Smokey Bacon Spaghetti

This is one of my favourite budget meals. If you use value versions of the ingredients, you can make this meal for a few pound - bargain! I paid 33p per tin of tomatoes, 30p for the dried spaghetti, £1.50 for the smoked bacon and I already had smoked paprika in my cupboard. You can buy paprika quite cheaply though, and it will last for quite few meals. The smoked paprika is a must, it gives this dish a lovely taste.

Serves 4

400g dried spaghetti
150g smoked bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
Oil for frying
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
Parmesan (optional)

In a large frying pan, heat the oil to a medium heat & fry the bacon until starting to crisp. Add the onion & garlic & cook until soft. Stir in the paprika and continue to cook for another minute. Tip in the tomatoes and stir through. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, until teh sauce thickens. Cook the spaghetti per the pack instructions. Once the spaghetti is cooked, add the sauce & coat the pasta. Serve sprinkled with parmesan, if you like, and garlic bread.

Creamy Pesto Pasta

This is one of those meals that just uses up the odds & ends in the fridge. Half a tub of this, half a jar of that, the 2 leftover chicken breasts and half a pack of mushrooms. I always keep a wedge of parmesan in my freezer, its grates perfectly from frozen. I made this for just me and my husband, but there are enough leftovers for my eldest daughter (who loves pesto) to have for lunch tomorrow with a nice chuck of crusty bread. It is quite a quick meal, it took me less than 30 minutes from start to finish. try using an interesting shaped pasta to liven it up a little. This is nice cold as well as hot. Add some pine nuts to add a crunch to the dish.

Serves 2 with leftovers. You can make more/less than my amounts, I was just using up extras from the fridge.

2 chicken breasts, diced
10 mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Olive oil
Half a jar of basil pesto (or use homemade, recipe here.)
Half a tub of creme fraiche
Tablespoon of pine nuts (optional, but great for a crunchy texture)
300g of dried or fresh pasta
Fresh parmesan to garnish

Heat the oil on a medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the mushrooms & garlic, and stir fry for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the chicken and fry until coloured (about 10 minutes). Put the pasta on to cook, and cook til al dente. Save about 2 tablespoons of the pasta water.
While the pasta cooks, add the pine nuts & fry for another 3/4 minutes. Add the pesto and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the creme fraiche and heat through. Add the pasta water, stir and then add the pasta. Toss the pasta in the sauce until it is all coated.
Serve in bowls with fresh grated parmesan on top.

Fettuccine Alfredo

I think this must be one of the quickest meals I have ever made! It was so tasty too, I can't wait to make it again. It is very simple, but oh-so-naughty! There is a lot of butter in this, but I think thats what makes it taste so great. There are only a few ingredients, so it may sound boring but believe me it tastes amazing. I added some fried onions & mushrooms with a touch of garlic for some extra flavour. Serve with a side salad or some nice bread.

 18 oz. fresh fettucine
 10 button mushrooms sliced
1 onion, finely sliced
Aproximately 3/4 cup pasta water
200g butter, cut in small cubes
200g grated Parmesan Cheese
Fresh parsley, chopped

Heat a little butter (teaspoon) in a wok or large frying pan. Lightly soften while you cook the fresh pasta for 2 minutes in boiling salted wtaer. Drain the pasta, reserving almost a cup of the water. Tip the water plus the rest of teh butter into the pan, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta & toss. Add the parmesan, and stir through until all melted & the pasta coated.  Scatter with parsley & serve immeadiately.

Brown Butter & Sage Chicken Spaghetti

I stumbled across this recipe, and had to try it! It is quite rich with butter, but so, so tasty. It really made up for last nights disaster (chicken tikka masala by Lorraine Pascale, did not like it!). This is quite a quick dinner to put together, and uses just a few ingredients. I have a lovely sage bush growing in my garden, so had fresh sage to hand. I would really recommend growing your own herbs, I just buy the potted herbs from the supermarket & plant them in the garden. This recipe serves 2 people, and would be lovely with some fresh garlic bread on the side.

