My sons are not picky eaters. While they are 14 and 17, they really weren’t very picky as youngsters.
When my eldest was very young, like most small children, he would often not want to eat his dinner. As my early parenting skills were still developing, I hadn’t found a good solution to the problem. Cajoling and encouraging rarely worked. Telling him to open up for the train or airplane to come in failed miserably. Being stern and telling him he had to, only led him to put a bite in his mouth and move it to the side like a chipmunk. He proved that while I might be able to get it into his mouth, it was his decision from there on what to do with it.
Eventually, we settled on simplicity. If you don’t want to eat it, fine. We’d cover it and put it into the fridge. If he got hungry, that was the only option the rest of the day and night.
I also employed a philosophy that I was used to from when I was a kid – you had to try everything once. If it was something unusual, only one bite would be required. If you wanted more, great. If it was a common item, then you had to finish it before you would be allowed any other food.
As a result, both of my boys’ palates are used to many tastes and textures and they will eat almost anything. Two items my eldest professes to not like are zucchini and squash. Most of the time I’ve served them, they were placed into a packet on the grill, so he’s not had it many different ways.
He tried this recipe and declared it very good. I then let him know that it contained the two vegetables that he doesn’t like and he replied, “they are good in this”. Makes a cooking father’s heart warm!
Cheesy vegetable pasta…what’s not to love?
While there are a number of ingredients here, it really is not a very complex dish.
Dicing and frying the zucchini, onion and squash start them off right.
The ricotta goes in with the egg.
Add in the tomatoes.
Mix together the cheese and egg.
Add the cheese and pasta to the mix.
Bake it up.
Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies
Servings: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups) |
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces uncooked ziti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow squash
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups chopped tomato
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Cooking spray
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.
4. Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.
Nutritional Info:
301 calories 12.1 g fat 5.3 g satfat 5 g monofat 0.9 g polyfat 16.5 g protein 32.8 g carbohydrate 4.1 g fiber 65 mg cholesterol 1.9 mg iron 640 mg sodium 291 mg calciumSource: http://m.myrecipes.com/details/searchR.rbml?id=50400000113735.xml&bcat=search&cat=Search%20Result&fl=recipe/baked-ziti-summer-veggies-50400000113735/
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Oh that looks and sounds so good! It’s nice, too, to hear about your non-confrontational attitude to introducing your children to the joy of food.
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I cannot wait to try this recipe! Yum yum!
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i will try this, i know i am going to love it!
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This looks fantastic! I have to try this.
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I love thqt you include so many good photos with your instructions. Also, the nutritional info is a great feature, which I’m sure takes a lot of extra effort – thanks!
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I often wonder what makes young children not want to eat something, especially really young ones who don’t know the difference. I never had that problem and I often wonder if it’s the way the food looks or smells that turns them off, because if they haven’t tasted it, how would they know?
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My girls love everything except cooked celery and raw onions. When they were babies I just made their baby food from what I was eating and they loved it. Today, they are healthy eaters who love veggies and will try anything in the culinary world. A year or so ago they tried Asian squid…and it was their idea!
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My youngest son would only eat what he called ‘odd’ food, turkey, beans, green peppers, etc. if it were covered in ketchup. The other two kids would eat anything that didn’t try to eat them. Once boys reach age 11 they will consume anything except the refrigerator door. This is a recipe I will try, it sounds wonderful. Thank you.
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Wooow, that’s a keeper…
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My one daughter eats almost everything, except minced meat. My other daughter don’t eat carrots, pumpkins or baby marrows, and my son is a nightmare eater! He doesn’t eat rice or vegetables. He eats most fruit, except avocadoes!
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Looks wonderful!
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That looks great! We will be having it for dinner sometime soon. My son is picky and truly can’t eat some things. I think it is a texture thing. He eats more things than he used to and I know he will eat new things as he gets older.
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It’s I very big pleasure to announce you that I nominated you for the Very inspiring blogger award.
http://thesofisworld.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/my-second-nomination-very-inspiring-blogger-award/
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This recipe looks awesome! VERY easy for me to modify by switching to gluten free pasta, everything else is great. I will trying this one soon!! Thanks! 🙂
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I didn’t like a lot of things when I was young. I like a lot more now. This sounds great!
