Recipes I mention in the video…

• Baked Rigatoni & Zucchini
• Homemade Sauce
• Simply Meatballs
• "Lighter" Stuffed Shells

Oh! I almost forgot. He totally ate it. There was a bit whining and fuss. He told me he “doesn’t like spinach!” and then proceeded to only eat the noodles. But he ate it all the same!

No complaints from the husband. This is his kind of meal. :)

I love the beans texture with the small pasta shapes. Mom always used a type of Tubettini. I used elbows as the choices of whole grain shapes are pretty limited.

When I told the husband and toddler what I was making I got a face from both of them. I just rolled my eyes and made it anyway. To their surprise they both liked it! The toddler didn’t finish his plate but he hate enough to constitute a meal and husband devoured his bowl. Now.. when will they TRUST me? ;~)

• 2 tsp olive oil (8g)
• 5-6 cloves of garlic minced
• about 1/4 cup diced sweet onion
• 2 8oz cans of tomato sauce
• 1 can (~15oz) Northern Beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• black pepper
• 12oz whole wheat elbow macaroni
• dried parsley and Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium to large saucepan (big enough to hold all the pasta.) Add the garlic and onion and cook until the garlic just starts to brown. Add the two cans of sauce, beans, dried herbs and pepper. Cook until bubbles start to form then lower to simmer.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and cook according to package. The sauce will simmer as you wait for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, about 20 minutes total.

When the pasta is finished drain and add to the sauce and beans. Shut off the heat and stir to coat all the pasta with the sauce. Scoop out, top with some parm cheese, parsley and eat!

As for the family, they LOVED IT and so did I! The toddler was completely interested in the entire process. Here he is stealing piece of zucchini from the cutting board. Look at that expression, I love it!

When we sat down to eat he was at first, a little intimidated by the pie piece but once I showed him how to eat he went to the town. Even the husband had nothing but good things to say. I was shocked! Although he thinks it would be better with my sauce. Ok, how can I argue with that? :)

My strategy was simple… reduce, replace and add some veggies. It’s what I always do!

• 12 oz whole wheat rigatoni
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz extra lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 gloves garlic minced
• 1 medium zucchini diced
• Kosher Salt & Pepper
• 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried basil (or more to taste)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 4 oz fancy shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• dried parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta until just done. Shave off 1-2 minutes from the time given on the box. I cooked mine for 10.

While preparing the pasta you’ll be making the sauce. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the turkey with the olive oil, onion and garlic. Add the zucchini and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

By this time your pasta should be ready. Drain, rinse with cold water and put back in the pot. Add 1/4 cup of the crushed tomatoes and stir to coat the pasta. Set aside.

Add the remaining crushed tomatoes to the skillet. Stir and add the tsp of basil. It should boil fairly quickly. Lower to a simmer.

Returning to the pasta, add the 1/2 of Parmesan cheese and stir to coat.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Begin to place the pasta upright in the pan. It will be a little touch and go for a bit but you’ll get the hang of it. I started with the perimeter and worked my way to the center. It took me about 10 minutes. Don’t worry some will be taller and shorter. Some will even have a bend. It will all work out once you are finished.

Top the pasta with the meat sauce. Now, I do NOT have patience to make sure there is meat and sauce in every tube. I just banged the pan a few time allowing things to setting and then added some more sauce until all but about a cup or so was on left in the skillet.

Bake in the preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove and top with the mozzarella. Sprinkle a bit of parsley on top. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

Remove and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edge. Release the spring form and viola!

Add a splash of water to the remaining sauce in the skillet to serve on the side in case anyone wants a little extra.

Now, for the nutritional information. I reduced the amount of pasta, cheese and meat from the original recipe, yet used the same size pan. Using the ingredients originally posted on Noble Pig and using the same number or portions for each recipe (6), I reduced everything but fiber, that I increased. :) Here is a little side by side from Nutrition Data. Remember these are just estimates.

To my surprise… He liked it!

Although after the picture taking session a mom/som battle of epic proportions began. After about 4-5 bites he declared "I’m Full."

"OK" I said, as I don’t like to force him to eat past fullness. However, I save the plate and if he returns (in a reasonable amount of time) and asks for a snack I make him finish his meal first. Well, that’s exactly what happened yesterday. About 10 minutes after leaving the table he asked for candy. I told him he needed to finish he lunch first. (side note: I only gave him half a portion although kept the full portion in his pictures.)

