An Easy Pasta Recipe For Toddlers
Description
Looking to introduce multi-component dishes to your kiddo but don’t know where to start? Pasta or rice are as good a launchpad as any: think peas and rice, biryani, stir fried noodles, etc. One pot. One set of ingredients for everyone. One goal. In other words: look for dishes that require little modification from its original form, and thus can be enjoyed by adults and child(ren) alike without terribly compromising the needs of either..
This orecchiette pasta with sausage and broccoli classic, which I’m sure you’ve seen on countless Italian restaurant menus, makes elemental an understatement: it comes together in about 20 minutes, relies almost entirely on ingredients likely already in your pantry and fridge, and can be modified easily without tampering with its core tastes and textures. Our changes to the typical recipe are minor but sensible: switching to regular ol’ broccoli rather than using rabe (less bitter), doing meatballs instead of just little nubbins of meat (easier texture), eliminating the red pepper flakes (obviously), and making it a bit brothier than typical (because little children heart soup). The flavors and the textures are nearly the same; the switch to meatball form helps the dish’s components feel visible and coherent. You’ll love it, too–and so might your child.
Ingredients
8 oz Ground Beef (feel free to use sweet sausage links instead)
Instructions
Prep
- Season ground beef all over with salt and pepper; form into a single mound or ball.
- Smash your garlic cloves, then dice into small pieces.
- Chop off stalk and most of stems of broccoli; cut into small florets.
- Rip very small chunks of meat from your beef or sausage and roll between the tops of your fingers until the meat piece takes a ball or oblong shape. (Doesn’t have to be perfectly round!) Repeat.
Cook
- Cook your pasta. Drain when finished, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water.
- While pasta cooks, pour a glug of olive oil into a dutch oven or skillet and heat pan to Medium; once hot, add in meatballs and cook, untouched, for 60-90 seconds
- Turn meatballs over, add in crushed garlic and broccoli florets and cook for another two minutes.
- Add in pasta water, broth, and butter; bring pan to a soft boil and simmer until liquid thickens, roughly 3-4 minutes.
- Toss in pasta, a pinch or two of salt and pepper, grated parmesan, and a big squeeze of lemon; mix until everything is blended.
Serve
Having seen mom and dad consume their faire share of “grain bowls” and the like, my son has come to expect his grains in a bowl, which we oblige because the novelty breeds interest; your mileage–and serving vessel of choice–may and/or should vary. When we serve, we interweave each of the three components, making each piece of pasta, meat, and broccoli very visible so the first impression is positive; you can load up the bowl when your child wants a second helping. If your child tends to like soup, or if you just don’t know how it’s going to go, add some of the broth from the pan to the bowl.
