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Ministry of Education New Zealand
Spaghetti and toast
Spaghetti and toast on a plate

Cost per serve#

  • Years 0 to 3: $1.03
  • Years 4 to 8: $1.35
  • Years 9 and above: $1.63.

Ingredients#

Directions#

  1. Finely dice onion and chop ham into bite-sized pieces.

  2. Heat oil in fry pan. Gently cook onions, garlic and capsicums for about 10 minutes, until tender.

  3. Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, vinegar, salt, sugar and water.

  4. Simmer sauce gently for 20 minutes, stirring regularly.

  5. Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water and cook spaghetti according to instructions.

  6. Strain spaghetti, rinse with cold water and drain well.

  7. Transfer spaghetti to a chopping board and roughly cut into quarters.

  8. Blend sauce with a stick blender or liquidiser. Combine sauce with spaghetti and heat through.

  9. Toast bread or serve bread fresh. Cut in halves.

  10. Serve toast/bread alongside spaghetti topped with ham and cheese.

Tip

Portioning guidance

Weigh out a reference plates for each meal size to visually guide your portioning.

  • Years 0 to 3: 1 slice of toast cut diagonally, about 120g of spaghetti mix, 2 heaped tablespoons of grated cheese and 20g of ham.
  • Years 4 to 8: 1 slice of toast cut diagonally, about 160g of spaghetti mix, 3 heaped tablespoons of grated cheese and 30g of ham.
  • Years 9 and above: 1 slice of toast cut diagonally, about 200g of spaghetti mix, 3 or 4 heaped tablespoons of grated cheese and 35g of ham.

Special diet substitution ideas#

If catering for Years 9 and above students with special diets, we recommend a substitute meal as this meal will not meet protein requirements.

  • Vegetarian: omit ham, increase cheese to 40g.
  • Vegan: blend lentils through the sauce, use plant-based cheese.
  • Gluten-free: GF pasta and GF bread.
  • Dairy-free: increase ham to 40g, use plant-based cheese.
  • Halal: omit ham, increase cheese to 40g.
Tip

  • Mix spaghetti and sauce close to service time to avoid too much sauce absorption.
  • Try mixing ham and cheese through the spaghetti mixture if desired.
  • Spread bread or toast with catering spread if preferred.
  • Add half a slice of toast (or more) to bulk up the Years 4 to 8 and 9 and above meals. 

Gilmours product information#

Products and pricing are valid as at 29 September 2025 and are subject to change.

Product descriptionPack sizePrice
Value canola oil3L$9.22
Sb onion diced (frozen)1kg$3.60
Sb capsicum diced (frozen)1kg$4.06
Gilmours garlic crushed in oil1kg$7.47
Gilmours tomato paste a92.2kg$6.07
Gilmours tomatoes crushed2.5kg$6.16
Gilmours vinegar malt5L$6.31
Pams salt iodised2kg$2.24
Pams sugar white500g$1.43
Turkman pasta spaghetti5kg$11.43
Huttons shaved manuka smoked hamPer kg$11.86
Alpine cheese edam grated5kg$74.16
Wholemeal toast sliced bread - estimate1 Loaf (17 slices)$3.69

Nutrition standards summary#