B is for Baked Spaghetti for The Kids Cook Monday

I always find it fascinating to see what television programs interest Bear and Bee.  Thankfully there are only a few programs that I don't like.  Not that there is anything seriously wrong with these programs - they often just have characters with really grating voices or not much of a story line.

Among the ones the whole family likes to watch is a British cooking show for children called I Can Cook.  This show features young (mostly primary school aged) children preparing interesting recipes.  The recipes are adapted for children's tastes and abilities and include many great tips such as using scissors to cut some foods, tearing herbs and capsicums and using a rotary grater to grate cheese and carrot. The children are also taught about hygiene and where food comes from as they visit the garden outside the kitchen to find ingredients for the recipe they are preparing.  Bear and Bee find this show very entertaining and we have tried a number of their recipes.


This recipe is a version of the Baked Spaghetti from the I Can Cook show.  It is a great way of seeing how a recipe that is usually difficult for young children to help with can be adapted to suit their age and abilities.

Baked Spaghetti
Download a free recipe card here.
Serves 2 children

Ingredients
1 spring onion
2 button mushrooms
1 rasher of bacon, cooked
50g dried spaghetti
100ml water
1 pinch of stock powder
1 cup of chopped tomatoes (we used tinned tomatoes but fresh would be just as good)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

Apparently baby bear had to help too!

2. Chop the spring onion into small pieces and place in a small ovenproof dish.  Small scissors are great for children to use in the kitchen.  Just make sure that they are used only for food preparation and not from your craft cupboard!

3. Chop the mushrooms and add to the baking dish.

4. Tear or cut up the bacon and add to the dish.

5. Snap the spaghetti into small pieces that will fit into the dish and then place on top of the other ingredients.

 6. Mix the stock powder with the water and pour over the spaghetti.
7. Spoon the tomatoes over the spaghetti.

8. Cover the baking dish with either a lid or a piece of aluminium foil.
9. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until spaghetti is cooked through.  Stir after 15 minutes.

10. Allow to cool slightly and serve.

This spaghetti dish is so full of flavour.  Baking the spaghetti in with the tomatoes and stock means it turns out super tasty with no signs of being watery or gluggy.   Bear and Bee both love bacon so we will stick with this version for them however I will try experimenting with flavours next time for hubby and myself - perhaps adding some olives and dried chilli.