Julia (and) Childs in the Kitchen: Veal with Vodka Sauce

Now that activities are starting to creep back into our calendar and school is back in "session" I like to turn to my tried and true weeknight recipe stash to get dinner on the table quickly and with little effort. Thought I'd share one of our all-time family favorite weeknight recipes- veal with vodka sauce. This recipe comes together in no time and only has a few staple ingredients that we typically have on hand which is helpful when you find yourself without a dinner plan or if things just don't go as planned in general (am I right?!). The bonus is that everyone in my house can now make this meal independently which is a mom WIN!!

Total Cook Time: 30 minutes

You will need:

1.5 lbs ground veal*
3-4 large handfuls of baby spinach

1 lb pasta of your choice

1 jar of vodka sauce (I prefer Newman's Own brand)

1-2 cloves of garlic chopped fine

Olive oil

grated Parmesan cheese ( I prefer Parmigiano Reggiano)

First get a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Then add a liberal amount of olive oil over medium heat in a high-sided skillet. Once the pan is hot add in the garlic and stir around until fragrant. When it just starts to brown, add in the ground veal and cook to let the meat brown and caramelize, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

When the veal is cooked through, throw in the baby spinach and stir around to let it wilt. Then add in 3/4 the jar of vodka sauce. Turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer until your pasta is cooked.