Growing up I can recall mealtimes being the best part of the day. We would gather together to eat some good food and chat about our day. As my sister and I got older, the opportunities to connect with our parents grew further apart so as an adult I appreciate those times even more now. With my own family our week day dinners have a missing member, so we try to have at least two good sit down meals together on the weekend. This Family Day I want to challenge you to Share The Table with your loved ones. Have a meal together, talk about your day, your plans for the week and really connect.
To help you along with this challenge we had the chance to chat with Chef David Rocco, a Share The Table ambassador. With his passion for getting children into the kitchen he was a natural fit with Share The Table, whose mandate is to get families back together over a good meal. We asked Chef David the following question and share his answer below.
Question:
Do you have suggestions on how to get kids to try a dish or ingredient when they convince themselves they won’t like it before they even taste it?
Chef David:
Kids can be picky, especially when it comes to vegetables, and I find that pasta is a great way to disguise them. Cut up your veggies, sauté them with some butter and garlic and toss it in with their favourite cut of pasta. They might not even notice the cauliflower or zucchini you snuck in there.
Another trick that works really well is to have them help with the cooking. Get them to squish tomatoes with their hands, tear up basil leaves or stir the sauce on the stove. I find if they’re involved in making the meal, they’re more likely to eat the meal.
Along with this great advice Chef David would like to share this easy and delicious pasta recipe that is perfect for Family Day. Get the kids involved with the prep and get a head start on sharing your table.
Recipe for Barilla Pasta al Burro
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of your favourite Barilla pasta cut (David likes Penne)
- 1 cup of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water
Method:
- Cook and drain the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Reserve some of the pasta water.
- Add in the unsalted butter, parmigiano-reggiano and salt to taste, using the reserved pasta water as needed. Stir while combining. Recipe serves four.
Chef David suggests that if you would like a richer version try using gorgonzola and pecorino cheese. Add them to the butter so they melt to make a rich and yummy sauce.
I like to add a veggie to this type of meal and the favourite in our family is steamed broccoli. This can be switched out with your family’s preferred veggies.
You can find more kid -approved recipes and learn about the Share The Table initiative by visiting the Barilla website. Follow them on Twitter @BarillaCAN under #ShareTheTable.
Whatever you do with your kids and spouse this Family Day have fun and make it memorable. Try something new, raise money for charity, visit the zoo or go for a walk. Enjoy your time together.
Do you cook with your children? Do they enjoy it?
FT&PD
Suz
Strangely enough my grandchildren love broccoli though they often turn their noses up at other vegetables. They call them trees 🙂 so I’d certainly add that to this recipe too.
As of now, my girl likes to help prep food!
Funny, I read this and wondered why there was no meat or fish added to the pasta to add protein and make it a full meal. Yet, I have often thought that if I had children or grand-children, I would encourage limiting the intake of meat and fish. So if one were to encourage a vegetarian way of life, I assume this meal would contain all the nutrition a child would need for one meal……….with the added veggies, of course. This is also an easy dish for a child to make with a parent’s help! Thanks, MMM! 🙂
for us, we’d add broccoli , my kids loved that , or even some sliced mushrooms in it ..OH YUM
My girls always cooked with me and now they are both great cooks in their own right!
This sounds like a nice myself and the grandkids can make for lunch on the weekend.
Family dinners were important in my family, and we always made sure to sit down & eat the dinner meal together. These are some of my fondest memories!
The grandkids and i made this on Sunday it was delicious !!
The first item I taught my kids and then grand kids was rotini noodles and cheese. I was a simple meal and they could take all credit with the preparation.
This sounds yummy. My family will eat anything that is in pasta and cheese. They would eat it every day if I would fix it. I try to “crank it up a notch” by adding different veggies, spices and they have loved it every time.
Our kids have been in the kitchen cooking with us from and early age! My son is working towards going to culinary school soon!
I cook with my daughter all the time, pretty soon she will surpass me in skill!!
I absolutely love Chef David Rocco and will definitely try this recipe, Thank you!!
My grandchildren love broccli and red peppers i know thats strange but its actually their favorites to go in school lunches
My kids love pasta and it’s the first thing that I taught them to cook 🙂 Thanks for the tips.
Great recipe. I really like Barilla Pasta. I think it makes the difference!
We just continue introducing something in small portions without pushing them too much.
I really love penne pasta and this is the perfect recipe that I will try this week! Thanks for the great tips! My kids like different veggies so I may just separate the veggies and let them add their favorites individually.
We have been trying to cook more with our kids. So far, they really like it!
It doesn’t get any easier than this, a fast and easy dish that any of the kids would like, I like that it can be the base to something magnificent!! and add anything else in that the kids like!!
Oooh looks so delicious!
Fantastic recipe! We do a similar version once a week! Lucky for me, both my kids are willing to try new foods before deciding they don’t like something!
I Havery a toddler and she enjoys mixing things lol
I want to eat it.
Chef David is so mean, fooling kids into eating their veggies! LOL. That’s great tip to cut things up and put them in with the pasta.
LOL, gotta do what ya gotta do! My kids have no idea the amount of things I hide on them, LOL.
My grandson is still a picky eater but will often take a tiny bite of something new if everyone else is trying it.
My boys do love to help me while I bake. My oldest is the picky eater in my family. His little brother will eat anything, as long as I am eating it.
I’m lucky to not have picky kids; they eat everything. But I also involved them when they were super young in the cooking and baking process, so that helped a lot. Plus we have a garden and grow our own veggies, we visit a lot of ranches and farms so they know where their food comes from. Helped in making them curious about food and never picky.
My granddaughter likes this and has it quite a bit when she comes over!!
Love this using penne all the time; crumbled up pork I add and mix butter and top off with provolone cheese yum. I love all your receipes; Promblem is large lady who needs recipes that are low in fat and sugar….will you be posting some in the near future?
My son always helps me prepare meals. Thanks for sharing the recipe! 🙂
This is an easy recipe to make. I think mushrooms and broccoli would taste great in this dish too.
I’ve never eaten pasta without some kind of sauce but I like how simple it is
my go to comfort food pasta
I like to add mixed veggies done in EVOO, garlic and tuna
I think that is an excellent but really sneaky idea to get kids to eat their veggies.Actually I love this idea and think it;s great to get kids to acquire a taste for veggies.My little grandson loves broccoli but he’s a bit picky with some others.
I love pasta and this dish
My husband is not a big fan of pasta. However he has never had the chance to experience really great Italian cooking. I don’t try and convince him other than a pasta salad. We have limited means in our kitchen right now. He has I think eaten too many overcooked noodles to last his lifetime. Without the proper seasonings, sauces and cheeses. I however adore pasta!
We love to cook together and she does enjoy pasta.
My grandson’s favourite dinner is pasta, he’s not a big fan of tomato sauce, so we just put Avocado Oil and Parmesan Cheese on it.
Every time i grandson comes over,he asks for this pasta
I’m starting to cook with my kids more and more these days. They love it and are more likely to eat what we made because they helped
I love David Rocco, didn’t realize he was a share the table ambassador. Love his tips!
My daughter makes this pretty often and loves it!!
I find color helps get kids to try new things, or cheese. Kids love the shapes of pasta too.
I find that putting a veggie in a dish my daughter already likes, helps – even though she will try to pick it out. That Barilla Pasta al Burro recipe sounds delicious as well!
I will be making this for myself when I am feeling tired and craving pasta. Simple can be delicious!
A tasty easy recipe thanks
I love David Rocco’s idea having the kids help to tear up basil leaves for the pasta. Getting them involved usually works well.
It’s fun to have kids involved in planning and preparing meals.