With baby on his way in the next few weeks, I’m all about keeping meals as easy as possible. But I don’t want to rely on chicken nuggets and tater tots, because eating real foods and lots of veggies is important to me! This delicious and veggie-packed spaghetti recipe is perfect for nights when I want to feed them something healthy, but I don’t have the time or energy to spend in the kitchen. It’s quick to make, delicious, and a winner for whole family!
Spaghetti doesn’t have to be from a jar to be easy! In the amount of time it takes you to boil noodles, you can give your family a nutritious meal that everyone will love. My kids GOBBLE this up. And these frozen herbs from Dorot help to make this meal seriously easy!
The ingredients you use can vary based on what you have on-hand. Here’s what I used:
- whole wheat spaghetti noodles or sub any type of noodles you like (for gluten free, we like Banza pasta)
- two carrots
- one onion
- one green pepper
- about three cups of kale, chopped
- 5-6 mushrooms
- ground beef (optional, of course, if your family goes meatless)
- 2tsp oregano
- 2tsp thyme
- frozen garlic and basil from Dorot
- two cans of tomato sauce
- one can of tomato paste (DON’T skip the tomato paste! It’s key to thickening up the sauce!)
Other veggies you could use:
- zucchini
- spinach
- parsnip
- swiss chard
- diced tomatoes
Before I get into the recipe, I have to tell you about these frozen herbs from Dorot. We found them at Trader Joe’s (you can find all locations to purchase here), and I have to tell you that they are SO convenient.
I’ll admit, I was a little bit skeptical about them. Why buy frozen herbs when you can just get them fresh? The kids were so intrigued by them as well!
But as I used them, I realized – this.is.GENIUS. I almost never keep fresh basil in the house. So when I want to use it, I have to buy it especially for a recipe. And that requires a little planning and forethought… and in this season of my life, both of those things are lacking. ;) It’s so perfect to have these teaspoon sized squares to pop into a dish and get the flavor of fresh without having to go out and buy it!
1. While your noodles are boiling, brown your ground beef. When it’s nearly cooked, toss in your green peppers, onions, and kale.
2. Shred your carrots and toss them in, along with three cubes of Dorot garlic (equal to three tsp of garlic) – you can add less if you’re not quite the garlic fans we are. ;)
3. Let those cook for a few minutes before adding the cans of tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, and two cubes of basil from Dorot (equal to two tsp of basil). Cook until the sauce is hot.
Serve the sauce over noodles and eat.it.up!
This recipe makes a generous amount – it’s perfect for my family of six, with a little bit leftover. If you have a smaller family, divide the recipe in half or make the whole thing and freeze some for later!
These are super reasonably priced, but you can get a $1.00 off coupon to sweeten the deal.
I can’t wait to try out some of the other herbs! Having them on-hand to make yummy, nutritious dinners easier before and after baby is something I can get on board with. A few less things to chop = dinner comes a few minutes faster. And in my busy house, every minute counts!
Happy healthy eating!