recipe children

Sausage Pasta Bake

In response to COVID 19 we are assembling weekly Food Activity Sheets, which are going out with family food parcels through the Rotary and Food Bank. This is a recipe from Week 3, a comforting family favourite super-easy super-tasty dish topped with a garlic and cheesy breadcrumb topping. The bake can be made with veggie or meat sausages (or even without sausages!) and lots of hidden extra veg. Added to this it’s really simple to put together and shouldn’t take much more than half an hour from start to finish.

A great way of using up veg from the freezer (frozen beans, peas, sweetcorn, spinach are all great), fridge (finely sliced peppers, courgette, onions, mushrooms) or tinned veg (sweetcorn, spinach or carrots). Aim at around 200 to 250 grams of veg. Try not to use fresh root veggies i.e carrots, as these take a longer time to cook and would make the dish a bit crunchy!.

Sausages can be veggie or pork, anywhere between 4 and 6 is plenty. As we’re mainly vegetarian these days we opt for veggie bangers, Linda McCartney’s are our fave and are often on offer at £1 a box at major supermarkets. You could make this dish just a ‘Pasta Bake’ without any sausages at all. If using meat sausage follow stage 2, no need for this with veggie sausages though.

Value range chopped tomatoes are around 25p a can, and are great to use in this. You could also substitute the two cans for a large jar of tomato passata (around 680g).

The breadcrumb topping makes the pasta bake taste extra-delish. Use up any stale bread you have, either tear or chop with a bread knife into small pieces. You can use any cheese you have too, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Feta, Goats Cheese all work.

INGREDIENTS

Cooking Oil, Olive/Sunflower/Rapeseed
4-6 Sausages, or leave out for just a Pasta Bake
3 cloves Garlic
1 pinch Chilli Powder / Chilli Flakes, optional
2 x 400g tins Chopped Tomatoes
200g Mixed Tinned/Fresh/Frozen Veg (see notes above)
Salt and Pepper
250g Pasta, penne or fusilli twists or any
50g Stale Bread
75g Cheese

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200 deg C / 400 deg F or Gas Mark 6.
2. If using meat sausages cut them each into 6 pieces and pop in an ovenproof dish (about 20cm x 20cm), drizzle with a little cooking oil and roll to coat. Place in the oven for around 10 minutes until cooked through. Leave out this stage if using veggie sausages.
3. Meanwhile cook the pasta sauce. Peel and finely slice two of the cloves of garlic and place in a saucepan with the chilli, if using, and about a tablespoon of the cooking oil. Cook for a minute or two until the garlic is a little coloured. Tip in the tomatoes and your chosen veg, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Cook the pasta following packet instructions, taking it off the heat 2 minutes early so it’s ‘al dente’ – Italian for ‘with bite’. Drain in a colander and set aside.
5. Make the breadcrumb topping. Tear or slice the stale bread into small pieces or cubes. Peel and finely slice the final clove of garlic. Grate or crumble the cheese. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper and a drizzle of the cooking oil. Set aside.
6. To assemble the dish, add the pasta and pasta sauce to the oven dish (with the cooked meat sausages if using). If using veggie sausages cut them each into 6 pieces and add to the dish. Mix everything around until the sauce coats the pasta and sausages. Spread the breadcrumb topping over the top.
7. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden on top and bubbling.

Gruffalo Crumble Muffins

23rd September 2019

I promise that no gruffalos are actually harmed in the making of these muffins, just apples or pears, or a delicious mix of both. They’re a particularly moreish munch with a yummy oaty crumble topping. A little healthier than your average muffin being half wholemeal, lower in sugar, using better for you fats (rapeseed oil and natural yogurt) and packed full of fruit. They’ve been my go-to recipe for several Growing Local children’s stalls and events in the last few years, and were first made for the grand opening of the Gruffalo Trail at nearby Queenswood.

The recipe also featured on the 2018 Growing Local Calendar as the September recipe, which is of course when apples and pears are harvested. Though handily both will keep for several months if stored satisfactorily and are usually good for seeing through the winter. Here’s the recipe page, along with gorgeous apple artwork produced by children at our Cook Art Workshops we hosted last Summer.

The Gruffalo rice paper toppers can be bought online, and do make a fun finishing touch if you can source them. This recipe makes 12 large muffins or 24 mini sized ones.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Crumble Topping:
60g plain or wholemeal flour
60g butter
50g demerara sugar
40g oats

Ingredients for the Muffins:
125g plain self-raising flour
125g wholemeal self-raising flour
150g dark soft brown sugar
1 heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
2 large free range eggs
125g natural yogurt
60g rapeseed oil
500g apples or pears or a mix of them both (peeled and cored weight)
100g sultanas

METHOD:

1. Heat your oven to 200c/180c fan. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases or 2 x 12 hole fairy cake tins with cake cases.
2. Start with making the crumble topping. Weigh and place all the crumble ingredients together in a mixing bowl and with your fingertips rub the butter through the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs. Set aside.
3. Weigh and sift the muffin dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl: the flours, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon.
4. In another bowl lightly whisk the eggs then whisk in the measured yogurt and oil. Set aside.
5. Peel and core the apples and pears. Dice into small 1 cm chunks.
6. Pour the egg/yogurt/oil mixture into the flours and combine with a wooden spoon. Stir through the apples, pears and sultanas until everything is mixed well.
7. Spoon the muffin mix into the muffin cases. Then scatter the crumble mix on to the tops.
8. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until well risen, golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Delicious eaten a little warm from the oven.

