Kid Friendly Pasta Recipe
by Liz Mangelsdorf
If you are like me, you are always hunting for quick and easy dinners that your whole family will actually eat. I’m hearing over and over again “Don’t be short order cooks!” but with a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old around that can be a hard rule to live by. One thing both my kids LOVE is noodles – I think they could eat noodles every night.
Here’s a pasta dish that is easy to prepare and has all the goodness you need for a healthy, filling dinner for the entire family. Add in other vegetable ingredients according to your kids’ likes or dislikes. You could also substitute another wide noodle for the lasagna noodle.
Yields: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Ingredients
1 lb turkey sausage (or use regular ground turkey)
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
2 cups lasagna noodles
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped zucchini
½ cup partly-skimmed ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan or romano cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella
Directions
In a large skillet, cook turkey and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender, breaking up the meat. Drain off fat if necessary. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water with the meat and onions. Bring to a boil. Stir in uncooked noodles (break the noodles into bite-size pieces) and add the chopped zucchini. Return entire mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for about 12 minutes or until noodles are tender (al dente). Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ricotta and parmesan cheese. Drop the cheese mixture by the spoonful into 6 mounds over the turkey-noodle mixture in the skillet. Sprinkle each mound with mozzarella. Cover and cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes, or until cheese mixture is heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Adapted from Cooking Light magazine by Liz Mangelsdorf with the help of Master Chef Mia, age 5.
