5 Family-Friendly Pasta Recipes to Add to Your Repertoire

What kid doesn't love pasta (and what mom doesn't love the simplicity of its preparation)? Amanda Haas of One Family One Meal (and author of Real Family Food: Simple & Easy Recipes Your Whole Family Will Love) is of the mind that one healthy, well-balanced meal should be able to satisfy parents and kids alike. It's a simple concept that may take some fine-tuning to enact in your kitchen, but we're here to help.

Keep reading for five of Amanda's favorite pasta recipes, all ideal for feeding a family (with leftovers to spare!).

01
Supersimple Pasta With Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Real Family Food: Simple & Easy Recipes Your Whole Family Will Love

Supersimple Pasta With Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

If you have leftover chicken, put it to use with this pasta recipe. Feel free to add anything additional you have in the kitchen that sounds good to you!

02
Corkscrew Pasta With Versatile Pesto Sauce
Real Family Food: Simple & Easy Recipes Your Whole Family Will Love

Corkscrew Pasta With Versatile Pesto Sauce

This pesto is also delicious over seared chicken with a piece of fresh mozzarella melted over the top. Heavenly! If you'd like to use gluten-free pasta, purchase Bionaturae or Ancient Harvest pasta.

03
Simple Veggie-Packed Pasta
Real Family Food: Simple & Easy Recipes Your Whole Family Will Love

Simple Veggie-Packed Pasta

When stuck in a rut with pasta and basic tomato sauce, turn to veggies. Sautéed in a little olive oil with lemon juice, this combination is great as a "sauce" on its own. It's a wonderful way to enjoy seasonal flavors and get some color into your family's diet. Make it a gluten-free option by using gluten-free pasta.

04
Ooey-Gooey Cheesy Stuffed Shells
Real Family Food: Simple & Easy Recipes Your Whole Family Will Love

Ooey-Gooey Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Who doesn't love stuffed shells? Loaded with cheese and tomato sauce, this pasta dish is a total crowd-pleaser. To change it up, you can add a little ground beef or different herbs to the sauce. Also, it's easy to double the recipe and freeze one batch.

05
A Fun Spin on Spaghetti and Meatballs
Real Family Food: Simple & Easy Recipes Your Whole Family Will Love

A Fun Spin on Spaghetti and Meatballs

Amy Klein, the executive chef of Revolution Foods, is known for her ability to get her children to eat just about anything. One of Amy's family's go-to recipes are these wagon wheels with meatballs.