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Cooking Rocks Challenge: Week 1 - Tomato, Basil & Cheese Baked Pasta
Filed under: Preschoolers, Nutrition: Health, Development/Milestones: Babies
With Lunch Box Turkey
Sushi completed, we moved on to our first dinner recipe in the Cooking
Rocks Challenge: Tomato, Basil & Cheese Baked Pasta. What kid doesn't like gooey cheese and
pasta? Lots of steps but this recipe was easy to make. To make this dish, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook one pound of medium shell pasta for 2 minutes less then the instructions on the package. Drain the pasta. Crush 3 cloves of garlic - skins on - by putting the flat part of a kitchen knife on the top of each clove. Hold the knife in place while you let your little chef use the palm of his or her hand to give it a whack. You may need to do it too for extra "oomph." Next, peel the loosened skins from the cloves and chop up the garlic.
Heat a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Rachael Ray tells you how to do it without a measuring spoon - pour in a steady, slow stream of two swirls around the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and let it simmer. Dice 1/2 of a small onion and add it to the garlic. Cook and stir often, for about 5 minutes - until the onions are soft.
Here's where the little chef can help...Pour 1 can of crushed Italian tomatoes to the pan and bring it to a bubble. While waiting, your child can tear up 10-12 leaves (about 1/2 cup) of fresh basil. Once the sauce is bubbling - after about 4 minutes - have them stir in the basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat your broiler to high and make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven, then help your child assemble the dish...
Add the pasta shells to a casserole dish. Stir in one cup of store-bought pesto sauce, one cup of ricotta cheese and a handful or grated Parmesan cheese. Make sure to coat the pasta with these ingredients. Then you should pour the tomato-basil sauce over the pasta. You don't have to use it all - we saved some to pour on at the dinner table. Finally, sprinkle 1/2 pound of mozzarella cheese and another handful of parmesan cheese over the top. Put it in the oven and let the cheese melt - about 5 minutes. Take it out and dinner's on!
This recipe took 32 minutes to prepare. Nolan most enjoyed assembling the casserole and stirring the sauce. Oh, and stealing pieces of cheese every two seconds. We all thought it was delicious - albeit artery-clogging because of the cheese. To cut down on the fat content you can use low- or non-fat ricotta cheese and it wouldn't affect the taste at all.
On to dessert: Candy Sushi.
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