It’s really hard to get my daughter to eat anything but a few foods, and they’re usually some kind of breaded chicken, scrambled egg, or grilled cheese sandwich. The only between-meal snacks she gets is fruit or carrots, but it would be really nice if she’d eat what we’re eating for dinner. I’m tired of cooking two separate meals at the same time.

Since she’ll eat pretty much anything we grow together in the garden, I figured that to get her interested in a meal, she should help cook it. It should be pretty simple to make with plenty of veggies hidden inside!

Introducing, James’ Famous Spaghetti Bolognaise! It’s pretty much all “to taste”, but make sure you have lots of veggies in there.

Here’s how you make it:

In cooking order:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions finely chopped – fry in the oil until soft

Add everything in order and stir until the meat is brown:

• 5-6 carrots finely chopped
• 3 cups of frozen peas
• Italian seasoning
• Extra oregano
• Squidge of ketchup
• A few glugs of Worchester Sauce
• 1 jar of Catelli tomato and basil pasta sauce – you could make it yourself, but who has the time?
• 500g packet of lean beef mince, or vegetarian alternative

Let simmer for 30 – 45 mins with a lid.

In a smaller pot, boil water and add a pinch of salt.

Add Catelli Smart Veggie Spaghetti and gently boil for 6-9 minutes until al-dente.

Drain and serve.

I chose Catelli Smart Veggie Spaghetti because it has the goodness of carrots and cauliflower inside it providing half a serving of vegetables in every 85 gram portion. In addition to veggies, Catelli Smart and Catelli Smart Veggie pastas are also a very high source of fibre.

Win-win. My picky toddler thinks she’s eating delicious white carbs and I know she’s getting lots of veggies in there too. Plus if she eats the actual bolognese then she’s getting a proper meal…although that might be wishful thinking.

Let’s see what happens:

Amazing! She actually ate her whole bowl of pasta, with a little cheese on it for some added protein. She had a couple of tastes of the meat sauce, but I guess that can be revisited next time.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Catelli for sponsoring this post and pushing me to find a way to get more veggies on our plates (and on the table, and in her hair somehow).