Ben’s Beginners is a new online cooking channel aiming to help kids and parents get cooking. Shockingly 1 in 4 parents admit that they have never cooked with their children, and with cooking being absent from the school curriculum for 20 years, some skills just haven’t been passed down!

You can watch the Ben’s Beginners channel on Youtube for lots of recipes and cooking encouragement. We tried out one of the simple recipes from Ben’s Beginners – the easy turkey meatballs recipe for tasty turkey meatballs and spaghetti.

Tasty Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti

Serves 4

Prep 15 mins

Cook 45 mins

YOU WILL NEED…

For the tasty turkey meatballs

400g turkey mince (you can use chicken mince if Turkey is not available. We did use chicken as halal turkey is hard to find outside of Christmas time)
3 tbsp. breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp. dried oregano
2tbsp. of freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
Freshly ground black pepper
1tbsp. olive oil

For the sauce

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
black pepper
squeeze of honey

Other ingredients for serving

400g spaghetti, cooked as per packet instructions

25g parmesan, grated

A handful of flat leaf parsley or basil, chopped (optional)

HERE’S HOW TO MAKE IT…

For the meatballs

Add all of the ingredients apart from the oil to a large bowl and mix well to combine. Get your hands in there and give it a really good mix.
With clean wet hands shape into golf ball size pieces and roll in your hands until even and round. Wet hands will stop the mix sticking to your hands.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan and fry the meatballs until golden on all sides. Set to one side whilst you get on with the sauce.

Give it some sauce

Heat the oil in a separate pan and fry the onion on a gentle heat till nicely softened.
Add the garlic and fry for a minute longer before adding the tomatoes, oregano, black pepper and honey.
Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until you have a lovely thick sauce.
Pop in the meatballs and simmer gently until cooked through.

Get it on the table

Whilst that happens cook the spaghetti as per packet instructions.
Drain the pasta, but make sure you keep some of the cooking water.
Tip the spaghetti into the pan with the meatballs and sauce.
Chuck in the parsley and toss well to combine. If it’s a bit thick pour in some of that pasta water.
Sprinkle with Parmesan and dig in.

Ben’s Beginners carried out research showing that every child that learns how to cook shares their new skills with at least one other person – and 92% use them at home. This really emphasises how important it is to get cooking with kids and to share these basic skills. Without the next generation learning these skills they could end up growing up in a kitchen-less world!

To help imagine that scenario, Ben’s Beginners prepared this video:

Like the parents in the video, I would hate to live without a kitchen. I’m glad my boys do already have an interest in helping out with cooking and when they are older I hope they continue this. It’s so important and the Ben’s Beginners channel is a great idea to help spread these skills.

The tasty turkey (or chicken) meatballs recipe from Ben’s Beginners was very easy to make, pretty quick and is suitable for all the family.

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In The Playroom

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Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.