My kids are very picky eaters. Dinner is always a special kind of challenge over here. If it isn’t some type of pasta, they are not eating it. Normally I don’t stress too much because my kids eat a ton of fruits and vegetables throughout their day. It’s the no protein, all pasta that makes me nervous. So, I have been thinking a lot lately about how I can add protein into foods they already love. One meal my kids happen to love is pastina. They would have it morning, noon and night. I realized one day that I might be able to make egg whites look like pastina. I knew if I could fool them that would be one dinner I would feel good about making them.
After some experimenting I saw that I could beat and break the egg whites while cooking them to make them into little “pasta like” pieces. I stirred the egg whites in to the pastina and could barely tell the difference between the two.
My daughter has a tendency to examine her dinner. So I knew if I did something new and exciting with her beloved pastina she might not notice the egg whites. So I patted the pastina and egg combination into a measuring cup and made it into a little dome. I then dimmed the dining room lights ever so slightly so she wouldn’t notice the color difference – yes she is that picky. (My sister calls her Inspector Gadget.)
So I brought in the dome shaped pasta along with some carrot sticks and surprisingly she started yelling “PASTA CAKES! MOMMY MADE US PASTA CAKES!!!” She then made me sing happy birthday to her (she is a demanding little girl!). My son was so excited to see her so excited he started wolfing his pasta cake down. She not only ate her first one, she then asked for a second! I was really really excited!
I was so happy that they ate so well, I have started making mental notes of what else I can hide into their beloved pasta dinners. I will be sure to let you know what I come up with!
Pasta Cake Recipe:
Pastina – ½ box
2 egg whites
4 tablespoons butter (or more)
Salt and Pepper
Boil ½ box pastina. In frying pan cook egg whites in 1 tablespoon butter. Keep whisking and smashing the egg whites with a whisk. Drain pasta. Add egg whites and 3 tablespoons butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into small bowl or measuring cup. Flip onto plate. Then cross your fingers that they eat it!
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