Whenever I think of babies or toddlers eating spaghetti, I get this mental image of a “self-sufficient” shirtless baby on a highchair with tomato sauce all over his chest, face and inside his ears.
And I.Just.Can’t.
I must admit, I was never able to let my baby eat spaghetti like that. Maybe I deprived him from an awfully amazing, mostly an excessively messy, sensory experience. But, I never felt guilty even when I came across a few articles about “studies” implying how beneficial messy eating is. 😛
Speaking of studies. Did you see Last Week Tonight with John Oliver about Scientific Studies? OMG! Too funny. You just HAVE to check it out 😉
Now on to the easiest Toddler Approved Simple Beef Spaghetti recipe, one of Roy’s favorite first foods. ↓ YUM! I usually make a huge pot of this stuff because I???? comforting, satisfying spaghetti.
With just a few pantry staples, this Toddler Approved Simple Beef Spaghetti can be whipped up in no time!
In a Dutch Oven or large pot, brown the ground beef for about 5 minutes. Add onion, ground cinnamon and salt then cook until fragrant.
Add in fresh tomatoes and cook for a couple more minutes.
Mix in tomato paste, water, cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, your spaghetti should be cooking per package instructions.
Add in the cooked spaghetti, a bit more tomato paste and mix well.
You can definitely spice things up if serving for adults. I usually add more salt/spices or even hot sauce in my own bowl.
So how did I feed Roy spaghetti as a baby? I used to mash it with a fork and feed it to him or let him self-feed with a spoon 🙂
But if you prefer your baby/toddler to slop some spaghetti mess all around with their hands, no mashing or forks needed for you! 😛 Just a bath afterwards.
In the meantime, Roy and I will be over here helping ourselves with bowls after bowls of this comforting Toddler Approved Simple Beef Spaghetti. 🙂
What I’ve used in this recipe:
Here’s a complete list of my kitchen essentials
PrintToddler Approved Simple Beef Spaghetti
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 7
- Category: Toddler Approved
Ingredients
- Spaghetti – 14.5 oz package.
- Ground Beef – 1 lb.
- Onion – 1 cup, diced.
- Cinnamon – 1/4 tsp.
- Salt – to taste.
- Tomatoes – 2 large, chopped.
- Tomato Paste – 3 tbsp, divided.
- Cinnamon Sticks – 3.
- Water – 2.5-3 cups.
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti per package instructions.
- Meanwhile, in a Dutch Oven or large pot, brown the ground beef, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, ground cinnamon and salt then cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Mix in 2 tbsp of tomato paste, 2.5-3 cups of water (depending on how much sauce you prefer), cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add in the cooked spaghetti, the remaining 1 tbsp of tomato paste and mix well. Keep cooking until sauce is to your desired consistency.
- For a baby/toddler mess-free meal: Mash spaghetti with a fork and feed with a spoon.
Cheska J says
Is there an alternative for the cinnamon sticks? But anyhow, cinnamon does have a lot of health benefits! I love you how you labelled it as toddler approved. I know how toddlers can be such picky eaters. Great to know it’s healthy at the same time.