2 chicken breasts, chopped
10 mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
5/6 fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons butter
Olive oil

Enough spaghetti for 2 people.

Heat some of the oil in a large frying pan, and cook the chicken until golden & cooked through. Remove from the pan & set aside.

Add a little more oil, and cook the onions & mushrooms until caramelised. This will take about 10-15 minutes on a medium heat. Stir occasionally. Remove from the pan & add to the cooked chicken. Halfway through this time, start cooking your spaghetti.

Melt all the butter in the frying pan, and add the sage leaves. Cook the foaming butter until the butter starts to brown, but not burnt. Add the drained pasta & mix through. Add the onion, mushrooms & chicken, heat through & serve in warm bowls.

Tuna Pasta Bake

One of the classics that my kids love! This is my store-cupboard meal than I can always rely on. Simple, quick & tasty - perfect for the kids tea on a busy evening! I served it with a green salad. Clean bowls all round!

Serves 4

400g pasta
Tablespoon cornflour
600ml milk
200g strong cheddar , grated plus an extra handful to scatter on top
2 x 160g cans tuna drained
Large handful frozen sweetcorn
Large handful frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Boil the pasta, but remove from the heat 2 minutes before the cooking time and drain.

In a saucepan, warm the milk & season. Mix the cheese with the cornflour & mix to coat. Add to the warming milk a bit at a time, letting it melt before adding more.

Pour the drained pasta into a baking dish. Add the tuna and then the sweetcorn & peas.  Pour over the sauce, and mix. Scatter the extra cheese on top before putting into the oven for about 15 minutes.

Tuna balls with pea & sweetcorn pasta

This is a lovely yet simple kid's dinner! I like it especially as it uses mostly store cupboard items. All my children love tuna, and this was something a bit different using it. A nice change from fish fingers.

Serves 4 children

200g can tuna in oil
85g fresh breadcrumbs
50g cheddar , finely grated
1 large egg , lightly beaten
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 tbsp sunflower or olive oil , for frying
100g small pasta shapes
a handful of frozen peas& sweetcorn
2 tablespoons creme fraiche

To make the tuna balls, tip the tuna and its oil into a large bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Add the beaten egg and chives, then season with a pinch of salt and stir again until everything is well mixed.
 Form into 12 balls the size of ping-pong balls, then chill until you're ready to cook. 
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, dropping in the peas & sweetcorn for the last couple of minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and fry the balls for 8-10 minutes, turning often, until they're golden brown. Drain them on kitchen paper and keep warm. 
Drain the pasta, return to the pan and add the creme fraiche. Heat gently for a minute, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Cheese and Ham Tagliatelle

I needed a quick & simple dinner for the children tonight, as my Wee Man had hit his head and only wanted Mummy cuddles for most of the evening :( He sat with his Dad long enough for me to whip this up for them. The Wee Man even managed a few bites himself! He preferred the ice-poles that we were using to bring down the swelling. If Id had time, i would have added fried mushrooms to this too.

Serves 2 (or 3 children)

6 dried tagliatelle nests
1 pint milk
Pinch nutmeg
2 large handfuls of grated cheddar
1/2 tablespoon cornflour
Half tub of cream cheese with chives (or add your own chives)
Seasoning
3 slices of ham, diced


Boil the pasta nests in salted water as per the packet instructions (8-12 minutes usually).

Warm the milk in a sauce pan, and add the pinch of nutmeg. Mix the cornflour with the cheese, then add to the milk a bit at a time, allowing all the cheese to melt before adding more. Once all the cheese has melted into the milk, season then add the cream cheese. Allow this to also melt. Add the chopped ham & stir.

Drain the pasta and divide between bowls. Pour over the sauce, twirl with a fork to combine the sauce a little with the tagliatelle, and serve.