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That looks great. I’m glad you found a way to work zucchini into his heart (and cheeks)!
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First of all, thanks for the visit to my blog! Second, as a vegetarian, I so appreciate this meatless recipe. And third, as a new mom, I may have to steal your ideas for getting my little one to not become a picky eater!
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This looks great, and healthy… definitely will be giving it a whirl soon!
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Made this for dinner tonight and the family really enjoyed it. The hubster said this could go into the rotation.
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This is a pretty good dish. Easy to make and full of veggies. The red pepper flakes add a nice zip. I will make this a summer staple in my recipe box.
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Made this for dinner and it was awesome!!!! Thanks for the great recipe!
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My boys were raised with the same philosophy and we got the same results. My oldest just informed us that he’d prefer vegetarian dinner entrees a few times a week. I am going to offer this tonight. Thanks!
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I made this tonight with whole wheat ziti… and dairy free cheeses (soy) cheese. It was so good! My parents who aren’t big fans of veggies, loved it. The fresh herbs made it, and I loved how not guilty I felt afterwards. Will be making this again! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
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Just tried this recipe & it’s delicious! Thank you! I have been searching everywhere for more recipes with squash because my squash plants in my garden are going berserk! Will definitely make this again!
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Now this looks totally YUMMY, easy and doable! My children are picky eaters but I think they will eat this.
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I think as they grow up you need to tell them to keep trying things even if you have already tried them once. I am prim example of liking things now that I would never eat as a child. Both of my sons are “foodies”. They eat better than I did, I know! I was the picky child eater! Now they eat and cook good food!
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This looks delicious and definitely worth a try!
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That looks yum! I am definitely trying it! Thank you!
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Great sounding recipe. I’ll try it tonight. I definitely agree with the low-stress attitude towards children and eating. Our daughter has ranged from adventurous eater, to little Ms. Picky and back again. Through it all she’s always been told to at least try one bite of something new and I think it’s made all the difference. Cheers!
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Sounds delicious! Making this tonight, however, is it really just 4 oz of uncooked pasta? This seems like not enough for 4 people, however, I am quite new to cooking. Please help!
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I just saw this on Pinterest!
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Reblogged this on JE Baugh and commented:
Great recipe! Great website! Check out The Ranting Chef for great recipes, tips and engaging stories.
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Yum! I’ve been wanting to try out a baked ziti recipe out, I’ll have to try this 🙂
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That looks delicious. I’ll have to try it with gluten-free pasta! Also, I live with my partner and his two small children: cooking for them can be a challenge — we implemented the same rule a few months ago and it made a big difference in our dinner dynamics.
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I have two boys as well, one is a great eater who also proclaims to detest zucchini. I too have only served it grilled (and in baked goods.) Maybe I’ll try this!
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Thanks for checking out my blog! I like your recipe idea. Thanks for posting; Ive been looking for new things to try.
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That looks good. I may have to try that this weekend.
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My kind of dish! I’ll have to make this one!
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As a kid, I might have stayed clear of this dish because of the zuc and squash. As an adult I would devour it! I’m adding this to my recipe box. Thanks!
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Nice dish! Think I’ll try that one on my kids!
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whats the serving size?
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Looks warm and luscious! Thank you for posting… I’ll gather the supplies for tonight, as I am now craving this…
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Will definite try this one. Love pasta!!! Btw, thanks for checking out my blog.
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Looks like a meal I could get ready, put in the oven on low, and have ready the instant we all get home from soccer practice.
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Yum! That looks delicious and easy. (I like easy almost as much as I like delicious.) I will definitely have to try this. 🙂
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I made this last night and it was really good! My husband loved it and even told me how good it was again this morning. Thanks for the recipe!
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Oh my God that looks so good! If I wasn so lazy at the moment…..I’d make it!
