Kid-Friendly Spaghetti Aglio Olio Recipe For Picky Eaters

Ayub is a picky eater. This sprint at school is called “Cooking and Chemistry.” I was a bit worried because with high-functioning autism and mild ADHD, Ayub is so easily distracted. Plus, because of his sensory issues, he’s SO particular about his food. He can be happily eating then will suddenly stop and pick out one speck of onion from what he was chewing, and it will completely ruin his appetite.

But anyway, his homework over the weekend was the cook two recipes. On his own. Omg.

Ayub’s Spaghetti Aglio Olio recipe for picky eaters

It’s so simple because there are hardly any ingredients in it!

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti
• 2-3 fat cloves of garlic
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Italian herbs
• Olive oil
• Parmesan cheese

Method:

• Finely chop the garlic
• Saute in a pan with olive oil
• Add cooked spaghetti
• Add salt, black pepper, and italian herbs
• Dish and serve
• Add parmesan cheese on top

Here it is with pictures!

1.Most of the ingredients. I’m sorry, I’m lazy to gather everything and take nice pictures. Leave me alone.

2. Finely chop garlic (OK I nearly died because Ayub was about to chop his garlic then he heard something and looked up while his hand brought the knife down with a thud. I chopped the rest of the garlic for him.)

3. Saute the garlic in olive oil (Yeah, I think this is way too much oil but whatevs.)

4. Add the cooked spaghetti and stir

5. Add salt, black pepper, and italian herbs (Better to use like fresh herbs but I didn’t buy any so we didn’t ok? Stop judging.)

6. Dish up and serve

7. Ta-daaaaa!

So, it doesn’t look so pretty. Mostly because I took this picture with one hand while carrying a grumpy, hungry, angry Aisha in my other arm. No opportunity for proper food styling. Buuuuuut… Ayub said it was delicious. Might be just because he made it. He finished the plate regardless.

I guess it’s time to get both the boys more involved with cooking the meals. It’s an awesome skill for them to have. Also, especially for Ayub, I always worry about what adulthood will be like for him. Will he be able to live independently of his parents? Earn a living? Drive? Be on his own? Care for himself? This is just an amazing step in the right direction <3 Love you Ayub babyhead!