I made this for a Saturday lunch a couple weeks ago, and it was quick, easy, & just the right kind of warm/yummy after a chilly morning.
I fix one thing for lunches or dinners at my house, and I have a newly-birthday-ed 3-year-old daughter. She can eat what I serve or not eat it or eat part of it, and I try not to show that I notice which one of those options she chooses. I try to casually praise when she tries something and has ended up eating almost the entire thing. (If I praise too early, it becomes a "thing" and it is no longer cool to eat the mentioned item.) When she was 1 & 2, I always served her milk with her meals--that way, if she didn't eat anything, I knew she got some protein in her. Recently, we've all been drinking less milk, so I don't rely on it as my Plan B any longer...but she has had this meal routine long enough to know that she can usually pick around to find SOMETHING she likes in every meal. I try to serve a fair balance of "questionable" items along with favorites.
Ravioli w/ Mushrooms & Spinach is just that type of balanced meal. And in this instance, my daughter said "I no like dat," with her nose scrunched up as soon as I put it in front of her. (DO NOT REACT to this statement, friends. It is a test. IT IS ONLY A TEST.) I said very casually (without even making eye contact), "Oh...well...try it...you might like it..." (Ahhh, the age-old maternal mantra!) She put a mushroom to the tip of her tongue, immediately dropped it on her plate, and said, "No, I no like dat." I said (vaguely & optimistically), "Well, you don't have to eat it. I think there's something in there you like, though. How about the cheese ravioli?" She proceded to pick around the mushrooms & spinach (which was never mentioned) and eat all of the ravioli.
Some people may feel this was a failed attempt at getting their kid to eat Ravioli w/ Mushrooms & Spinach. I do not agree, however. My child ate 2/3 of the meal, and inevitably some of the flavor and small bits of mushrooms or spinach were on the ravioli that she ate...and because I didn't flip a lid, she will likely try something in the next meal. Baby steps, friends, baby steps.
While we ALL have taste preferences (some of you may not like mushrooms...and some of you may still just think you don't like mushrooms!), I fall into the camp that believes that we should try things (without pressure) over & over, made in different ways before we can officially deem "I no like dat." What is one way to make sure a child won't try something every again? Make a big stinking deal about finishing every last bite of it.
But it's wasted food! There are a couple of options regarding this complaint:
(1) Get over it--we waste things all the time.
(2) Put it in a tupperware with the rest of the leftovers and send it to work with yourself or your hubby the next day.
(3) Give it to the dog. (Unless it has onions, grapes, or chocolate in it, which are bad for dogs.)
(I will add that if I know that my child doesn't like a particular food, and she hasn't liked it for the last 5 times in a row, then I leave it off of her plate but give her the option of trying it separately to see if she would like it incorporated.)
Without further ado, here is yet another opportunity for a food adventure with your family:
1 pkg frozen cheese ravioli
3 tablespoons butter
Small palmful of breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper
1 8-oz package sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
A couple of handfuls of baby spinach
DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil a big pot of water, salt it, & cook your ravioli according to the packaged instructions.
2. In the meantime, heat 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs to the skillet & stir to incorporate with the butter. Keep on heat for 2-3 minutes, until toasted. Remove pan from heat, place breadcrumbs in a bowl off to the side, wipe out the skillet with a paper towel, and place the skillet back on the stovetop.
3. Add another 1 Tbsp of butter to the skillet to melt. Add mushrooms & cook ab 8 mins, adding salt & pepper to taste. When mushrooms are soft & browned, add the garlic, stirring for about 1 min. Add a couple handfuls of spinach, & stir to wilt the spinach leaves.
4. By now, your ravioli should be done (or almost done). Before draining, use a ladle to transfer 1/2 cup of pasta water to your skillet. Stir, letting most of the liquid evaporate and thicken your mushroom mixture. Turn off heat, and add last 1 Tbsp of butter, stirring to glaze the mixture with the butter as it melts.
5. Assemble your plate by layering ravioli on the bottom, then the mushroom & spinach mixture, topped with toasted breadcrumbs on top.
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**Update: I was trying to use up some leftovers last night & combined meatballs & tomato sauce with cheese ravioli & mushrooms. The kiddo ate it ALL. You never know...