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I will have to try that. Looks yummy! I grew up in a house where my mother would make me sit at the table until I finished what was on my plate. I devised all sorts of ways to not eat ….. putting the food in my pockets so that I could dispose of it later, have a sudden urge to go to the bathroom with a mouthful of food or slip it to the dog who sat at my feet under that table.
Thanks for the “like”. Look forward to more yummy plates.
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Thanks for checking out my blog! My boys are 4 and 2 and we are taking the same loose approach, I hope it works out for us as well as it did for your boys! Can’t wait to try this recipe on them.
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Love this meal. Thanks for your visit to my blog.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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Thanks for checking out my lifestyle blog, Bmore Energy. I think I will have to try this recipe for my picky 11-year old. I make baked ziti often but somehow never thought to add veggies. Love it!
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Scrumptious blog!
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perfect! always in need of good recipes for the fall harvest veggies zucchini and tomoatos! can’t wait to test this one on my family-youngins and all!
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Yummmaroooo – I realize I am now heading into Fall but most of those ingredients are still around.
Great recipe – thanks for posting it, and thank you for the like too!
reversecommuter
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I have to admit, squash and zucchini aren’t my favorite either. I’ll have to try this version, which sounds delicious.
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I made this, I used farmer’s cheese because my dh does not like ricotta. I also crumbled and cooked a package of hot italian sausage and mixed it in. Mine was a little watery, which makes me think that I did not saute the vegetables enough.
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This looks delicious! As a vegan, I would make it using Daiya cheese, which is my favorite nondairy cheese. Perhaps, I would use tofu ricotta also. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for stopping by the Painted Apron. I have been looking for a cheesy pasta bake that incorporates lots of veggies and this looks perfect! Can’t wait to try it.
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I love the article and the recipe! I am definitely making this one. I too was raised with the same food philosophies and raised my kids the same. I don’t have picky kids either, and we eat all kinds of foods. Not everything is a favorite, like curry, but it’s eaten without complaint.
Thank you or stopping by my new blog! Hopefully some day I’ll have something you want to try. 😀
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Looks very good! That’s a great recipe for the farmer’s market!
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This recipe looks sooo good!!! I love comfort food in the fall!!
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Your recipe looks amazing! Thank you for sharing this, I’ll definitely try it for my family 🙂
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Oh, wow! Those pictures look delicious! I’ve been looking for a new pasta recipe because all of mine are becoming so tiresome. Can’t wait to try this. Even though there is a long list of ingredients, there’s so little of each item the dish can’t possible cost too much to make. Thanks! Oh, and thank you for visiting and liking my blog. 🙂 I’ll be back here for sure!
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Looks like the place to come if you’re hungry and have a little time to do something about it!
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I am trying this! YUMM! Thanks
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looks great…this is awesome…
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Looks great. I love vegetarian recipes. Funny how you mention that your son doesn’t like zucchini. It’s a special vegetable that can sometimes taste pretty bad. There are certain ways to cook it to make it taste really good.
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Have a delicious day & thanks for following http://www.thefoodstalker.com
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Yummy….
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Just came across this post on your blog (Happy Thanksgiving, btw), and I have to endorse your strategy. Whenever parents ask me, “How did you get your kids to eat that?” I always answer, “Because that’s what I made for them.” They didn’t learn to love kale or grass-fed meat overnight, but eventually their palates adapt. We have the one bite rule, too, and it’s amazing how many times one bit leads to many!
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Looks delicious! And Iyou’re right about the must try everything atleast once philosophy, and if they dont want to eat they can starve until they’re ready to eat later….way too many parents cater to their kids’ picky eating and then they scratch their heads wondering how their kids got so picky!
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Great title for a post – loved that. And I love the philosophy, I grew up on the same stuff and as a result there is very little I don’t eat (I’m not fond of innards or raw shellfish but that’s about it). Well done for changing he mind of your eldest about those two vegetables, perhaps cooking with love has something to do with it? And thanks for stopping by my page!
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This seems like a tasty no-fail recipe for lots of families! The more different foods we sample the better some of the first ones we tried and didn’t like start to taste… Thanks for visiting.
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Glad to hear your boys are good eaters. I know mine will be that way someday. Nice philosophy for feeding them.
