Kids Love It Casserole

This recipe was taken from my River Roads Recipes II cookbook.  This book originally belonged to my grandmother, O'Peg.  I've written about it before, but it is my favorite cookbook because every time I use it, I  feel connected to her and my family.  This particular recipe has no special significance to me (most of the recipes I use from this book do because they are so entwined with memories of family get togethers).  What I love most about this book (and its sister, the original River Roads Recipes) are the notes my grandmother made in the margins and the recipe cards that fall out with recipes and her plans for parties she was throwing.  Whenever I catch a glance of her beautiful handwriting, I feel like she is in the kitchen with me.

So, it comes as little surprise to me that even though this was a pretty plain recipe, it was our favorite of the week.  Good old comfort food...

The items in italics are mine :)

Kids Love It Casserole (contributed by Mrs. Neel Garland, p. 112 River Roads Recipes II)

1 to 1.5 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
1 tbsp salad oil (olive oil)
dry basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, red pepper to taste
1 ten ounce pkg, frozen chopped spinach
1 16 oz jar of spaghetti sauce with mushrooms (I used Ragu with a bunch of veggies in it)
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 7 oz pkg shell macaroni, cooked according to directions on pkg (I used rotini instead of shells)
1 C. shredded sharp American cheese
1/2 C. soft bread crumbs (I was lazy and just used regular bread crumbs)
2 eggs, well beaten
1/4 C salad oil  (although the recipe called for it, I excluded from recipe, just added about a tbsp of olive oil to the pasta while boiling to keep it from sticking)


Brown beef, onion, garlic in oil.  Add spices to meat while browning (drain fat if necessary, I use super lean meat so I had didn't .  Meanwhile, cook spinach according to package directions.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of liquid (if necessary add water to make one cup).  Add liquid, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce and tomato paste to meat, simmer for 10 minutes.  Combine spinach with macaroni, cheese, bread crumbs, eggs and salad oil.  Spread in 13x9x2 baking dish, cover with meat sauce.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Other than this being a good comfort food, it's really versatile.  You could totally make this meal with out the meat.  You could also cut out some of the steps and make it quicker- for instance, cook the spinach and the macaroni together.  Next time I make it, I am going to substitute ricotta for the cheddar and put mozzarella on top.  It also made A LOT!  I ended up throwing some of it out because after eating it for about 5 meals in a row (2 dinners and 3 lunches), we just couldn't handle it again.  but it's definitely a keeper.

Giada's Pastina with Peas and Carrots

I happened to be flipping channels one day and stumbled across Giada De Laurentiis making a kidcentric meal.  So, although she's not my favorite Food Network personality, I stopped to watch.  After all, I have a kid, I like to cook, and figured it would probably be a pretty simple recipe.  The fact that the ingredients are three of Price's favorite foods didn't hurt.

From Giada at Home, my adaptations/substitutions/reviews are in italics

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (8 ounces) pastina or other small-shaped pasta, such as farfallini (guess what, the Commissary doesn't have teeny, tiny pasta, so I just used regular sized bow ties)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed (I just used regular peas too)
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature (another thing I couldn't find, so I googled and found I could use sour cream)
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the carrots and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add the peas to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until the peas are warmed through and the carrots are tender. Stir in the cooked pasta. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheeses. Stir until the mixture is incorporated and forms a sauce. Season with salt, to taste. Transfer to a large serving bowl and garnish with chopped basil.

Overall, this recipe was just ok.  It took longer than I thought (because of poor planning and execution on my part- tried to make on a Sunday evening after returning from demoralizing trip to Commissary and with an impatient, cranky kiddo as my sous chef).  It really needs mascarpone cheese rather than sour cream, it was just kind of bland.  I also added some cooked chicken to the finished product, and neither hurt nor helped the taste.  This dish was actually better the second day for lunch.  I may make it again if I have the mascarpone cheese.