We always want our kids to eat a varied diet, but it’s not always easy because kids can be so picky. In our house, whenever we ask the kids what they want for dinner, the answer is always, “PASTA!”. To get the kids to eat more protein and fiber, we dish up “pasta dogs”. They are so easy to make, and the kids just can’t get enough of them. We substitute turkey dogs for regular hot dogs to lower the fat and nitrate content, and we use whole wheat pasta to get more whole grains and fiber into the dish. It only takes about 10-15 minutes from start to finish. Here’s how to make pasta dogs!
Pasta Dogs
Ingredients:
- 2 turkey dogs
- 2 oz. (a small handful) of whole wheat spaghetti pasta
Directions:
1. Cut each turkey dog into 4 or 5 equal-size pieces. Break the whole wheat pasta in half.
2. Take each piece of turkey dog and stuff it lengthwise with 8-12 spears of pasta, so they wind up looking like this:
3. Drop the batch of pasta dogs into boiling water for 10-12 minutes.
4. Remove the pasta dogs with a strainer and place on a plate or bowl.
That’s it, you’re done! Just serve and watch the kids devour a healthy snack, lunch, or dinner!
Nutritional information: Recipe makes two pasta dogs; each pasta dog has 165 calories, 4.25 g fat, 10.5 g protein, 21.5 carbs.
Recipe by Kirk Roberts and family. Photos by Kirk’s kids!