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This sounds absolutely delicious! I will have to try it with vegan cheese. 🙂
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Oh my goodness this looks fantastic. I might put this on our menu plan this week!
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Chipmonk cheeks… there’s another story in here for me, when my daughter was 4 (she’s 28 now, so won’t mind I’m sure!). Thanks for stopping by my blog ‘tasteandlight’. Rob.
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That looks absolutely delicious! I nanny and working with the girls on eating is a hard task. They are snack addicts, so meal times become a battle some days. They are 5, 3 & 16 months, so my prayer is that they learn to love trying new things even if they don’t love it. Thanks for such a delicious looking recipe.
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This looks delicious, I’m gonna have to try this soon!
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Very clever approach, Also to come up with such innovative recipes for the kids
Thanks for the inspiring post, I luv this!
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Great recipe. I agree with your approach to feeding kids; I remember when I was young, my mother would do the same thing of leaving the food in the fridge and giving it to me later. At the time I was distraught (“But I haaaate aubergines!”) but eventually got over it and now eat everything apart from junk food (and have even come to love those aubergines!), for which I’m very grateful as I’m sure your kids will be. Thanks for the like on my food blog, too. 🙂
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I WANT THAT…
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Looks like something I would love to eat! Thanks for stopping by my blog-
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that looks delicious will try it, lets see what my 3 eaters will say 🙂
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This looks very delicious and interesting. I will give it a try. I have a client that I personal chef for and she’s Vegetarian but I can substitute the egg and cheese with veggie friendly substitutes. I’m sure she’ll love it.
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The end product looks great. My only complaint would be the Pam and the lower grade cheese! I find the best place to spend my money is on high quality, “organic” food, and I’m not trying to be a snob. I feel like food is medicine and our greatest link to great health! I also like wild foods that you can find almost anywhere. I like your ways with your kids too, sounds like you all have a pleasant time. We do here too!! Take it easy!! Thanks!
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Hi! Thanks for stopping by and liking my macaroon post, please let me know if you ever test out the recipe! …hoping for “no chipmunk cheeks” there either! 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by Fitness at 50! I had the same issue with veggies when my daughters were younger. One effective solution was to make spaghetti sauce with finely chopped onions, peppers, and mushrooms. They snarfed it right up. Today they enjoy eating healthy, so no more worries there!
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This looks yummy!
Thank you for stopping by thelittlespot!
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Sounds yummy! Great that you got your kids to eat veggies too 🙂
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Sound great. Mine are too big for that now but I still insist they try it out and generally hey eat quietly as there is nothing else when Mamma is around. Atleast one meal is what i decide they should be eating. Sound like I am a dictator but then I will not compromise on nutrition.
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It sounds sooo yummy. Except, unlike your soon sons, I’m very picky. Still looks great though! If I ever get to eat this, I’ll at least try it before I say THIS LOOKS GROSS. Thank you for liking my blog, by the way. I just started so… yeah. o_o
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Thanks
😀
Pinned this ♡
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Yum! Looks delicious! 🙂 Maybe I can sneak some veggies into my husband’s mouth with this recipe. Haha.
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Your blog reminds me that I should one day learn how to properly cook.
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Is it really only 4 ounces of pasta???
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That is the original recipe. I think I doubled it.
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Next best thing to pizza. (And I too was called chipmunk cheeks when I was young.)
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I feel this will be a challenge in the future, for now I’m just going to enjoy putting as many different flavours in MY mouth!
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What would you substitute for ricotta? My husband and I don’t like ricotta. I’ve made baked ziti before and used sour cream instead of ricotta. Do you think that would work?
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Substitutes: queso fresco OR goat cheese (fresh) OR cottage cheese (lower in fat) OR pot cheese (drier) OR Requeson cheese OR clabber cream (especially as a pasta filling) OR buttermilk cheese (especially as a pasta filling) OR fromage blanc (lower in fat) OR tofu (firm silken tofu is best; mix with Italian herbs and olive oil if using in pasta dishes)
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here. I use small curd cottage cheese.