Pasta Pesto Rosso

This recipe is based on the strozzapreti pesto rosso dish from Zizi's. Its a lovely creamy dish that goes well with a salad or crusty garlic bread. All the chikdren loved this, as did my husband. Red pesto is made with sun dried tomatoes, you can use a jar (like I did) or make your own (which I intend to try!). A very simple weekday dish that I intend to make again very soon.

Serves  4

4 chicken breasts, sliced
2 tb olive oil
1 tb lemon juice
1 ts Italian dried herbs
Half a garlic clove, crushed
4 spring onions, sliced
1 tb red pesto
2 tb creme fraiche
500g pasta
Fresh parsley to serve.

Mix 1 tb olive oil with the lemon juice, garlic & italian herbs, and coat the chicken with this mixture. Leave to marinade for 30 minutes.

Put the pasta on to cook, whilst heating the remaning olive oil in a pan. Brown the chicken, then add the spring onions. Stir fry for 1 minute then add the pesto & creme fraiche & reduce the pan heat to low.

When cooked al dente, drain the pasta reserving half a cupfull of the pasta water.  Add this water to the chicken & pesto mix. This will give your sauce a lovely silky texture (top pasta tip! always add some pasta water to creamy sauces). Add the pasta & mix gently, then serve with fresh parsley scattered on top.

Breadcrumb Pesto Spaghetti

I was watching old epsiodes of the River Cottage Everyday TV show, and saw Hugh make this dish -and I just had to make it! I had all the ingredients on hand (I grow my own herbs so had planty of fresh parsley) so could make it straight away. Big Bee doesnt like sausages, which everyone else was having, so I made this pasta for just the two of us. It took mere minutes to knock up! One of the quickest meals I have ever made :) It is tastier than the ingredients appear, definitely worth trying.

 60g coarse wholemeal or granary breadcrumbs
 Large bunch of parsley, leaves only
1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
150-200ml olive oil
50g Parmesan or matured hard goat's cheese, finely grated
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  

Toast the breadcrumbs in a small frying pan for a few minutes, until crisp and nutty, then leave to cool.

Put the parsley leaves and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (or chop them by hand, if you prefer). Transfer to a bowl and stir in enough oil to create a thinnish paste. Stir in the cheese and breadcrumbs, thin with a little more oil if you want, then adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

The breadcrumbs give this pesto a coarse, chunky texture.

Garlic Cream Fettuccine with Bacon & Mushrooms

 This is a dish from one my favourite cookbooks - The Takeaway Secret. It's cheap book, no pictures, but fantastic recipes if you love takeaways. I have tried many recipes from it, mostly Indian & Chinese, but decided to give other sections a go. Well, I am so glad I did! This was absolutely delicious, very rich & creamy. My husband, who is not great with praise, even said he loved it. I thin the whole thing took about 20 minutes or so to cook, so great for a quick dinner.It would be easy to make this vegetarian if you left out the bacon.

4 slices of smoked bacon, cut into thin strips
5 large chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon butter
150ml double cream
 150ml semi-skimmed milk, mixed with 1.5 teaspoon cornflour
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
200 g fettuccine pasta (uncooked weight)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and mushrooms and stir-fry for 6–7 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and chopped onion. Stir-fry for a further 1 minute. Add the butter, double cream, semi-skimmed milk and Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper and stir thoroughly. Cook for a further 3–4 minutes or until the sauce just starts to thicken. Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and the fettuccine pasta. Stir once and simmer for 5–6 minutes or until the pasta is just cooked. Drain the pasta through a sieve, reserving a little of the water. Add the pasta and remaining water to the frying pan and stir well until completely coated in the sauce.

Homemade Pesto

My first ever attempt at homemade pesto! Very tasty it was too - way better than jars of the stuff you can buy in supermarkets. I have been growing my own basil on my windowsill, so had plenty to use as it had really sprouted lately. This will keep in the fridge for a day or two, or cover with a layer of oil to keep for up to 4 days.

Large handful of basil leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
25g freshly grated parmesan
25g toasted pine nuts
1 crushed garlic clove

Blend all together in a food processor or with a hand blender.

