This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Ragú.
When I was but a blushing young newlywed, I made my own spaghetti sauce. Now I certainly don’t mean that I grew my own tomatoes and herbs and spent endless hours planting and tending and harvesting my garden so that I could serve my husband the freshest possible tomato sauce, because the fact of the matter is that I’ve never really grown anything successfully. Except for maybe weeds. But those don’t really count, now do they?
I loved going to the grocery store, picking out all my favorite ingredients, then combining tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil and oregano in a big ole pot and letting the heat work its magic. My next door neighbor, Ann, taught me to grate a little carrot in my sauce to add a little sweetness. And don’t tell anybody, but I added a little sugar, too. The sauce could be time-consuming, but it was good. And I figured I’d make my own sauce forever.
After I became a mama, however, I started looking for shortcuts in the kitchen. Making my own spaghetti sauce wasn’t really high on the list anymore, and I’ll never forget the first time I made a spinach and spaghetti casserole with the sauce from a jar. IT WAS A REVELATION. It was simple and delicious and fast, and if you’ve ever tried to cook a meal while keeping one eye on a toddler, you know that fast cooking can be your friend. I was hooked.
A few weeks ago some folks from Ragu asked if they could send me some samples of their new spaghetti sauce. Since we eat spaghetti sauce in one dish or another at least once a week, I happily agreed. Truth be told, I’ve only bought Ragu a handful of times – we have typically preferred Another Brand – but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try, especially when I saw that the new recipe has two servings of vegetables in every half cup. If you’re someone who tries to make sure your little ones eat nutritious meals, you know that those two veggie servings per half cup are SOLID GOLD.
A couple of nights ago I decided to make lasagna with the Ragu sauce. I actually opened a jar of the old recipe and a jar of the new recipe so that I could compare the taste – and do you know what? I really could tell a difference. Since there are twice as many vegetables in the new recipe, the sauce is thicker, and the flavor is great. GREAT.
After the taste test, I assembled all the ingredients on the kitchen counter so that I could take their picture. And also so that I could remember how I made the dish because I wasn’t following a recipe. I’m all cuckoo and devil-may-care that way.
Don’t they look cute?
I browned my ground beef, cooked my noodles (our grocery store was out of the whole wheat lasagna noodles, so I improvised with whole wheat rigatoni) and mixed together the ricotta and cottage cheeses. Then I started layering. And here’s how it looked before I cooked it.
But do you know what’s even better? How it looked right before we ate it.
It was DELICIOUS – a huge hit with the whole family. Our seven year-old practically licked his plate, and it made me feel good that the sauce was chock-full of vegetables. I mixed cottage cheese in with the ricotta and he had no idea (he would not touch cottage cheese under normal circumstances), and I loved that our one dish hit four of the five food groups: dairy, veggies, protein and whole grains. OH, HAPPY DAY.
Here’s the recipe:
Riga-sagna
2 lbs. ground chuck, browned and drained (seasoned to taste)
1 jar Ragu
1 lb. whole wheat rigatoni, cooked
16 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
16 oz. cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup mozzarella cheese, freshly gratedPreheat oven to 375. Combine cooked ground beef with Ragu sauce and let simmer on stove while cooking and assembling other ingredients.
Boil and drain pasta. Set aside.
Combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, basil, oregano and eggs – then set aside.
In a 9×13 baking dish, lightly coat the bottom of the dish with sauce. Put a layer of noodles on top, then ricotta mixture, then sauce, then noodles, then ricotta mixture, then sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella over top, then bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
You may have a few noodles left over if you cook the whole box – just FYI.
If you’d like to enter to win a $100 Visa gift card courtesy of BlogHer, leave a comment that answers the following question: what’s your favorite way to use spaghetti sauce when you cook for your family? Old fashioned spaghetti and meatballs? Chicken parmesan? Lasagna? A great family recipe?
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By the way, if you’d like to be one of the first to sample the new Ragu recipe, check out the Ragu Facebook page. They’re giving away some tremendous goodie baskets filled with Ragu sauce, pasta, a colander, a box grater, cookware and all sorts of kitchen gadgets via the Ragu Facebook Sweepstakes.
Happy Ragu-ing, y’all!
This giveaway is now closed.
Definitely Lasagna. And those pictures above have me absolutely drooling now!
I hat to be unoriginal, but spaghetti. I sue Ragu on my homemade pizza,too!
quitecontrary1977@hotmail.com
lasagna for sure
We use ragu sauce to make lasagna.
We like lasagna. We will make two different batches, since my wife and daughter do not like ricotta. We’re kinda like “Garfield” when it comes to lasagna in our home!
pauleyd68 (at) yahoo (dot) com
tweet!
(http://twitter.com/lpauld68/status/3954057622323200)
Thanks!
I use it on meatloaf
We love it on spaghetti and meatballs!
One of the first things I learned to cook was Bolognese and that’s the main thing I prepare with red sauce these days! Trying to convince my husband that he loves chicken parm as much as I do, but not much luck.
wolverina401 at gmail dot com
chicken parmasan
Lasagna is the family favorite! Thanks!
