“Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.”  ~Voltaire

Phew. That was a mouthful. And I’m about to give you another mouthful. A delicious mouthful of veggie goodness, that even my most fussy eaters will devour. It doesn’t come from a jar, but it’s almost as easy as turning that lid. It literally takes the same amount of time it will take you to bring big pasta pot of water to a boil and get your noodles cooked. And all the veggies are fresh…well, I canned the tomatoes in the summer, but they were fresh off the vine when they went into the jar. It really is easy. Watch and see…

Gather all your fresh veggies.

Spinach, zucchini, and tomatoes. You’ll need 3 cloves of garlic, a handful of basil, and a parmesan cheese. I use spaghettini as opposed to spaghetti because I find the noodles less gummy. You’ll need a little olive oil, and some cream (optional). That’s it.

Get your pot of water on the stove and remember to salt the water generously. While the water heats up, puree your tomatoes in the blender, finely chop your spinach, and grate your zucchini. Pour 2 TBSP of olive oil into your saucepan on medium heat. Crush your garlic into the oil. Let it heat up and start to bubble, about one minute.

Pour in your pureed tomatoes. Mix. Add your grated veggies. Mix.

Now let the veggies simmer and reduce at medium heat. Pour your pasta into the boiling water and cook for time directed on the package. By the time your noodles are cooked and drained, your sauce will be ready. Fold your noodles into the sauce along with a handful of freshly chopped basil. If you don’t have fresh basil, leave it out or use 1 tsp of dried basil.

Now here is the optional part. I add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the pasta because I have a bunch of little toddlers who can handle the calories. You can leave it out if you like.

Stir it up and put the lid on. Let it cook for 2 minutes with the lid on and at medium to low heat. Open it up, salt  it to taste, sprinkle on some grated parmesan cheese and serve! Yes, I garnish the dish with a little basil leaf. Even for the babies. I think their food should look pretty too!

Here are a few testimonials for this particular pasta dish…

Oh, and the best testimonial of all…

The empty bowl.

So here is the recipe in short…

1 pint of canned tomatoes pureed (for us Canadians, it’s about 1 of those big 790-ish ml cans…I know, so exact, right?)

2 cups finely chopped spinach (that’s 2 cups AFTER it’s chopped)

1 small-medium zucchini, grated.

3 cloves garlic

1 handful basil

500g of uncooked pasta

parmesan cheese for sprinkling

You will have them asking for more, I promise.

For an extra treat today, I have rounded up some great recipes from other fabulous kid-bloggers I have come to know. If you have a minute, browse through and see what you can find. There is bound to be something here that your fussy eater would appreciate! Just click on the photo and it will take you right there!

Mummy Musings and Mayhem’s Healthy Chocolate Muffins…

And also from Mummy Musings and Mayhem, Fruit and Coconut Balls…

Mama Scout’s Real Fast Food Chicken Strips…

A Little Journal’s Best Meatballs…

Also from A Little Journal, The Yummiest Omelettes…

And one last one from A Little Journal, Making Mini Pizzas…

Dirt and Boogers’ Sweet Potato Muffins…

Learn With Play @ Home’s Snack Boxes (totally fabulous, btw)…

And another fabulous one from Learn With Play @Home, Fun Food…

Mums in Jersey’s Fantastic Fruit Fun…

The Glittering Muffins’ Vegetable Soup Rice…

The Good Long Road’s P is For Peas…

The Mommies Made Me Do It’s “Put a Picky Eater in the Kitchen”…

Famiglia and Seoul’s Carrot Cookies…

Mama Smiles’ Ice Cream…

And then 2 more here that don’t have a photo, but check them out as well!

For an adventure in Turkish Red Lentil Soup, go to Smiling Like Sunshine for her recipe. And for a great pizza recipe for kids, go on over to The Good Life Bloggers!

Now that ought to keep you busy for a while!  Check back in tomorrow for some fun activities to get your fussy eater excited about food.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Arlee, Small Potatoes