Behind the Book: Kid Friendly Meals for the Healthy Family Cookbook

In developing the chapter “Kid Friendly” for The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, the test cooks had to reach back to their own childhoods to come up with ideas for many of the recipes.

Everyone agreed on one recipe in particular—pasta o’s—you know the one we’re talking about—the canned rings of pasta in a tomato-sauce-like soup—either with or without meatballs. We all ate ‘em and kids still do today. But during recipe development, we popped open a can to remind us of what we loved as a kid. Turns out—not a whole lot.

Everyone agreed the canned version is too salty and too sweet. A look at the long ingredients list on the can’s label also told us we could do better. After making bowlfuls of this kid favorite, we developed a version that is fresh and flavorful with a mildly tangy tomato sauce and tender, pesto-infused meatballs made with ground chicken. We guarantee your kids will be hooked.

Want more behind-the-scenes stories from our Books Team? Read more “Behind the Book” posts here.