Easy to make and easy to love, this spaghetti recipe for kids is your new secret weapon. The simple tomato sauce is super smooth and consistent for picky eaters while being delicious enough for everyone to enjoy together! As long as you have the time to let it simmer, this comes together easily with no stress.

When it comes to feeding the small people, pasta can be a godsend. But recently there has been push back in our house over tomato sauces, whether homemade or jarred. Too chunky! Too oniony! Too whatever! Then on our recent trip to Italy, I watched both of my kids eat every ounce of pasta pomodoro that they could get their hands on, ordering second plates at dinner and licking the bowls clean. So this got my attention.

I noticed that the sauces they loved so much were a) completely smooth with a lovely rich texture, not the slightest bit watery and b) just pure simple tomato flavor, with a little sweetness to them. Now I’m not claiming that’s how all Italian pasta sauces are, but those were the ones my kids were obsessed with, and the ones generally offered up for the kids specifically.

So after coming home, I got straight to work trying to replicate this type of sauce. I took inspiration from this classic sugo sauce recipe and the famed Marcella Hazan sauce recipe, and ended up here with this amazing sauce that only needs six ingredients. Very simple, very tomatoey, very smooth. No complexities. No hidden veggies. No gimmicks. Use the best quality ingredients you can, and you don’t need much else.

It is a delicious meal for the whole family, and we like it every bit as much as our kids do, but I am parking it here in the kid’s category because getting it right for picky kids was my starting point. Let’s discuss.

Why this recipe works particularly well for kids:

The sauce is super smooth. We start with passata (commonly known as tomato puree in the US) and the garlic and shallot cook in the sauce in large pieces but then get removed. This means the flavor infuses into the sauce, but there’s no rogue “bits”. And you don’t even have to blend the sauce to get it that way. There’s also a decent amount of olive oil that cooks into the sauce and gives it a robust smooth texture.
The sauce is consistent from one batch to the next. This sauce will be the the same every single time you make it as long as you use the same brand of passata. I find that when there are chopped ingredients present, there can be a little variation between batches (let’s say the pieces of onion are chopped larger one day, or the carrot is not as softened for as long another day, etc). That doesn’t happen here since the shallot and garlic don’t stay in the sauce.
It’s simple to make with kids underfoot. Aside from step one, you don’t have to pay much attention to this at all. That said, you do need enough time to let it simmer for 45-60 minutes.

What to know about the sauce ingredients

There aren’t many ingredients here so we have to make them count!

Tomato Passata: Tomato passata is just smooth pureed tomatoes, and in the US tends to be called tomato puree. I use the Mutti brand of passata which is sold in glass jars in the supermarkets here in the UK. It is generally the most expensive brand, but often reduced to around £1 in price so this recipe still comes out incredibly cheap. Mutti is the only brand I use and absolutely worth the cost, because the natural sweetness of the tomatoes shines through in a way I can’t replicate with cheaper brands. A lower tier passata may give you a sauce that is acidic / tart, watery, and just lacking the intense tomato flavor that we need to make this simple recipe work – BUT in the next section I’ll talk about how we can adapt the recipe if that’s what you’re working with.
Shallots: You can use 1/2 of a red onion if you’d rather. I just find shallots easier logistically. You can halve them widthways and they don’t fall apart so much in the sauce, making them easier to fish out.
Salt. Since this is for kids and not babies, I happily add a small amount of salt to help the flavor along. If you’re making it for a baby under 1, you can leave the salt out but adults might wish to add some at the table.
Sugar. Also helps boost the flavor and prevent the sauce from being too acidic. If you are confident your passata won’t need the sugar, feel free to try without it. On the other hand, add a little more if your passata is more tart.

What to do if your passata isn’t the greatest

Maybe the top brands aren’t available or affordable for you – no worries! First of all, it might be fine. Second of all, we can compensate if it isn’t.

Double the sugar, for a start.
Consider using salted butter instead of olive oil. Butter can do a lot for a sauce, boosting flavor and neutralizing acidity.
A little pour of whole milk or cream at the end will also help if it ends up too acidic, as well as adding some extra sweetness and a velvety texture.
Watch the texture – it may just need to cook down for a little longer if it’s more watery.

Not quite right?

If this isn’t feeling like the perfect recipe for your family, I do have some other kid friendly pasta recipes:

If you want a tomato sauce that does pack in some extra veggies, try this Roasted Vegetable Bolognese. The veggies aren’t hidden, but they are minced into tiny pieces and the texture is fairly consistent.
If your kids enjoy cherry tomatoes, try this Cherry Tomato Spaghetti Sauce. It is one of the non-smooth recipes my kids still enjoy (the onions get picked out though!)
If you wanted something with a vegetarian protein, this One Pot Pasta with Cheesy Lentil Sauce is a winner for many families.
If you wanted a creamier sauce, this Parma Rosa One Pot Pasta might do the trick!