Continuing my Tasty Tuesdays series of quick, simple dishes, I'd like to present you with a really easy recipe my kids love to eat: Quick Kiddie Carbonara. Okay, so it isn't strictly carbonara since it doesn't involve making any tricky sauces, but it's fast, fun and good for them. So why not give it a try?

Here's what you'll need to serve four hungry people (halve these amounts of you're only cooking for two):

• A packet of spaghetti (or your preferred pasta)
• Four rashers of lean bacon (we use turkey bacon instead) chopped into bite sized pieces.
• A cup of grated cheddar cheese
• 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• A knob of butter (or a drizzle of olive oil)
• Salt and pepper to taste

And here's how to make it:

1. Boil your pasta as directed (the time will change depending on the type of pasta used)
2. Fry the bacon in just a little oil until they are cooked. You could grill them, but be sure not to make them too crispy!
3. When the pasta is cooked, rinse with hot water from the kettle, drain and transfer to a big bowl.
4. Add a knob of butter (or a drizzle of olive oil), the mayonnaise and chopped bacon rashers. Mix well. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. You could always omit this step for the kids, and season only the grown-ups portions instead!
5. Share between four bowls and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Enjoy!

You could make varieties of this using different ingredients instead of the bacon. We've tried and tested canned tuna and cooked chicken breast, which are also heartily enjoyed in this recipe. The kids love to help me cook this as it's simple enough for them to do a lot of the preparation themselves!

Next week, I'll be posting a recipe for us parents to enjoy. In the meantime, why not have a look at previous Tasty Tuesday recipes for more simple recipe ideas?

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