Easy Cabonara

This is another recipe from the Lisa Faulkner cookbook I bought recently. The last recipe wasnt much of a success, but this one was a huge hit! Big Bee & Little Bee have both decided it is their favourite pasta dinner. I adapted it slightly, adding mushrooms, using bacon instead of pancetta and holding back on the parmesan. Still tasted amazing! It could easily be adapted for vegetarians by leaving out the bacon and adding lots more mushrooms/onions & veggie parmesan.

Ingredients (serves 2 adults & 3 kids)

300g dried spaghetti
50g butter
6 rashers of streaky bacon
8 mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500g cottage cheese
300ml single cream
parmesan, added to taste

Melt the butter in a large fryingpan, and fry the onion & mushrooms til softened. Add the garlic & the bacon and fry until the bacon is cooked.
Whilst this is cooking, put the spaghetti on to boil.
Add the cottage cheese to the onion/bacon mix, and stir unti melted. It will look a bit thin at this point, but that is ok. Add the cream, and simmer until the sauce is thicker (to your own liking). Add the drained spaghetti, and mix.

Saucy Sausage Pasta

I needed to use up a packet of sausages, so had alook at the Good Food website & found this recipe. Quick, simple and quite tasty. I used a big chunky pasta, and though the recipe said to use 500g pasta, this was way too much! I'd maybe use 350g next time. I also doubled the sauce quantities, and Im glad I did.  My pot of basil is growing quite happily on my windowsill, so that was very handy for this recipe! Fresh basil really brings out the flavours. Original recipe here.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 thick pork sausages , cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed
• 400ml medium white wine
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 350g pack rigatoni or penne
• handful basil leaves , torn, (optional)
• Parmesan , to serve

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pan (preferably not non-stick) and add the sausages. Fry for about 8 mins until golden and cooked through. Tip in the garlic and fry for 1 min. Pour in the white wine and boil until it has reduced by half.
2. Stir in the tomato purée and tomatoes, and season to taste. Simmer for 15 mins until the sauce is rich and thick.
3. While the sauce cooks, boil the pasta according to pack instructions and drain. Stir in the basil if using, and cooked pasta into the sauce, then serve in bowls with grated or shaved Parmesan.

15 minute Macaroni cheese!

This is my quick, easy cook meal I use on busy nights. Little Bee had a friend round for tea before they head out to Brownies, so it had to be something quick, tasty & something most kids like! The recipe amount is perfect for 3 children, so up the quantities if you need to feed more. I saw this cheese sauce method on Hestons cooking programme, though I have made it a bit simpler. He reckons that skipping the milk/butter/flour roux makes for a far tastier cheese sauce, and I agree. It really only takes about 15 minutes to make this dish, and the sauce is entirely homemade. You can jazz it up however you like, adding veg, bacon or sliced tomatoes on top. I sometimes add frozen peas & sweetcorn, or diced cooked ham.

Serves 3 children.

250g dried macaroni pasta
150g grated cheese
1/2 pint milk or cream
1 tablespoon cornflour
Pinch of mustard powder
Salt & pepper to season, if needed.

In one pan, bring the macaroni on to boil for 12 minutes (or per pack instructions). Meanwhile, mix the grated cheese in with the cornflour, and toss until all coated. Warm the milk (or cream) in a pan, and add a pinch of mustard powder. Dont let the milk bubble. Add the coated cheese a little bit at a time, until it is all melted into the milk. Try not to over stir! Drain the cooked pasta, tip into a casserole dish, and pour over the cheese sauce & mix. Add cheese to the top if you like, or sliced tomatoes/breadcrumbs/crushed crisps. Pop under the grill for a minute or two to crisp & melt the topping. Then serve!

Macaroni Peas

Well, I've had quite a gap in my postings! Life has been hectic & busy, but it's now the Easter holidays & 2 out of 3 children have gone away on trips. Time for me to catch up on my poor abandoned blog!

