Cooking for Teens- Easy & Quick Recipes for Pasta Dishes for Teens to Prepare

Welcome to my Cooking for Teens series.  This series is intended to provide ideas and recipes in order for tweens and teens to cook main dish entrees for the family.  I was a latchkey kid, so I know a thing or two about simple meal preparation as a teen. 

These pasta main dishes are prepared with packaged noodles and sauces.  Noodles cook in their special sauces with water or milk.  Noodles do not have to be cooked separately nor drained.  With a couple exceptions, I’ve prepared these specific noodle flavors many times over the years, often adding meat and making them my family’s main dish. 

Recipes in this hub:

Knorr-Lipton Noodles Stroganoff with Ham

Knorr-Lipton Parmesan Noodles with Chicken

Knorr-Lipton Asian Sides Teriyaki Noodles with Beef Strips

Pasta Roni Four Cheese Corkscrew Pasta with Tuna and Peas

Pasta Roni Tomato Parmesan Pasta with Shrimp

Pasta Roni Angel Hair Pasta with Herbs and Chicken Strips

Bertoli Frozen Meat and Pasta Skillet Dinners

I have prepared these noodles many, many times.  I prepare it most often with canned ham, but it would work with chicken or beef strips.  Sometimes I add a few sliced fresh mushrooms. 

Ingredients

2 packages of Knorr-Lipton Stroganoff Noodles and Sauce

Milk and water to prepare noodles according to package directions

2 (5 ounce) cans of ham

8 oz plain yogurt or sour cream

Instructions

1. Cook Stroganoff noodles according to the directions on the Knorr-Lipton package. Use whipping cream or evaporated milk instead of regular milk if you want to make your dish creamier.

2. Open ham and drain juice into your noodles. On a plate, mash ham with a fork to break up. Rake ham into noodles. Stir to combine.

3. Continue heating on medium low heat, stirring frequently, until hot, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in 8 ounces of plain yogurt or sour cream. Heat an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

I have prepared this pasta mix countless times.  I have done it with canned chicken, canned ham, and sliced grilled or roasted chicken. 

Ingredients

2 packages Knorr-Lipton Parmesan Noodles

Milk and water to prepare noodles according to package directions

1 large can chicken (about 12 ounces), with juice

Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1.  Cook Parmesan noodles according to the directions on the Knorr-Lipton package.  Use fat free evaporated milk instead of regular milk to make your dish taste richer. 

2.  Open chicken and drain juice into your noodles.  Use a fork to separate the larger chunks of chicken as you transfer it from the can to your noodles. 

3.  Stir to combine chicken and noodles. 

4.  Continue heating on medium low heat, stirring frequently, until hot, about 5 minutes. 

5.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Parmesan on each serving. 

The Asian Sides are relatively new to the Knorr-Lipton line.  I really like this one.  We grill an extra steak for later for this dish, and slice it into thin strips.

Ingredients

2 packages Knorr-Lipton Asian Sides Teriyaki Noodles

2 Tablespoons canola or olive oil

1 lb fully cooked Tyson steak strips (or other beef strips)

Soy or Teriyaki sauce

Instructions

1.  Line a small pan with foil.  Spread out beef strips in single layer.  Cover with foil and heat in the oven on low, about 250º to 300º. 

2.  Use a medium sized saucepan.  Add water and oil, and bring to a boil. 

3.  Add pasta and sauce from packages.  Stir to combine. 

4.  Reduce heat and simmer 6 to 8 minutes, until noodles are tender.  Let stand 2 minutes. 

5.  Pour noodles on a serving platter.  Top with heated beef strips. 

6.  Drizzle your serving with 1 teaspoon soy or teriyaki sauce if desired. 

We use Kraft spirals at our house- slightly more complicated to cook. We call it “Tuna, Peas, Mac & Cheese”. It is a huge family favorite!

Ingredients

2 packages of Pasta Roni Four Cheese Corkscrew Pasta

3 c water

1 1/2 c fat free evaporated milk

4 Tablespoons butter

1 large can (12 ounces) of chunk light tuna

1 can Llessur English peas

Instructions

1- Prepare Four Cheese Corkscrew Pasta according to package directions, substituting evaporated milk for richness. Here are the preparation directions from the Knorr website:

• In a medium saucepan, bring water, milk and margarine or butter to a boil. Then slowly stir in pasta and Special Seasonings. Return to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium. Boil uncovered, 7-8 min. or until pasta is just tender, stirring frequently.
• Sauce will be thin. Let stand 3-5 min. to thicken.

