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Last night, dad was out of the house and I got to have a date night with the kiddo. We had so many activity options, like going to the pool, playing Legos, racing cars around the track. What did my son want to do? Read our new library book and make a recipe! #BestKidEver
The library book we read was is called Cooking Step By Step by DK. It’s available at the Culver City Julian Dixon Library here. If you’re not in Culver City, you can also find it on Amazon here.
After thumbing around in Cooking Step By Step (wow there are some great looking recipes for kids!) we found a recipe for Summer Pasta. My kiddo wanted this one the minute we saw it! He picked up the book, grabbed his stool, and set himself up at the counter so he could “tell mom how to make it.” He did a great job :).
We edited the book’s version to make what you see below. Here’s how we did it:
You’ll need:
- Pasta (we used whole grain fusilli noodles)
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Basil (we used basil we grow on our patio!)
- Frozen peas (or use fresh if you have them)
- Olive oil
- Parmesan (optional)
- Bread (optional)
Time to make: 12 minutes from zero to table.
Recipe:
First, start your water boiling. I know this is crazy, but I don’t salt my pasta water. We’ve had some health scares and now I stay as far from salt as I can get. So no salted pasta water. Trust me, it’s still delicious.
While the water is boiling, cut your tomatoes into halves or quarters. We used about a cup of quartered grape tomatoes.
Put half a cup of frozen peas into a microwave safe bowl. Cover with a wet napkin and microwave for a minute (or until thawed and warm).
Cut or tear basil into strips, about an inch in length. We only had a tablespoon or so of basil, but more would have been delicious.
Cook your pasta, making sure to get a nice al dente. FYI whole wheat pasta can take a different amount of time than traditional pasta, so check the directions on your bag or box.
When the pasta is done, drain almost completely, leaving a quarter cup of pasta water in the pan. Throw in your tomatoes, peas, and basil. Drizzle on olive oil to taste, and mix. This is a great step for the kiddos!
Add ons:
We made some basic garlic bread on the side using multigrain bread, olive oil, garlic powder and paprika (because it makes it red!). My son added parmesan to his pasta and loved it. I would also have added diced garlic but didn’t think of it until after, darn it.
Modifications:
This is an easy to modify recipe. Use gluten free pasta, or add protein if you’d like. The original recipe calls for pancetta, and my husband added chicken to the leftovers. As described above, this is vegan and mostly heart healthy.
Do you cook with your kids? What parts of the cooking process do they get to own?