Tried and True: A Pasta Dinner

There is just something about a spaghetti dinner that helps you ease back into cooking after a vacation or time off in the kitchen. At least that's how it is in our kitchen. It seems like we always make a spaghetti dinner after a hiatus in the kitchen. Perhaps it's the simplicity of the preparation or readily available ingredients.

There isn't anything that sets this round of pasta preparation apart besides, maybe, some healthy veggies. We diced some onions, peeled some carrots and steamed some spinach and added it to some lean ground beef and canned pasta sauce. The sauce itself featured some mushrooms, which are one of our favorites.

As you can see, the sauce featured lots of colors. I have read that a variety of colors is a good indicator of plenty of nutrients.

To add to the health factor, we prepared Barilla Plus Whole Wheat Rotini for some extra whole grains. We've been making whole wheat pasta for several years so we're happy to see new brands and extra varieties to try.

You can't always be healthy, so we were sure to top the pasta with lots of freshly grated Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses.

You just can't go wrong with a simple ragu pasta chock full of veggies, at least not in our household.