Meatballs with Hidden Veggies Tomato Sauce

Meatballs are a great fun make for children (and adults!) of all ages. This recipe makes fairly traditional pork and beef meatballs buts cooks them in a veggie-packed tomato sauce for an added nutrient boost that’s also big on flavour. Serves four.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Meatballs:

200g lean pork mince

200g lean beef mince

2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs

30g Parmesan or Cheddar cheese, finely grated

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed

1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano

1 large pinch each of salt & pepper

To Serve:

wholewheat pasta

grated Parmesan or Cheddar cheese

For the Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed

1 carrot, scrubbed & grated

1/4 butternut squash (peeled, deseeded) OR 1 small courgette, grated

1 red pepper, deseeded & grated

1 x 680g jar tomato passata

1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree

1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon Worcester sauce

1 large pinch each of salt, pepper & sugar

1 small pinch dried chilli flakes, optional

METHOD:

1. Start with making the meatballs. Weigh and assemble all the ingredients and place in a large bowl. Squish together with your (well washed) hands until very well combined.

2. Using your hands shape the mixture into 12 equal sized balls (about the size of a walnut), set aside on a plate until you are ready to cook. Now wash your hands very well.

3. Prepare all the vegetables for the sauce, finely chop the onion and garlic and grate the carrot, squash/courgette and pepper.

4. Heat the oil for the sauce in a large saucepan or casserole dish. Fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and all the grated vegetables and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

5. Stir in the tomato passata, then fill the jar 1/3 full with water. With the top on shake the jar and pour the water into the pan. Stir in the tomato puree, oregano, Worcester sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and chilli flakes if using. Bring to a simmer and cook the sauce for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.

6. For very little children or the veggie-phobic blitz the sauce with a hand-held stick blender or in a food processor until smooth. Bring back to a simmer.

7. Carefully drop or spoon the meatballs into the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook for 20 minutes. DO NOT STIR the balls for at least 15 minutes as they need to firm up and cook.

8. Serve on a bed of (wholewheat) tagliatelle or spaghetti, with grated Parmesan or Cheddar cheese. Delizioso!

Oaty-licious Apple & Pear Crumble

This is our recipe that we make with school groups or families, slightly lower in added sugar than most recipes and with an added tasty oaty crunch.

Crumble of course can be made with many different fruits, try mixing and matching the fruit with fresh or frozen blackberries, plums, damsons, apples, pears or peaches. Or even leftover bananas. Chopped dried apricots are delicious in place of the sultanas too.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large cooking apple

2 pears

1 handful sultanas

1 dessertspoon soft brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

75g butter, chopped into small pieces, plus a little extra for greasing

75g plain flour

75g oats

50g demerara sugar

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 180º C/ 375 º F/ Gas 5.

2. Grease a small ovenproof dish (about 23 x 18cm) with a little butter (use the packet).

3. Prepare the fruit by peeling if you wish, I tend to leave the skin on for extra fibre (and for speed!). Cut into quarters and cut out the core of the apple and pear, then chop into bite size chunks.

4. Place the apple and pear in the dish along with the sultanas, dessertspoon of soft brown sugar and cinnamon. Using your hands or a spoon mix everything together and then set aside.

5. Now for the crumble topping, weigh the butter and flour and place in a mixing bowl. Using your hands rub the butter into the flour until it’s fairly well mixed and the mixture looks a little like large breadcrumbs.

6. Weigh out the oats and demerara sugar and add to the crumble mix. Mix in with your hands until combined.

7. Sprinkle the crumble mix over the fruit.

8. Place the dish in the oven, bake until golden brown on top and you can just see the fruit bubbling through the crumble. This should take 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve with custard, cream or ice cream.

Veggie-Tastic Pasta Sauce

25th January 2018

This is our latest school Cook Workshop recipe and was successfully road tested with budding cooks at Sutton Primary this week. Jam-packed with nutritious veg this is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to get extra veggies into our diet. Use as a pasta sauce, a topping for homemade pizza or thin down with stock or water to make a tasty soup. In recipes using more than one tin of tomatoes try swapping one tin for a tin’s worth of this sauce for an extra veggie boost.

This recipe makes a very big batch of sauce which can be divided and frozen for future meals, or half or quarter to make smaller quantities. For a creamier sauce try stirring through some creme fraiche. If you don’t have all these veggies or they’re not in season omit or switch to those that you have or are in season.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions
2 leeks
4 cloves garlic
2 sticks of celery
2 carrots
1 courgette
2 red peppers
1/2 small butternut squash
4 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 heaped teaspoons dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
salt and pepper

METHOD

Prep all your veggies. You can either do this by hand (a great opportunity to practice knife skills!) or in batches whiz it though a food processor.
Peel the onions, wash and trim the leeks, scrub the carrots, wash the celery and courgette, de-seed the pepper, peel and de-seed the butternut squash. Then finely chop them all. Peel the garlic and crush in a garlic press or finely chop.
Place 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and heat. Add the onion, garlic celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes before adding the rest of the cut veggies. Cook for a further 5 minutes with the lid on.
Pour in the tomatoes then half fill each tin with water, swirl around and pour into the pan. Stir through the oregano and a large pinch each of salt and pepper.
Simmer for 20 – 25 minutes with the lid on until all the veggies are fully tender.
Blitz in a food processor, blender or with a hand held stick blender until smooth. Taste and season with more salt and pepper until you’re happy.