Pasta, an easy weeknight meal
Weeknight dinners if not planned, can be stressful especially when I know that my kids will be home from school soon. I typically plan my weeknight meals either, on a weekly or daily basis. I am not a huge fan of after school snacks and therefore prefer to give my kids a healthy meal right after school. I guess you can say that I run a true Caribbean home because dinner is served very early. LOL
On days that are super busy and I have to make a quick dinner that is easy and healthy, my favorite and my kids’ favorite as well is spaghetti. How can you mess that up? A good sauce, good cheese and that is all you need. I usually go for angel hair pasta because the noodle is thinner than regular spaghetti. It’s easier for my kids to eat and enjoy.
To make my easy pasta meal, I use ingredients that are on hand, which make this dish versatile. My best recommendation is to use what you have in the pantry or fridge to make this super easy weeknight meal. The simpler it is the more budget friendly it will be. I am not talking about canned foods. I use a specific tomato sauce brand that I add my own Caribbean spices to make it tastier and the kids love it. And by the way this is the easiest way to hide some vegetables. If you noticed my recipe has spinach, which is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C. Does this sounds too healthy? I don’t think so!!! Also another great advice is, don’t be afraid of using store bought spices. Many of them are great to use, you just have to find the right blend for you. Lastly remember great ingredients make great meals.
My kids like ketchup with their spaghetti. I know many of you are cringing at the thought, but they love it!!
Other veggies you can use are, carrots, bell peppers, peas etc. Add leftover roasted chicken, beef, shrimp, etc. This is a great way to sneak in extra veggies for the kids to eat. Serve this with a green salad for a complete meal.
Enjoy!
Reference:
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=spinach
Pasta, an easy weeknight meal
Ingredients
- 1 lb box of angel hair pasta whole wheat, or other variety
- 2 tbs of butter or olive oil for sauteing
- 1 1/2 cup of cooked chopped meat of your choice. I used organic low sodium deli turkey breast
- 1 cup of chopped frozen spinach
- 2-3 tbs of fresh or dried parsley flakes
- 1 tbs of mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning blend
- 1-2 tsp of garlic powder or 2 cloves of crushed garlic
- 1 tsp of dried oregano
- 1/2 cup of your favorite spaghetti sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Get started by cooking your pasta based on the package instructions. In a large pan heat the butter or olive oil. Saute the meat, frozen spinach and herbs and spices until spinach is cooked and equally dispersed in pan. Add pasta sauce, saute for 1-2 minutes. Add drained cooked pasta, stir until thoroughly mixed and heated. If you feel the pasta is a little dry add more spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and serve.
Notes
Other veggies you can use are, carrots, bell peppers, peas etc. Add leftover roasted chicken, beef, shrimp, etc. This is a great way to sneak in extra veggies for the kids to eat. Serve this with a green salad for a complete meal.
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
This sounds delicious and quick and easy.Its also a way to get your kids to eat vegetables .Ii will definitely give this recipe a try!! Thanks
You’re very welcome Sandy! My nephew loves this recipe.