I can’t tell you how often I have made a huge pasta dish for dinner…..or maybe a meat and veggies with rice….only to have half of the kids insist on eating the pasta or the rice plain. No sauce. No meat. No veggies. No nutrients to speak of?
I’ve never understood the desire to eat spaghetti or rice plain. I’m a full-flavor, bring-on-the-spice kind of girl. So when I was asked to try Ronzoni’s new SmartTaste enriched white pasta, I figured I’d go all out. I found this recipe on Ronzoni’s recipe search:
CHUNKY ITALIAN SAUSAGE MARINARA
Soak sun-dried tomatoes in boiling water 5 minutes; drain and chop. In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil; add sausage. Cook until sausage is done, stirring occasionally; add garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms, green pepper and onion; cook 3 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining ingredients except pasta and cheese; cook, covered, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Top hot pasta with sauce and cheese. 8 servings.
Ingredients:
6 to 8 sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1/2 lb. hot Italian turkey sausage links, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups (about 6 oz.) sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup coarsely chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped onion
1-3/4 cups (15-oz. can) tomato sauce
1-3/4 cups (14-1/2-oz. can) diced tomatoes in juice, undrained
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons dried basil leaves
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
16 oz. RONZONI LINGUINE or Spaghetti, uncooked
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
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The results? Super yummy. I added olives, too, just for fun. I loved the fact that when Necco and AJ insisted on eating their pasta without sauce, I knew they were getting extra Calcium, Vitamin D and Fiber in the pasta. And guess what? No one, not even my husband, could tell the difference in taste or texture. They loved dinner (always a huge plus for me) and no one complained. Granted, I did throw in a few raw carrots for the kids to eat, too. I’m a mom. What can I say?
Here’s something interesting I found out while doing this campaign: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, less than 60 percent of children age three to five get enough calcium, and the numbers decline as kids get older. And with three out of four pre-school age children also not getting enough fiber, Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta combines the nutritional benefits you want as a Mom with the great taste your kids want to eat—plain or not.
Next (and this is the exciting part for me!) I am getting a post ready for a special Ronzoni-sponsored photo contest. I asked for help to chose which photo to submit (the 4 finalists, above, in backwards order – D, C, B, A) and now I need to come up with a clever caption. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Picture post will be coming soon!
PS–I’ve also started a discussion in my BlogFrog community to get opinions if you’d like to pipe in there!
Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Ronzoni and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review and photo contest entry. In addition, I received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.
© 2010, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
Hilarious photos! I love pasta and that recipe sounds very delicious!
Anything healthier that doesn’t taste like cardboard is okay in my book. :-)
.-= Angelia Sims´s last blog ..SIGNS – What do you believe? =-.
this looks amazing!
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