Quick and Easy Back to School Pasta - A Perfect Midweek Meal

Well, that is it, another summer is over and it is time for the children and I to return to work. I will admit to looking forward to September. We all function so much better with a routine. Don't get me wrong, the holidays were lovely but towards the end you could tell that we were all ready for work and school. Now that we are getting back into our regular routine I am stepping up my meal planning as I find it so much easier to get home knowing what I am cooking, and also adding more vegetables into our meals. I cannot be the only one who gets lazy over the holidays, it is easy to go for the easier, unhealthy option, grab a chocolate bar or a take away. 

Thankfully there are easy ways to add some extra goodness into our meals and this recipe demonstrates that perfectly. When I returned to work I discovered the value of my freezer and how frozen vegetables are just as good as fresh vegetables when you are in a hurry.

In our house pasta is always a winning meal so what better way to start the school year than with a delicious pasta dish that is full of veg the kids will love!

This is what I did...

Quick and Easy Back to School Pasta

Ingredients - Served 5 plus leftovers

500g lean steak mince
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 red pepper, grated (keep the lovely juice that comes from the pepper when grating)
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g frozen peas and sweetcorn
4 chunks of frozen spinach
150mls beef stock
1 small head of broccoli, cut into tiny florets
400g pasta
Lots of cheese!

Method

1 -  Place the mince in a large saute pan and dry fry for 2 minutes

2 - Add the onions and continue to cook for 3 minutes

3 - Next add the garlic, grated carrot, grated pepper and any juice to the pan, stir thoroughly and cook with the lid on for 5 minutes

4 - Pour in the chopped tomatoes, add the peas, sweet corn, spinach, broccoli and beef stock

5 - Stir thoroughly, bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on

6 - While the meat sauce is cooking place the dried pasta in a pan of boiling, salted water and cook for 8 minutes

7 - Once the pasta is cooked al dente drain and add to the meat sauce and mix together

8 - Place the pasta and sauce mixture into an oven proof casserole dish and cover with you favourite cheese, I used a mixture of mozzarella, red Leicester and Blacksticks blue

9 - Place under a hot grill until the cheese has melted and is all bubbly then serve

This meal is delicious served either as it is, with salad or a lovely chunk of garlic bread. But best of all the kids will love it!

Enjoy x

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