I also entered my email at the Ragu contest link =)
I make a baked penne pasta with ricotta and lots of yummy Ragu sauce.
spaghetti and meatballs all the way
usually i use it when i make a veggy stew
My favorite is spaghetti and turkey meatballs. Thanks!
Lasagne all the way
Spaghetti-1 pound hamberger,Ragu sauce, and 1 pound spaghetti noodles. Quick and my families fav.
i like to use it for stuffed shells!
We use Ragu pasta sauce with our turkey meatballs and pasta pin wheels. I am following.
We love lasagna and red sauce on penne with meatballs.
My favorite way to use the sauce is just good old spaghetti. I love spaghetti and could eat it at least once a week.
We use ragu for spagetti and meatballs. Our favorite
Spaghetti and meatballs with some Italian sausage in the sauce
I love using pasta sauce in my families favorite meal manicotti.
lisalmg25 at gmail dot com
I use it to top my eggplant parmesan.
I just use it on Spaghetti
Spaghetti is a family favorite but we also love to make lasagna.
i throw it over linguine
My favorite way to use spaghetti sauce is in my lasagna.
My favorite was is just plain spaghetti and meatballs. Its such a quick and easy meal.
Spaghetti and meatballs are staple around our house
ardy22 at earthlink dot net
TWEET
http://twitter.com/Ardy22/status/4157549641211904
ardy22 at earthlink dot net
We love lasagna, and I use ragu to make that.
We like to make meatball subs.
trixie420247@yahoo.com
I use sauce often. I like it on pizza bagels and in a basil shrimp angel hair pasta best.
It is a tie between lasagna and manicotti. Two of my family’s favorite recipes!
We found a crock pot lasagne recipe that uses uncooked lasagne and a couple jars of spaghetti sauce – turns out great!!
Thanks for the giveaway!
tweet: http://twitter.com/js22222222/status/4194619172585472
Good old spaghetti and meatballs for us!
We go for the old fashioned spaghetti around here. Once in a great while we will have lasagne.
michelle (at) harrisbb (dotcom)
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/iiiyadirf/status/4200014188380161
michelle (at) harrisbb (dotcom)
I love the make lasagna with Ragu pasta sauce!
msjem2001 at yahoo dot com
i love to use spaghetti sauce on chicken Parmesan
My family loves Meatball sandwiches
I use spaghetti sauce mostly just for spaghetti with ground beef.
My favorite way to use spaghetti sauce would be in Eggplant Parm.
We like spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce, or angel hair pasta, or lasagna, or eggplant parm, or… I don’t think there’s any way we don’t like it lol.
http://twitter.com/dddiva/status/4220506433654784
we love lasagna
I like to get fresh chicken sausage and do a cacciatore with spaghetti sauce and peppers and onions!
i use sauce when i’m cooking pizza
My favorite use for pasta sauce is to make eggplant Parmesan.
I use it in soup! It’s a great tomato soup with mixed with an equal amount of vegetable broth! Add noodles and some spinach and it’s almost quick minestrone!
holly_beth_slc at yahoo dot com
I make traditional spaghetti with bow tie pasta noodles.
The Ragu Alfredo sauce is our favorite! Boil some noodles, nuke some sauce and you have a quick and tasty meal!!
spaghetti and meatballs is always good
I use spaghetti sauce when I make pizza every Friday night. I sprinkle oregano from the garden on it, and it tastes like pizza sauce.
spaghetti is a family favorite in our home. we use Ragu as a base for meatball submarine sandwiches, or we serve it over cooked spaghetti squash.
My family’s fave way to enjoy their pasta sauce is with good old Spaghetti with meat sauce :D
My favorite way to use sauce is to make baked spaghetti. My family loves it.
I just like it with plain old spaghetti.
Thanks!!
we love spaghetti and meatballs :)
http://twitter.com/klp1965/status/4267134444113920
I love to use Ragu in Lasagna.
Whole wheat pasta with ragu pasta sauce, meatballs, and parmesan cheese.
I like to use it with spaghetti,meatballs and sausage!
ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com
I make baked spaghetti (regular spaghetti covered with mozzarella and parmesan cheese)!
My favorite way to use spaghetti sauce when I cook for your family is as a topping on pasta with parmesan cheese on top
Here’s my tweet – http://twitter.com/dvice1/status/4301825905795072
My favorite way to use it is Lasagna.
Spaghetti with tomato sauce and garlic bread with extra ragu for dipping.
Chicken parmesan in the skillet. So yummy!
lyndsey.rullman at hotmail dot com
We like just plain ol’ spaghetti and meatballs and sometimes stuffed shells.
I use it in good old spaghetti and meatballs or also use it in stuffed green peppers. Thanks.
just pasta and sauce is our favorite
Chicken Parmesan!
I use it when I make my lasagna.
We love lasagna
Lovefool827 (at) yahoo (dotcom)
My mom always had a lasagna in the freezer we would pop it in the oven after school and “together” we would have cooked dinner. I like to do the same but my kids arent big enough yet to use the oven so they help with the salad
The best meal is good old fashioned Ragu with angel hair. Don’t forget the parmesan!
My favorite way to use spaghetti sauce is good old fashioned meat sauce. The best is to make it early and let it simmer all day…