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It’s been a while since I’ve posted a recipe. If I’m being honest, it’s been a while since I’ve done much cooking or baking! Don’t worry, we still eat healthy food, it just is cooked by my husband or involves grilled cheese.

Both my three-year-old and one-year-old have become picky eaters. Trying to find foods that they will eat is like pulling teeth. If my husband is working, I don’t even bother trying to cook a full supper meal because it isn’t worth the effort.

One kid will eat plain white rice, the other won’t. One kid will eat spaghetti squash, the other won’t. But everyone likes grilled cheese. The struggle is real.

Thankfully this meal is a winner. And it makes a big batch so you have leftovers or can freeze it.

I also love it because it has everything in one dish, meat, carbs and veggies. And cheese. I love cheese. It’s a warm meal perfect for a fall or winter evening.

The meal itself is pretty simple. Just a few staples of ground meat, spices, pasta, pasta sauce and various cheeses. It’s the cream cheese on the cooked pasta that really takes it to the next level. And you can use whatever pasta sauce you prefer. I used a 650ml jar of Classico pasta sauce which worked great.

So if you need a crowd pleasing dish, this one passes my picky eater tests!

Cheesy Baked Pasta Recipe

Cook time: 20 minutes

Bake time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground chicken or ground beef
• 3 1/2 cups rotini pasta
• 1 TBSP dried onion
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 jar of pasta sauce
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 2 cups fresh spinach or one square of frozen spinach thawed
• 4oz cream cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 pan (like this one) with tin foil or spray with oil.
2. Boil pasta according to directions.
3. Once pasta is cooked, drain water and return to pot. Stir cream cheese into the pasta until it is melted.
4. Over medium-high heat cook the meat (ground chicken or beef) until browned. Drain grease. Add garlic, dried onion and salt. Cook until fragrant.
5. Add pasta sauce, oregano, basil and spinach. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached (if you prefer more sauce remove from heat, if you prefer less sauce let it simmer for a few extra minutes).
6. In your prepared 9×13 pan, spread some of the meat mixture on the bottom of the pan. Pour pasta overtop. Spread the rest of the meat mixture over the pasta. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.
8. Enjoy!

Note: This can be a freezer meal as well. Prepare up to step 7, but instead of baking it, cover tightly and refrigerate or freeze until ready to eat. Then bake as directed.

For more kid friendly meals check out my Ground Turkey and Rice Casserole or Taco Pasta

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