2- While pasta is cooking, empty English peas and tuna in a saucepan, with their juices. Break up tuna chunks with a fork. Heat tuna and peas on medium, until hot, about 5 to 8 minutes.

3- Drain tuna and peas and stir into pasta.

This is like having a marinara sauce with pasta, only much easier. The shrimp makes it feel fancy, like a special treat.

Ingredients

2 pkgs Pasta Roni Tomato Parmesan

3 c water

1 1/2 c fat free evaporated milk

4 T butter

12 ounces of frozen precooked shelled shrimp

Instructions

1- Prepare Tomato Parmesan Pasta according to package directions, substituting evaporated milk for richness. Here are the preparation directions from the Knorr website:

• In medium saucepan, bring water, milk and margarine or butter to a boil. Then slowly stir in pasta and Special Seasonings. Separate pasta with a fork, if needed. Return to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium. Boil uncovered, 4-5 min. or until pasta is just tender, stirring frequently.
• Sauce will be thin. Let stand 3-5 min. to thicken.

2- Rinse shrimp with cool water until thawed. Drain.

3- Add shrimp to pasta during last 2 minutes of cooking.

I love the texture of the Pasta Roni angel hair pastas. And the sauces are great- they taste like more. Add the grilled chicken strips, and this one is restaurant quality.

Ingredients

2 packages Pasta Roni Angel Hair with Herbs

2 2/3 c water

1 1/3 c fat free evaporated milk

4 T butter

12 ounces Tyson grilled chicken strips (or other chicken)

Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Line a small pan with foil. Spread out chicken strips in single layer. Cover with foil and heat in the oven on low, about 250º to 300º.

2. Cook the pasta according to directions on the Pasta Roni package, substituting evaporated milk for richness. Here are the preparation directions from the Knorr website:

• In a medium saucepan bring water, milk, margarine or butter to a boil. Then slowly stir in pasta and Special Seasonings. Separate pasta with a fork, if needed. Return to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium. Boil uncovered, 4-5 min. or until pasta is just tender, stirring frequently.
• Sauce will be thin. Let stand 3-5 min. to thicken.

3. Pour noodles on a serving platter. Top with heated chicken strips.

4. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese if desired.

Bertolli has 24 frozen pasta dinners for two people. Of these, 17 are skillet dinners. All ingredients are in the bag, and the sauce is in pellets throughout. Pour the bag in a skillet and stir frequently. Most are ready in 10 minutes. The Bertolli line also has 7 pasta entrees that bake in the oven, most in 45 minutes or less.

Classic Meals

Eleven skillet pasta meals. Meats in pasta selections: 6 chicken, 2 beef, 2 shrimp, and 1 sausage.

Mediterranean Style Meals

Six skillet pasta meals, with 2 full vegetable servings and extra olive oil in each serving. Meats available in pasta meals: 3 chicken, 2 shrimp, 1 beef.

Oven Baked Meals

Seven oven pasta classics. Meats available: 3 cheese only, 2 chicken, 1 Italian sausage, 1 meat lasagna. Pastas available: 2 lasagna, 2 stuffed shells, 1 ravioli, 1 penne, and 1 cannellini.

Cooking for Teens Series

Cooking for Teens- Easy & Quick Recipes for Soups & Chowders for Teens to Prepare

Cooking for Teens- Easy & Quick Recipes for Pasta Dishes for Teens to Prepare

Cooking for Teens- Easy & Quick Recipes for Rice Dishes (Part I) for Teens to Prepare

Cooking for Teens- More Easy & Quick Recipes for Rice Dishes (Part II) for Teens to Prepare

FAST AND EASY RECIPES:

12 Super Fast, Cheap and Easy Main Dishes

12 Super Fast, Cheap and Easy Pasta Recipes

8 Super Fast, Cheap and Easy Casseroles

Super Fast and Easy Soups, Stews and Chowders

My Very Favorite Vegetable Soup- Almost Like Mom’s

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