Without going into all the nitty gritty details, the next hour was SHEER torture for mom and child alike. I wasn’t giving in and either was he. He’d ask, I put the plate on the table. He’d cry. I told him he didn’t have to eat it IF he wasn’t hungry BUT he wasn’t getting any candy until he did. Tears, yells, and cries later a majority of his lunch was gone and he TOTALLY forgot about the candy. LMAO So whole grain pasta, zucchini, carrots and chicken eaten and NO candy. I chalk that up to a win for mom. ;~P

Anyway, I’m still marking it as toddler approved as he never stated he didn’t liked it and when I asked him if he did he said yes. Which makes the whole mom/son battle completely illogical. KIDS! *sigh*

• large boneless chicken breast (about 8oz) cut into chunks
• thick slice of sweet onion chopped
• handful of baby carrots (about 3oz) sliced
• half of medium zucchini chopped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 3oz whole wheat angel hair pasta

Put a pot of water on high and bring to a boil for the pasta

Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Brown the chicken with the onion and carrots. Add the zucchini. Lower the heat to medium.

Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, oil and chicken broth together. Set aside.

Stir the chicken and veggies. By this time your water should be boiling. Add the pasta. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until desired doneness.

Drain the pasta and plop on top of the skillet. Pour the soy sauce mixture on top. Work the pasta around the veggies and chicken, it will want to clump together. Keep stirring until they are well mixed up. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Serve!

Scroll below video for the recipe.

• Batch of Turkey Meatballs made small (at least 30)
• 10oz Whole Wheat Elbow Pasta uncooked
• 1/2 small sweet onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 15oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2-1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp dried parsley

Prepare the Turkey Meatballs according to the recipe making them a smaller size. You should easily get about 30. Broil the meatballs for about 5 minutes to help them stay together.

Prepare the pasta according to the package.

In a large skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium high heat, add the onion and garlic. Cook for a minute then add the broiled meatballs.

Stir in the can of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes with about 1/2 cup water (add more if it gets too thick.) Add the garlic powder, basil and parsley. Bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer and cover. Simmer for at least 10 minutes even longer if you have the time. The meatballs will start to soak up the sauce a bit.

By this point your pasta should just about be done. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet. Stir to coat everything. Cover again until ready to serve.

Check out my other “Beef-a-Roni-ish” ideas…

• Rainbow Turk-a-Roni
• Simple Beef-A-Roni with Peas

I’m posting the idea exactly as I made. Now remember, you can use any leftover meat you have, chicken breast, lean cuts of beef, whatever. The idea is to really just make a quick sauce for the pasta while stretching one more meal out of what ever leftover protein you had from the night before. Or in my case the month before. :~P

• 4 oz whole wheat pasta (uncooked)
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 large green bell pepper chopped
• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes (I used petite)
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• About 5 oz leftover pork loin

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta and cook according to package.

While the pasta is cooking heat a large skillet over medium high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the onion. Cook until the onion start to turn transparent and brown on the edges (you want the brown for flavor and we are going to deglaze the pan in a bit.)

Add the bell pepper, stir and cook for about another minute or two. The bottom of the pan should have some onion and brown stuck to it. Now add the can of diced tomatoes, undrained and stir to get all those good bits up. Bring to a boil.

Add the basil, garlic powder and cooked pork.

At this point the pasta should be done. Drain and add the cooked pasta to the skillet. Stir and serve! :)

I sprinkled with a bit of Parmesan cheese before snapping the photo. I’m doing nutritional information for 3 servings but you could make it 2 large ones at 8 points a piece. The picture is 1/3 of the recipe.

Somehow I succeeded! The only thing the husband said was it could have used a bit more garlic. I, on the other hand, thought it was the perfect amount. The hint was there without being overpowering and I couldn’t add more anyway, I used all that I had!

Sorry the picture isn’t that great. I wasn’t planning on posting it but after I tried a bite I reconsidered and snapped real quick!

• 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil (7g)
• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 8oz boneless skinless chicken breast uncooked and cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 1/2 of a large bag frozen broccoli (about 8-10oz)

Put a large pot of water on high and bring to a boil Cook pasta according to package.

In a large skillet (don’t do what I did and run out of room), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for a bit. Not too long, you don’t want it turning brown. Add the chicken and brown.

Once the chicken is all white and minimal pink, add the tablespoon of flour. Stir to coat. Immediately add the chicken broth and frozen broccoli. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.

At this time the pasta should be done. Drain and add to the skillet once boiled. Toss to coat, cook a minute or two, remove from heat and serve!

I sprinkled with a bit of parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper.

One of my favorite school lunches growing up was beef-a-roni. You remember it, right? Overcooked elbow pasta, grade F meat in some kind of tomato base. I don’t know when the concept of “comfort” food begins but at age 9 this really hit the nail on the head for me. Maybe it was the massive amount of fat and carbs that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Who knows. But whatever it was, that was one lunch I always asked for seconds of.

Well tonight, armed with 8oz of defrosted ground turkey and remnants of weekly produce I gave my old favorite a nutrition lift. I’m calling it “rainbow” as I used a red, orange, yellow and green vegetable. It made the dish really pretty and you know what they say about eating from the rainbow.