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This looks delicious. I think this recipe would be easy to vegan-ize! I will have to try and see. 🙂
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Looks delicious. I’ll have to try it sometime soon…
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hey this article was reflective on the truth of squash. that it can often be a turn off. I only like squash if its nice and crunchy and not fully cooked. so if you think that may also be an option then i might suggest that you look into raw food. two cookbooks are “Raw food real world”, or Charlie Trodders book titled “Raw”
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I can’t wait to make this!!
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I love your blog, and will be a repeat visitor. Great writing and recipes worth trying. Yum!
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I have found that there are several ways to get zucchini into my children and now, grandchildren’s mouths! Zucchini bread, zucchini muffins and also, like you did in a casserole! Thanks for checking my posts out, although I don’t have much in the way of food listed, I do have stories! Yours with your 2 sons was priceless! Funny with the chipmunk cheeks, thanks!
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Thanks for stopping by and the like Slavery in Uzbekistan – easy quick and kids will like
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Beautiful photos of your work, and everything looks yummy!
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I like pasta very much!!! It looks super delicious!!!
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Made this tonight. Loved it! Hubby had 2 helpings and I keep picking at the leftovers even though I’m stuffed
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So yummy!!! I just made this for dinner tonight and the kids loved it! I added some left over grilled chicken in it. Thanks for the recipe!
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For those of you who have made this…. Is 4oz of ziti correct? I cant imagine a 1/4lb of pasta feeding 4
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When I made it I think I used a whole box!
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This was absolutely delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
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All I would suggest, at least for my family, is using whole wheat ziti or noodles. The nutrients and the texture is great with the ingredients you listed! Diabetics will do better with whole wheat since it is slower to turn into sugar, or noodles out of vegetables…
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Tried it loved it, nuff said:)
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Looks GreatThis is a must make Thanks Blessed Day To You Lynn
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Made this last night. I used gluten free pasta and added some fresh corn. I doubled the recipe and it filled a 13×9 pan. It was a big hit! I will make this again for sure. Thanks for the pictures as well.
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Enjoyed this and the recipe. You need to check out my cousin’s blog: http://www.bakinginatornado.com
It’s hilarious and she has THE MOST amazing recipes.
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I will have to try this.
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Just made this tonight, it was wonderful!! Thanks 🙂
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Thanks for liking my post, I like yours too!
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Thanks for the like and for visiting my blog!
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That is a good approach to helping kids develop mature palates and healthy eating habits. pasta looks good!
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Thanks for looking at my post. Sounds like you have tried all the things that the rest of us amateurs have tried, with most of the same results. If they won’t at least try it they will never like or eat it. Sounds like all that is behind you as it is with me.
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That looks delish!
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That’s looks delicious I only have 1 picky eater in the house, if anything is “vegetable like” she wont eat it, perhaps I should try this method, Thanks
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Looks like all real food too. We should all eat non processed foods at every meal.
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Looks delish! Now, I really, really want pasta and cheese!
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Yum!
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This sounds yummy and is making me quite hungry!! Thanks for liking my post I’m completely new to all this and just starting out, scary but exciting!!
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I’m the finiky eater in my house and I hate veggies, but I like all the veggies in this recipe, so it is now in my recipe d-base! Thx, Chef!
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Thanks for looking at my blog. I LOVE your posts.
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Wow that looks so good! I’ve got to try this.
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That looks awesome, will have to try it, just pinned the recipe
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I love the story behind the dish. I, too, deal with a picky eating son. Our garden is prolific with zucchini and squash, and I hope to try your recipe this coming week.
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This was delicious, and so easy. I doubled the recipe and served it as a main dish, but it would also make a great side dish. I actually forgot the basil and crushed red pepper, and it was STILL really good!
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THIS looks delish! I am most definitely going to try it. Thank you. I too had and have the rule “try at least one bite of everything” it works really great in developing open, even adventurous older children.
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I’ve had this recipe pinned to one of my boards on pinterest for several years, and I finally decided to try it tonight. Absolutely delicious!!! I will definitely be adding this to my weeknight recipe rotation and I will be sharing it with friends and family. Thank you so much for sharing!
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