I promise you all, not in the same week.  Well, mostly not all in the same week. Somehow in the last week these recipes all rose to the tops of their various lists, so, armed with a loaf of rustic bread, I took on the challenge to see if the family would eat pasta three times in 7 days. Disclaimer:  Drummer Boy eats plain pasta every day, but that doesn’t mean pasta with actual sauce of any kind on it will skew the results here.

First up was Spaghetti All’Amatriciana from Blogging over Thyme.

I didn’t have the thick pancetta only thin in my refrigerator, but it still worked and was delicious. It’s a keeper.

Rating from the boys:  It didn’t make me gag (so 4 forks)

Next up was this lovely Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake from Bev Cooks.

This was really good, though a bit much to do on a weekday.  I happened to have roasted garlic cloves that I had put in the freezer which was my original inspiration. If I were to do this again on a weekday I would precook and chop the chicken and the roasted garlic.

Rating from the boys:  Dad already fed us before practice so we don’t have to try that, right? (So 3 forks it is).

And from Oh She Glows, Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto, a vegan pasta sauce that you really have to try.

As she notes in the recipe, it may not be the prettiest sauce, but it is good and rich.  I would recommend using the nutritional yeast, it gives it that pesto-heft.

Rating from the boys:  It was ok (call the MIchelin folks)

But sure, those are all carbs, but what if one needs more carbs with their carbs (to balance out all the vegan eating)?  Well, if one is lured by the siren song of free samples at Whole Foods, one might walk away having purchased this:

Might spread it on some rustic bread add some fresh chopped parsley.  Might even throw it under the broiler for a minute or two if one is feeling so inclined.  And then:

Need coconut water and celery, stat!