PASTA is always a big hit with kids. It?s easy to eat (they don?t have to masticate the food) and, with tomato sauce often being an ingredient, it?s healthy, too (tomato sauce has lycopene, a powerful antioxidant important for cell repair).

Here?s a baon recipe using pasta, tomato sauce and tomato ketchup. It serves four to six people with moderate appetites?enough for a small family?s lunch baon.

Baked Macaroni in Tomato Sauce

2 tbsp butter, plus additional for dotting

1 large onion, diced

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 whole chicken breasts, deboned and diced

1 small can mushrooms, drained

2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 c tomato sauce

? c tomato ketchup

1 tsp oregano

1-2 tbsp brown sugar

Salt and pepper

500 g elbow macaroni or penne pasta, cooked as per package directions

? cup grated cheese

? cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 F?. In a large skillet or pan, heat butter over low heat until melted. Sauté onions for 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic and continue sautéing for 1 to 2 more minutes. Add chicken breasts and cook-stir until chicken turns whitish. Pour in mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato ketchup.

Season with oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook until bubbly, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and blend with the cooked pasta. Spoon into a large baking dish. Dot with butter. Mix together grated cheese and bread crumbs and sprinkle these over the pasta.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until topping turns golden brown.

Baon tips:

To prepare as baon: Spoon the cooked pasta into 4 to 6 individual microwavable dishes. Sprinkle with the cheese-bread crumb mixture. Cover and store in refrigerator up to three days. When ready to pack as baon: Remove the cover from each dish and heat in microwave for about 3 minutes or until cheese topping melts. Cover dish and pack carefully in lunch boxes.

You can also use small, oven-proof ceramic dishes or bakeware. These can go into the oven (follow baking instructions above) or use a turbo broiler to melt the cheese topping.

For a more enticing dish, try using fun pasta shapes such as farfalle or spirals.

To complete the meal, serve with toasted garlic bread.