Pasta Recipes for Kids

Pasta is a firm family favorite in our house and it is often the go-to dish when we can’t quite decide what to have for dinner. As well as being easy to cook, pasta is reasonably cheap, so it is great if you are meal planning on a budget.

Here are a few of our favorite pasta recipes that your kids are sure to love.

Buttered Pasta for Kids >

This buttered pasta recipe can be whipped up in a matter of minutes and it is so simple that even the fussiest of eaters will enjoy it. This pasta dish can easily be jazzed up, by adding your child’s favorite ingredients such as ham, mushrooms and peppers.

Ingredients

• 16 ounces of bowtie pasta
• 3 ounces of unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly grated Parmesan

Method

1. Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil over a high heat and salt it generously. Add the pasta and boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander, leaving a little bit of the pasta water in the bottom of the pot.
2. Return the pot to a low heat. Whisk the butter in bit by bit, letting each piece melt completely before adding the next, to make a creamy sauce. Toss the pasta in the sauce.
3. Season with the salt and pepper and nutmeg, if desired. (Add a little warm water if the pasta looks shiny.) Transfer to warmed bowls and serve warm, with Parmesan sprinkled over.

Zoo Pasta >

This fun dish from Sandra Lee is perfect for those days when you have to resort to bribery to get your child to eat something. Yes, we know that we shouldn’t have to resort to gimmicks to get our kids to eat, but some days monkey shaped pasta is the only answer!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces of zoo animal shaped pasta
• 8 ounces of frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• 1/4 cup of roasted red peppers, diced
• 1/4 cup of light Caesar dressing or light ranch dressing
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.
2. Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove the pasta from the heat and drain carefully in a colander. Return pasta to pot. Add the vegetables and salad dressing.
4. Stir over a medium heat until it is heated through; about 3 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir.
6. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Sand Pasta >

Sand on the kids’ dinner? Yes, you heard right. This is a fun dish that all of the family can enjoy preparing and we think that you big kids will like eating it too. The 'sand’ comes in the shape of breadcrumbs and adds a fun sensory element to the dish.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of cooked spaghetti
• 1 cup of dry Italian breadcrumbs (this is the sand)
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 teaspoon of dried parsley
• 1⁄16 teaspoon of garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Method

1. Cook the spaghetti and prepare the rest of the ingredients while it is cooking
2. Put the olive oil in a frying pan.
3. Add the breadcrumbs and the rest of ingredients.
4. Mix well; should look like wet sand--if not, add a little more of whatever you think you need to make it look like that.
5. Toss the warm sand with the pasta.
6. Sprinkle with cheese.

Jo Mama’s World Famous Spaghetti >

This yummy spaghetti recipe always has my daughter (and my husband) asking for more, it is so delicious. This dish takes a little longer to cook, so you may want to make it a weekend dish, and we can see it being the perfect Saturday night dinner.

If, like me, you usually end up making enough pasta to feed a small army, you may want to invest a few dollars in buying a spaghetti measurer so that you can perfect your portion sizes.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of Italian sausage, casings removed (mild or hot)
• 1 small onion, chopped (optional)
• 3 -4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans of tomato paste
• 2 (15 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
• 2 cups water (for a long period of simmering for flavors to meld. If you don't want to simmer it as long, add less)
• 3 teaspoons basil
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 cup red wine (the alcohol will cook out, don’t worry!)
• 1 lb thin spaghetti
• Parmesan cheese to serve

Method

1. In a large, heavy stockpot, brown the Italian sausage, breaking up as you stir.
2. Add the onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened.
3. Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
4. Add basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, crushed red pepper and black pepper.
5. Stir well and bring to a boil.
6. Stir in the red wine.
7. Simmer on a low heat, stirring frequently for at least an hour. A longer simmer makes for a better sauce, just be careful not to let it burn!
8. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
9. Spoon sauce over drained spaghetti noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Broccoli and Bow Ties >

Most vegetables go really well with pasta, and broccoli and pasta are a match made in heaven. This dish will have your kids happily eating their veggies and they will love the zing that the lemon brings to the dish. I have to confess that this is one of my favorites too!

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 8 cups of broccoli florets (4 heads)
• 1/2 pound of farfalle (bow tie) pasta
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of good olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of toasted pignoli (pine) nuts
• Freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Method

1. Cook the broccoli for 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling salted water. Remove the broccoli from the water with a slotted spoon or sieve. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In the same water, cook the bow tie pasta according to the package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain well and add to the broccoli.
3. Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, heat the butter and oil and cook the garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add 2 teaspoons salt, the pepper and lemon juice, and pour this over the broccoli and pasta. Toss well. Season to taste, sprinkle with the pignolis and cheese, if using, and serve.
4. To toast pignolis, place them in a dry sauté pan over medium-low heat and cook, tossing often, for about 5 minutes, until light brown.

If you like these pasta recipes for kids, you can find more via our Remember Stuff recipe search.