Are you looking for a new vegetable to try with your kids? Our Easy Spaghetti Squash Recipe looks just like spaghetti and is perfect for picky palettes.

When my siblings and I were kids, our mom had a rule in our house when it came to new food. We had to “try” it. Only after we tried a new food, were we allowed to proclaim that we hated it or that we thought it was “gross”.  If it turned out that we really hated it, we could skip the new food and go about finishing the rest of our dinner. One night our mother’s rule was really put to the test.

My mother had “bought” fish at the supermarket. This was a rare event in our house, as our father was an AVID fisherman. We always had a freezer full of fish. As we all sat down to my mom’s store bought flounder, my sister took a nibble and dramatically declared “I can’t eat this!” Our mother calmly repeated the household rule and told my sister, “you just have to try it”.

My sister immediately told her “I can’t eat it, it has BONES in it!”

Of course, Mom was thinking that she was just trying to get our of tasting it. After all, she had heard just about every excuse in the book from the three of us. I knew my mom wasn’t going to back down, it was a rule and a pretty practical rule. My sister finally relented and took a bite (a bigger bite than she should have if she suspected bones!).

At that point, my sister jumped up from the table, ran into the bathroom and threw up.

Wow! Talk about making your point heard loud and clear.

My mom quickly followed her to the bathroom. I was pretty worried my mom might drown her in the toilet. I figured I needed to save my sister and fast. I quickly took a bite. It turns out, it was full of bones. I jumped up and ran to tell my mom about the bones. My mom felt so bad about not believing her that we all skipped dinner that night. We had macaroni and cheese followed by ice cream. My mom made sure she gave my sister a little extra ice cream that night!

I have the same rule in my own home now that I have children. I go the extra step and have a “new food chart” that they get to make a big check on it every time they try something new. At the end of the month, they get to pick out a little prize when they fill up their chart. It is a nice way to encourage them to try new food. Trying new things can be scary for kids and it is important to make the experience as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.

I recently made Spaghetti Squash for a new food to try. I personally love it and this is one of my favorite vegetables to eat. I thought they might think it was neat since it looks like “spaghetti”. Although they weren’t crazy about it, they did try it. I don’t expect them to love anything the first time they try it. I always have a regular meal planned so I am not scrambling last minute to make them something to eat. After trying the spaghetti squash, they went on to finish their regularly planned meal of spaghetti and vegetables.

EASY SPAGHETTI SQUASH RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt pepper

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Poke holes in the skin of the squash and place in a baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes.

Step 2: Carefully, turn squash over and bake for additional 40 minutes. Let cool. Slice in half and remove seeds. With a fork scrape out spaghetti strands.

Step 3: Heat 2 tablespoons (or as much as you like) of butter in sauce pan. Toss squash with butter, salt and pepper. I love my squash as an alternative to spaghetti. I usually have mine with sauce and meatballs.

Thanks for Reading!

Daniele

Want more kid-friendly vegetable recipes?

• Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Easy Baked Acorn Squash
• Grilled Corn on the Cob

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