Original Recipe HERE
After a three-day weekend spent doing nothing but feeding children (or so it felt like, but really was almost literally since there's an infant in the house), I had no idea what I was serving for dinner that night. We came home from an activity at 6pm armed only with the inspiration of doing something with the Trader Joe's meatballs I'd bought the day before. I had bookmarked this recipe and tried it on a whim since I needed it to be fast.
Every kid had more than one helping and asked me to make it again. I thought it was a great addition to the "I'm so burned out on meal planning and cooking yet these little people keep demanding I provide sustenance for them" collection of easy and satisfying recipes.
I cut the liquid amount because I knew that any leftover pasta would absorb a lot overnight, and I'd add more later if needed. I also threw in about half a cup of orzo at the last minute to bulk it up because I didn't have enough pasta, but it would be better to just make the entire thing with spaghetti. I also added spinach to make it a wee bit healthier, and I chopped it small enough that the kids couldn't avoid eating at least a little.
Ingredients
Every kid had more than one helping and asked me to make it again. I thought it was a great addition to the "I'm so burned out on meal planning and cooking yet these little people keep demanding I provide sustenance for them" collection of easy and satisfying recipes.
I cut the liquid amount because I knew that any leftover pasta would absorb a lot overnight, and I'd add more later if needed. I also threw in about half a cup of orzo at the last minute to bulk it up because I didn't have enough pasta, but it would be better to just make the entire thing with spaghetti. I also added spinach to make it a wee bit healthier, and I chopped it small enough that the kids couldn't avoid eating at least a little.
Ingredients
4 cups broth
1 to 2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 onion, chopped small
3 to 4 Tablespoons tomato sauce [I used Prego]
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
salt & pepper to taste
1 to 2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 onion, chopped small
3 to 4 Tablespoons tomato sauce [I used Prego]
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried basil
frozen meatballs [I used one bag of Trader Joe's appetizer size]
8 oz spaghetti, broken into 2" pieces
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
grated Parmesan for serving [optional]
Directions
(1) In a large pot, bring broth, water, garlic, onion, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and basil to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes or until onions are tender.
(2) Add meatballs. Cook 3 minutes.
(3) Add spaghetti. Cook until al dente.
(4) Add spinach. Cook 2-3 minutes or until wilted. Serve with Parmesan.
Kid Participation: None except eating, which they did more than their fair share of.
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
grated Parmesan for serving [optional]
Directions
(1) In a large pot, bring broth, water, garlic, onion, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and basil to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes or until onions are tender.
(2) Add meatballs. Cook 3 minutes.
(3) Add spaghetti. Cook until al dente.
(4) Add spinach. Cook 2-3 minutes or until wilted. Serve with Parmesan.
Kid Participation: None except eating, which they did more than their fair share of.
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