As for reviews, well this was the first dish in WEEKS that I got a “Mmmmmm this is a good” from the toddler. However, he did have to be coaxed to eat the veggies that were left in his bowl. I did my best to dice them small, which may have been a mistake. Here he is chowing down and looking awfully cute if I don’t say myself. :~)

Remember this is one of those ‘take it and run’ recipes! Use what ya got!

• 6oz of your favorite whole wheat pasta
• ½ sweet onion diced small
• about 10 baby carrots diced small
• 8oz lean ground turkey
• 1 yellow bell pepper diced small
• 1 medium zucchini diced small
• 1 medium tomato diced small
• 1 8oz can of tomato sauce (like del monte)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• Kosher Salt & Pepper

Put the pot of water on high for the pasta and cook according to package.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Dice and add the onion. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and leave alone for 2 minutes while you dice the carrots. Add the carrots to the pot, stir and leave alone while you dice the pepper. Add the ground turkey to the carrots and onion skillet and break apart a bit. Once it starts to brown (grey) add the diced peppers. Leave alone while you dice the tomato. Add the tomato and stir over medium-high heat until the turkey is cooked all through.

At this point the pasta should be almost done. Drain the pasta when it’s ready and set aside.

Add the tomato sauce and spices to the skillet, sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked pasta, continue stirring until everything is coated. Shut off heat and serve or cover until ready to serve.

Honestly it was a keeper, I’ll make it again when it’s just me and the little guy, he really liked it! Just look how pretty it is!

So I perused the pantry and found this…

Yup! That’s all you need to make a quick homemade meal. A meal, the toddler LOVED, beans and all.  Now I did add a little spice and you can take the idea and run with it. The pasta, sauce and beans will give you a good quick base. I served it with some sautéed bell peppers.

• 4 oz uncooked whole wheat pasta
• Small can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans rinsed and drained (you could use any beans)
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• Salt & Pepper
• Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Cook the pasta according to package.

Drain, rinse and return to the post. Add the all the remaining ingredients except cheese. Simmer on medium low heat stirring to coat the pasta in the sauce.  

Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese!

The toddler ate so well we decided to make a fabulous dessert afterwards. So for no dinner plans, we ended up eating like kings! It was a great night. :~)

Now, I’m counting this as 2 large servings. I actually got 2 and half (the toddlers) but three would be stretching it a bit.

The husband was happy, he loves anything with pasta and sauce (and he didn’t even complain about the whole wheat pasta). The toddler even picked out a few bites. Overall, it was a winner but I wished I had a bit more sauce to drizzle on top after baking. Next time I make it, it won’t be out of necessity. :~)

• 8 oz whole wheat rigatoni
• 1 medium –large zucchini sliced thin
• ¾ cup part skim ricotta cheese (~182 g)
• 3oz mozzarella cheese (separated)
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup tomato sauce (like my Homemade Sauce) (separated)
• Dried parsley
• Black pepper
• Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the pasta according to package cooking 2-3 minutes less (about 6-8 minutes) as the pasta will continue to cook in the oven.

While the pasta is cooking, slice the zucchini. Spray a casserole dish with non stick cooking spray and place the zucchini on the bottom created a layer. Save some zucchini for the top.

Mix the ricotta cheese, 1 oz of the mozzarella, egg white, and ½ cup of the sauce. Set aside.

Once the pasta is done, turn off heat, drain and return to the pot. Add the ricotta mixture and stir until all the pasta is coated.

Pour the pasta mixture unto the casserole dish and spread to create a layer over the zucchini. Top with the remaining zucchini, ½ cup of sauce and the remaining cheese. Sprinkle with a bit of dried parsley and black pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

(Note: this can me made ahead and baked when ready to serve but you may want to add more sauce as the pasta will continue to soak it up)

You come home from work, no plans for dinner and your in the mood for comfort food. What do you do? What DO you DO??

This may solve the problem! It only takes a few minutes to prepare (especially if you have ground beef frozen in 8 oz packages) and, if you have a small family, leftovers are great for lunch!

• 8 oz whole wheat pasta
• 1 small sweet onion, diced (~150g)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 oz lean ground beef
• 1 – 10.7 can condensed tomato soup
• 1 – 15oz can of peas (not drained) OR 8 oz frozen peas and ½ cup of water
• 1 – 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ¼-½ tsp black pepper
• non-stick cooking spray

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta per instructions on the package.

While preparing the pasta add the onion and garlic to a non-stick frying pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cook until tender. Add the beef and cook until brown.

When the pasta is finished, drain and return to the pot. Add the tomato soup, peas (with liquid or water), cooked beef, and tomatoes. Stir. Add spices to taste and cook a few minutes on medium heat while stirring.

Serve!

Click here to see the toddler and I make Simple Beef-A-Roni with Peas in a video post