Had to share this random, made up recipe for a pasta I made for the kids the other night.  It was literally made from what I could find in the fridge and freezer and took less than 20 min to make (helped that the bacon and mushrooms were pre-chopped).

I have never in my life had my kids eat dinner so fast!  Dinner is usually like pulling teeth with them.   My husband really liked it too.

I had thought that maybe for some reason they were particularly hungry that night, but when I served the leftovers another night, they repeated their performance.

Anyhoo, I thought it was worth a share as it is so easy and healthy. Anything to make dinnertime easier right?

Ingredients

• 2 beef stock cubes dissolved in a small amount (about 2-3 cm in the bottom of a coffee mug) boiling water
• 125mL cream (I use lactose free light cream)
• 1 tbs oil
• 200-300g diced/chopped bacon (you could substitute this for whatever protein you have – chopped chicken, mince, whatever)
• 1/4 of a head of cauliflower
• About 1.5 cups of dry pasta of choice (eg elbow macaroni, spirals)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 325g of chopped mushrooms (eg Swiss browns, button etc)
• Grated parmesan cheese to taste

METHOD 

1.  Chop the cauliflower into large florets.  Boil in water for about 15-20 min until soft and then puree in a food processor
2. Heat oil in deep frypan, add bacon and fry till browning
3. Put on a pot of boiling water and cook pasta until al dente (usually about 8 min for dry elbow macaroni)
4. Add mushrooms and fry until they release their water.  Add a few twists of ground black pepper
5. Add the concentrated beef stock liquid, bring to the boil
6. Add cream, bring to a simmer and then turn down the heat
7. Allow sauce to reduce and thicken slightly
8. Add pureed cauliflower and stir through (will thicken sauce significantly)
9. Drain pasta (and reserve a little pasta liquid) and add to sauce (add pasta liquid if necessary to thin sauce if too thick)
10. Serve immediately with grated parmesan and ground black pepper to taste

My kids SMASHED this dish.

I hope your kids (and you) like it too.

xxDr Megs