Make This Family-Friendly Lasagna From Monroe Alvarez’s “The Kids Table”

For more picky eater-approved recipes from “The Kids Table”, try these Easy Peasy Banana Muffins.

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Have you ever wondered how other families actually feed their picky toddlers?

The question may pass through your mind when you’re watching your child throw their dinner all over the kitchen floor, or maybe as they turn their nose up at the healthy breakfast you just spent an hour preparing.

Monroe Alvarez had the same question when her son, Koa, first started eating solids. “Cooking was never really my thing — I found it stressful and intimidating,” the mother, photographer, and founder of kids’ clothing brand Kokomomo says. “I wanted easy, go-to recipes I could make for myself and my kid.”

To find those recipes, instead of scouring the internet, she simply asked around — to friends, friends-of-friends, neighbors, and other parents she found inspiring. Her cookbook The Kids Table features a diverse group of families with different approaches to mealtime, as well as their favorite recipes and best tips for tackling picky eating. “Even if their kids were picky like mine, it just felt good to know I wasn’t alone,” she says.

Mom’s Lasagna: A Recipe From The Kids Table

Walter and Leah, two of the parents featured in The Kids Table, rely on this lasagna recipe when feeding their sons, 1-year-old Brooks and 3-year-old Beckett.

This recipe makes a tasty and veggie-filled family dinner, but best of all, the kids love to help out with the preparation: chopping herbs, grating cheese, and assembling the noodles in the baking dish. “I’ve realized that, just like adults, kids want to feel valued and contribute,” Leah says. “Giving them small tasks in the kitchen boosts their confidence and strengthens our bond.”

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped (about 1 onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ lbs Italian sausage, casings removed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped and divided
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ lb lasagna noodles
15 ounces ricotta cheese
3-4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup + ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated and divided
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Instructions:

Set the oven to 400° F.

In a large skillet (10 to 12 inches), heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a fork, for 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of parsley, basil, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with hot water. Add the lasagna noodles and let them soak for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, crumbled goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the beaten egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Mix until well combined.

In a 9×12-inch rectangular baking dish, ladle ⅓ of the sausage sauce into the bottom. Layer as follows: half of the soaked noodles, half of the sliced mozzarella, half of the ricotta mixture, and ⅓ of the sauce. Repeat with the remaining noodles, mozzarella, ricotta mixture, and sauce. Top with a sprinkle of the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling. (Optional: Remove the foil in the last 10 minutes for a golden top.)

Follow Monroe on Instagram at @dontbeafool or through her kids’ clothing brand Kokomomo. Order your copy of The Kids Table here.