One Meal, Six Variations

My kid insists on eating pasta (usually with cheese) at least once a day. I can understand this. I was a kid who ate mac and cheese religiously for about a decade. However, now I’m a grown up and while I still love pasta, I can’t eat it plain every single day. REALLY. Also I am so not interested in cooking two dishes at each meal, one for my toddler and one for me. NO THANK YOU!

Here are some quick pasta additions straight from the garden/pantry that I’ve tried over the last month for you to try and enjoy.


First up, above, for mama: pasta with spinach, pine nuts, and chickpeas (similar to this chard recipe).
For the kid: plain pasta with chickpeas on the side.

Above, for mama: pasta with tuna and mayo, raw sliced zucchini, and halved cherry tomatoes.
No picture of what Miss Leyba ate, but I can guarantee plain linguine was involved.


For the toddler: mac and cheese (Annie’s gluten-free version) straight out of the box.
For mama: some halved cherry tomatoes added to the mix, though this tastes much better with fresh basil too.



For mama: a super quick addition of grated Parmesan cheese and jarred artichoke hearts halved.
For Miss Leyba: a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese (she LOVES it!) and a giant bowl of edamame to share.


Finally, for mama: putting leftovers of grilled zucchini and cherry tomatoes to good use.
For toddler: linguine with Parmesan and a circle of cherry tomatoes (she warmed up to the idea by the end of the month; score!).

All easy, all super tasty!

Some other toppings I want to try (and will undoubtedly have plenty of time to taste) include pesto with boiled potatoes and pine nuts; corn and green chilies; and asparagus, arugula and ricotta. YUM!

2 thoughts on “One Meal, Six Variations”

  1. Yummm ~ makes me hungry! Love the top dish too! Isn’t that similar to a recipe your godfather Tom used to make for you at Kenyon for your regular dinners together?! :b

  2. these all look DIVINE. i need to convince my boyfriend to eat more meals that don’t center around meat – easy, veggie pastas like these are some of my FAVORITE foods!

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