Pasta And Meatballs For Kids Recipes

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS KID STYLE

Steps:

• MEATBALLS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F& line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Heat a small sauté pan over medium-high heat and heat the olive oil until shimmering.
• Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for 3 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
• Remove from heat and cool completely.
• Combine the cooled onion mix, ground beef, egg, Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
• Mix gently until just combined.
• Using wet hands, form mixture into 24 balls.
• Transfer meatballs to the baking sheet.
• Bake meatballs in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until meatballs are browned and cooked through.
• Shift the pans in the oven halfway through cooking time to ensure even browning.
• SAUCE: Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or medium stockpot) over medium heat.
• Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Sauté vegetables until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and juice, sugar, salt, pepper and bay leaves.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until sauce thickens, about 1 hour.
• Gently stir meatballs into sauce.
• Bring sauce and meatballs to a simmer.
• SPAGHETTI: Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to package directions, until just tender but firm to the bite.
• Drain and move onto serving platter.
• Spoon the sauce and meatballs over the pasta.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

ONE-PAN PASTA AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In 10-inch skillet, heat water and pasta sauce to boiling. Stir in macaroni, meatballs and olives. Return to boiling.
• Reduce heat to medium. Cover; cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

MEATBALL PASTA BAKE (PASTA AL FORNO)

Steps:

• Mix the grated onion, 1 crushed garlic clove, mince, breadcrumbs, milk, parmesan and parsley in a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Mash the mixture together with your hands until combined. Mould the mix into small balls (about walnut-sized) with damp hands. There will be about 20 meatballs.
• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep frying pan and fry the meatballs for 6-8 mins until golden brown all over. Fry in batches if you need to - they don't need to be cooked through, just browned on the outside. Set aside on a plate.
• Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in the pan and fry the chopped onion for 5 mins until softened. Add the remaining garlic, fry for another minute, then add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 mins until thickened and the tomatoes have broken down. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 5 mins less than the pack instructions state, in boiling salted water. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Stir the meatballs into the tomato sauce, adding a splash of water if too thick, and bring to a simmer. Drain the pasta and tip into an ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce and meatballs and mix well. Stir in most of the mozzarella, then scatter the remaining over the top. Bake for 15-20 mins until the cheese is golden and bubbling, and the top is slightly crisp.

OUR FAVORITE SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Make the tomato sauce:
• Heat a large, wide pot over medium-low and add oil and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden brown on all sides (if it starts to burn, reduce heat), 8-10 minutes. While garlic cooks, break up tomatoes into smaller pieces with a paring knife or kitchen shears. When garlic is almost ready, add red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, oregano, and pepper and stir, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until well combined.
• Increase heat slightly and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and flavors have concentrated, at least 2 hours and up to 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs:
• Place bread in a medium bowl, add milk, and let rest until moistened, about 5 minutes. Squeeze bread with your hands to remove excess milk, discarding milk. Tear bread into smaller, pea-size pieces and return to the medium bowl.
• Combine beef, pork, veal, eggs, garlic, 1 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup parsley, 1 tsp. salt, oregano, pepper, fennel, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Using your hands, gently mix in bread until ingredients are evenly distributed (do not overmix).
• Fill a small bowl with cool water. Moisten your hands and roll meat mixture between palms into golf-ball-sized balls, occasionally moistening hands as needed. Place meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet-you should have about 24-and chill until sauce is ready.
• Finish the sauce and cook the meatballs and pasta:
• After 2-3 hours of simmering, pluck out bay leaves and add basil. Using an immersion blender (or transfer sauce to a food processor or blender, working in batches, if necessary), purée until slightly chunky but not smooth. Reserve 1 1/2 cups sauce; keep remaining sauce in pot warm over very low heat.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add oil. Once hot, add meatballs to skillet (without crowding) and work in batches to brown on all sides, turning frequently, about 5 minutes per batch. Return meatballs to baking sheet as you brown them.
• Once all meatballs are browned, add them to pot with tomato sauce. If your pot is not large enough, divide sauce and meatballs between 2 pots. Increase heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, 10-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid, and return pasta to pot over medium-low heat. Spoon reserved 1 1/2 cups sauce over pasta and toss to coat. Add pasta cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, as needed to loosen sauce and coat pasta.
• Divide pasta among plates and top with meatballs and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup parsley.
• Do Ahead
• Sauce can be made, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Meatballs can be shaped and refrigerated 1 day in advance. Meatballs can be cooked in sauce, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

COOKING WITH KIDS: SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS WITH HIDDEN VEG SAUCE

Steps:

• Children: Squeeze all the sausage meat out of the sausage skins into a large bowl and add the mince. Tip all the rest of the meatball ingredients, except the olive oil, into the bowl and season with black pepper then squish everything together through your hands until completely mixed. Keep an eye on younger children to make sure they don't taste any of the raw mix.
• Children: Roll the meatball mix into walnut-sized balls and place them on a plate - this is a job children as young as 2 can help with and a great job to help teach older children basic division.
• Grown ups: While the children are rolling the meatballs make the sauce. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the courgette and garlic and cook for 5 mins until soft and mushy. Stir in the tomato puree, sugar and vinegar leave for 1 min then tip in the tomatoes and simmer for 5 mins. If your children like courgettes then you can leave the sauce chunky. But if, like mine, they hate courgettes then blitz the sauce with a hand blender - either way continue to simmer sauce gently while you cook the meatballs. If your child is confident with heat, from 7+ they can cook the sauce with supervision.
• Grown ups: Heat the oil in a large frying pan and, working in batches, brown the meatballs on all sides then pop them into the sauce - continue to simmer the sauce for 15 mins, stirring very gently until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with cooked spaghetti, extra grated Parmesan and a few torn basil leaves your child has picked and torn.

KID'S FAVORITE MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute green pepper and onion for 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the tomato soup, chicken & rice soup and the water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer.
• Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the ground beef, egg and milk. Break the bread into very small pieces and add to the bowl. Mix together well. (Note: The kids love to use their hands to mix this. Be sure they wash them well before AND afterward to avoid any contamination.)
• Shape the meat mixture into meatballs and drop them into the soup mixture. Continue to simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes. Stir occasionally, but be very careful not to break the meatballs.