Shopy’all know i’m always on the hunt for great, healthy, family-friendly recipes that are easy to make. weeknight dinners are always a challenge, but with some meal planning + easy recipes, it’s possible to be fast + healthy with dinnertime!
one of our very fave recipes that mr. re-nest + i have enjoyed for years is pizza pasta. and, we’ve of course introduced the boys to it, and the love it too! the base recipe came from a weight watchers cookbook about ten years ago, but over time, i’ve modified it to add more lean turkey, veggies + whole wheat.
this past week, i decided it was time to work in a little superfoods for my boys….and this dinner was perfect to blend up a little spinach into the tomato sauce to get my boys some extra vitamins + minerals. so i called up my trusty friend, the food processor.
it was sneaky + it was a mom win!
want to try this out with your family? here’s the recipe goodness!
pizza pasta (original recipe from weight watchers; modifications by me!)
8-10 oz. whole wheat pasta – i usually use a penne or rotini
2 c. organic pasta sauce
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 T. olive oil
1 T. basil
1 T. oregano
2 cloves of garlic
2 c. spinach (fresh or frozen)
salt, pepper + red pepper flakes to taste
1. start by bringing a pot of water to a boil, and add the whole wheat pasta. cook pasta thoroughly and drain. at the same time, heat a skillet over medium heat. heat the olive oil in the pan, and add the garlic.
2. after garlic has warmed (i prefer not to brown it), add the ground turkey, and break up to small pieces while it browns.
3. while turkey is browning, add the pasta sauce and spinach to the food processor. puree until all of the spinach leaves are chopped into tiny pieces.
4. once the turkey is browned and the pasta sauce/spinach mixture is ready, add the pasta sauce/spinach mixture to the turkey in the skillet, and stir. also add in the basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. let mixture simmer for 10 minutes.
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| pizza pasta! a favorite in our house! |
5. add in the cooked pasta to the skillet, mix together, and serve! feel free to add cheese or pepperoni to the mix (this is what i do for my boys!)
the great thing is it also makes for great leftovers (if you have any left after dinner!)
tell me: did you try this with your family? what was the verdict?
