Toddler eating habits make for frustrated mothers. My pint-sized fickle one is completely unpredictable when it comes to what he will and will not eat, but there are three things that I can almost always get him to eat: dairy, fruit and noodles in most forms.

Dairy and fruit are fairly easy, and are reserved mostly for snacks, breakfast and beverage purposes.  But noodles.  Noodles in the right form can make a fabulous meal, not just for a toddler who will actually willingly eat them, but for the whole family.

I wrote last week about my meal planning style: cooking on Sundays for the week.  Every other week, I have some form of baked noodle casserole dish on my menu. They are all referred to as “baked ziti” in our house, but really, there are about a zillion ways to make it.

Since I know that everyone gets stuck in a rut sometimes when it comes to life’s age old question (What should I make for dinner?!?!?!), I thought I would share the many variations of delicious “baked zitis” we have made over here (and maybe you can share yours too!).

The Noodle: We are a divided house in our home when it comes to noodle preference.  I love rotini the most, as I find that the sauce gets into the groves and twists best, but Mr. C likes the traditional ziti or penne shaped noodles.  We have made baked noodle dishes with everything from farfalle (bowties) to small shells, ruote (wagon wheels) to elbow macaroni to orzo.  I’ve used whole wheat pasta, veggie-infused pasta, the Barilla “plus” protein-infused noodles, and oven ready lasagna noodles.

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The Sauce: Depending on the meal, some of my sauces are more complex than others.  My go-to lazy option is a jar of Classico or Prego sauce, 2/3 of the jar mixed with the noodles, and the last 1/3 dumped on top. If I am feeling fancy (or feeding someone other than my immediate family), I will make my own sauce using a giant can of San Marzano tomatoes, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, a bay leaf and a slew of other spices, simmered low and slow. Venturing out of the traditional red sauce world, I’ve made a taco-style pasta bake, mixing homemade taco seasoning and water and simmering it with my toppings before mixing it together with my noodles and cheese. In keeping with the Latin flair, I bet you could also make a fabulous enchilada-style pasta bake with enchilada sauce as well.  I have also made a richer baked pasta with jarred alfredo sauce that feels like more of a mac & cheese dish, and I’ve even attempted to make my own alfredo with a roux of butter and flour, then slowly adding whole milk and spicing it up and melting in my cheese.

The Toppings:  The beauty of baked ziti-like dishes is that you can put nearly anything in there!  We have tried all kinds of proteins, from ground turkey to sausage to sauteed or grilled chicken to ground beef.  While I haven’t ever been so adventurous, you could also mix in crab meat or even lobster.  (And while I can’t stomach even the thought of canned tuna, I know plenty of people who grew up eating tuna noodle casserole).  When feeding my toddler, I have found that mixing in veggies is a fabulous way to get him to eat them without much of a struggle.  When we were finishing up purees, I would thaw my leftover frozen cubes I had made of all sorts of miscellaneous veggie-based baby food and just mix it right into my sauce.  Now, we add everything from onions and mushrooms to carrots, spinach, zucchini and peppers.  I prefer to include veggies I can easily saute, but you could also roast or steam and chop up broccoli, squash, sweet potatoes and more.  If you want to hide your veggies, you could puree or shred them.  The options truly are endless.

The Cheese:  I tend to stick with the bagged, pre-shredded cheeses, since I am usually content with shredded mozzarella or cheddar. However, for fancier meals, I have added freshly shredded parmesiano-reggiano, gouda or gruyere.  When I am cooking for a crowd, I always mix the cheese into pasta+sauce mixture and sprinkle more on top for a crust, but C won’t touch the melty part on top, so when it’s just for us at home, I don’t bother.

What is your tried-and-true combination of noodle-sauce-topping-cheese?