Low-Budget, High-Protein Spaghetti for Picky Kids

High-protein family meals made with eggs, vegetables, and simple pantry ingredients.

If you’ve ever tried to balance feeding a family well, keeping groceries affordable, and making meals your kids won’t immediately reject: Welcome. You’re my people.

I’m a Mom, a personal trainer and nutrition coach, and I run a regenerative farm. That means I think about food from every angle: soil health, animal welfare, protein density, budget, and whether my kids will even take a bite. Spoiler: if they won’t eat it, it doesn’t matter how perfect it is on paper.

This is why fresh pasta has become one of my favorite low-budget, high-protein meals...especially when I can sneak vegetables directly into the dough.

These veggie-packed spaghetti recipes are:

• High in protein

• Made with simple pantry ingredients

• Flexible for chicken or quail eggs

• Kid-approved (even the picky ones)

• Perfect for meal prep

And yes, they start with flour and eggs. That’s it.

Why Pasta Is a Secret Weapon for High-Protein Families

As a nutrition coach, I’m not afraid of carbs, especially when they’re paired with protein and micronutrients.

Fresh egg pasta checks all the boxes:

• Eggs = complete protein

• Veggie purées = fiber, minerals, and vitamins

• Homemade pasta is more filling than boxed pasta

• Kids love it because it’s familiar

When you use 2 eggs per cup of flour, you dramatically boost the protein content compared to store-bought pasta. Add vegetables or lentils, and suddenly you’ve got a powerhouse meal that costs very little to make.

This recipe makes enough spaghetti to feed 4–6 people, and it freezes beautifully.

My Basic Egg Pasta Formula

This is the foundation for all three recipes.

For every 1 cup of flour, use:

• 2 chicken eggs or

• 6 quail eggs (3 quail eggs = 1 chicken egg)

For 3 cups of flour:

• 3 cups flour (all-purpose, semolina blend, or whole wheat mix)

• 6 chicken eggs or 18 quail eggs

• ½–1 tsp salt

• Vegetable or lentil purée (amount varies by recipe)

No oil. No fillers. Just real food.

🥦 Broccoli Spaghetti (Mild + Kid-Friendly)

This is my go-to when I want extra nutrition without my kids noticing.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour

• 6 chicken eggs or 18 quail eggs

• ½ cup broccoli purée

• ½ tsp salt

Make the Broccoli Purée

1. Steam 2 cups broccoli florets until very tender.

2. Drain extremely well.

3. Blend until completely smooth.

4. Cool before using.

Make the Dough

1. Mound flour on the counter and make a wide well.

2. Add eggs, broccoli purée, and salt.

3. Whisk eggs and purée together, slowly pulling in flour.

4. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

5. Wrap and rest 30 minutes.

   
   

🌱 Spinach Spaghetti (Bright Green + Iron-Rich)

This one looks fun, which already wins half the battle with kids.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour

• 6 chicken eggs or 18 quail eggs

• ⅓–½ cup spinach purée

• ½ tsp salt

Make the Spinach Purée

1. Wilt 5 oz fresh spinach in a dry pan.

2. Squeeze out all moisture.

3. Blend until smooth.

4. Cool completely.

Make the Dough

Follow the same steps as the broccoli dough.

Tip: Spinach varies in moisture. If dough is sticky, dust with flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

🟤 Lentil Spaghetti (High-Protein + Super Filling)

This is my favorite for growing kids and active families.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour

• 6 chicken eggs or 18 quail eggs

• ¾ cup lentil purée

• ¾ tsp salt

Make the Lentil Purée

1. Cook 1 cup dried lentils until very soft.

2. Drain thoroughly.

3. Blend until thick and smooth.

4. Cool completely.

Make the Dough

• Knead 10–12 minutes (lentils need more work)

• Rest 45 minutes for best texture

Rolling & Cutting the Spaghetti

Using a Pasta Maker

1. Divide dough into 4 pieces; keep covered.

2. Flatten one piece and run through widest setting.

3. Fold into thirds and re-roll 2–3 times.

4. Gradually thin the dough one setting at a time.

5. Stop at setting 5–6 for spaghetti.

6. Lightly dust and run through spaghetti cutter.

7. Twist into nests and rest.

Hand-Cut Method

1. Roll dough 1–2 mm thick.

2. Lightly flour and fold loosely.

3. Slice into ⅛-inch strips.

4. Gently unfurl and rest 10–20 minutes.

Cooking & Storage

• Boil in well-salted water

• Fresh pasta cooks in 2–4 minutes

• Freeze in nests for easy weeknight meals

Cook straight from frozen, just add 1 extra minute.

Why This Works for My Family

As a farmer, I love knowing exactly where our food comes from.

As a trainer and nutrition coach, I love meals that support growth, strength, and energy.

As a parent? I just want my kids to eat.

This pasta checks every box:

• Affordable

• Protein-rich

• Vegetable-forward

• Familiar enough for picky eaters

• Flexible for meal prep

If you’re raising kids, feeding athletes, or just trying to eat better without blowing your grocery budget, start with eggs, flour, and what you already have.

That’s real food. That’s regenerative eating. And that’s how we feed our family.