.com,www.ilovepasta.org,....
hopefully this will help you find recipes that you will like for your whole family.good luck!
in the summer when its hot we make speghetti salid it can be eaten warm or cold we add brocalli,peppers tomatoes,onion,and mushrooms my familys favorite but if he wont eat the vegatables take some out for him and eather dice his vegs fine or purie his.another way to get vegatables in his diet try vegatable lazonia(spelt wrong)its not bad and its good for him.

Hi, I went through the exact same thing with my second daughter and I have a tip that should help you out.

You can make a great spaghetti sauce with a ton of veggies and ground meat or even tofu and when its cooked put it through the blender until its nice and smooth like tomato sauce. Its a great way to sneak in the veggies and meats/proteins and they never know what they're eating.
I also use this sauce when I make them pizza and I just add pepperoni, they think they're eating pepperoni and cheese, they have no clue there's a ton of veggies in the sauce!

Another thing I recently started is just putting a plate on the table with cut up carrots and cucumbers and cheese and I let them pick at it with supper so they don't feel like they're eating their veggies since they get to decide how many they eat and surprisingly enough they usually empty the plate! A little ranch dressing for dipping and they love it. My kids WON'T eat veggies that are cooked!

For the meat I have one daughter who only eats cold meat, so I pre cook a chicken and then for lunch I cut a few peices that she can eat with her fingers, with mayo for dipping. She also likes pepperoni and balogna and cold cuts so I let her have that on occasion too.

I hope this is helpful to you... :)

E.

My eleven y.o.step-son is a picky eater(he did not grow up eating a wide variety of foods).
Have you tried couscous? Many kids like it. Does he like peanut butter? A good way to get more protein is peanut butter on noodles-oriental style. Try tofu, you can cook it so many ways. Growing up, my mother would saute some fresh garlic in seasame oil and then add some cut up firm tofu and warm it through real fast and then add some soy sauce. We used to beg her to make this! My mother would also slice the block of tofu length-wise and put it in abaking dish, cover it with pasta sauce and parmasean cheese and bake it-yummy!If he likes eggs, you ccould make him egg drop noodle soup. Look at chinese and japanese recipes, they are noodle heavy and typically meatless, but high in protein. A person does not have to eat meat to get enough protein an dnutrients, it is soooooo much better for your son to be a vegetarian. I think it's wonderful! There are so many tasty non-meat recipes to try out there. Good luck!