First up, I treated myself to the Riverside Cottage Veg Everyday cookbook, to try & encourage us to eat more vegetables. It's a brilliant book! I looked for an easy recipe to start with, but also one that I thought the children would enjoy. I came across this recipe for Macaroni Peas, which looked ideal. Even my vggie-loathing daughter ate this! My 4 year old son has named it Alien Pasta :) Its such a simple recipe really, that I think I will let my 11 year old make this for us next time. If you really do want some meat with your dinner, bacon or pancetta would go nicely in this dish.


500g of frozen petit pois (4 cups)
500g of dry macaroni (2 cups)
50g of butter ( 4 Tbs)
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
25g of Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated (1/2 cup) plus more for serving
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to serve

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions while you make the sauce.

Heat the butter in a small pan. Add the garlic and cook gently for a few minutes without colouring.

Put the peas in a separate pan, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer until just tender. This should only take a couple of minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Put half of the peas into a blender along with 6 Tbs of the cooking water, and the melted butter and garlic. Add the cheese. Blitz until you have a smooth and loose puree, adding a bit more of the pea cooking water if needed. Combine with the whole peas and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta as soon as it is ready and toss immediately with the hot pea sauce. Serve topped with a hearty grinding of black pepper, some more grated Parmesan and a garnish of chopped flat leaf parsley.

Veg packed lasagne with chorizo

This is just a made up recipe, I wanted to use up leftovers from the fridge! I like to get as many vegetables as I can into my dishes, and this has onion, celery, mushrooms, peppers & tomatoes in it. I had a 2 inch chuck of chorizo left too, so sliced that up thin & bunged it in the sauce along with the beef mince.

Minced Beef 450g
Tin of Tomatoes 400g
Mushrooms 100g
Chopped onion 1
Garlic 1 clove
Celery - 2sticks
Red pepper 1
Beef Stock 1/2 pint (300ml)
Butter 25g
Leftover chorizo, chopped small
Lasagne  1 Packet (dry or fresh)
FOR THE WHITE SAUCE
Milk 300ml
Butter 25g
Plain Flour 25g
Grated Cheddar 50g

Gnocchi & Bacon Bake

This is just a quick & easy recipe I put together myself. It's a winner with kids, and very filling. I served it alongside some bread rolls, but no-one could manage those!

1 pack fresh gnocchi
1 tin 400g chopped tomatoes
Half red onion diced
4 slices of bacon chopped
Splash balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Italian herbs (oregano, basil or whatever you have)
Cheese for topping
(I also added crispy onions & Panko breadcrumbs to the topping, but these are optional)

Fry the bacon until coloured in a little oil. Add the onion & soften. Tip in the tomatoes, balsamic & herbs, and simmer until sauce thickens. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi as per packet instructions. Drain the gnocchi, and add to a casserole/lasagne dish. Add teh sauce & stir through. Sprinkle on your toppings & cook in the oven at 200 c for about 25 minutes.

Chorizo Spaghetti - a quick & easy supper

This was a very tasty and a very, very quick dinner to make. It's one of those 5 minute meals that you chuck together but tastes divine! I made it for my husband & Dad this evening, and they literally licked their plates clean. I added a red onion to the recipe, which I just softened in the olive oil before the chorizo.

• 80g pack sliced chorizo sausage
• 300g bag fresh spaghetti
• 20g pack flatleaf parsley (a good handful)
• 2 red peppers from a jar, in brine or oil
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50g finely grated fresh parmesan , plus extra to serve 

1. Put a pan of water on over a high heat to boil. Meanwhile, snip the chorizo into strips with scissors, and chop the parsley and peppers (check for stray seeds first).
2. When the water is boiling briskly, add the spaghetti with a good measure of salt, stir and return to the boil. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. In a large frying pan, heat the oil, add the chorizo and peppers and plenty of black pepper. Cook for a minute or so, until heated through and the juices are stained red from the paprika in the chorizo. Scoop half a mugful of pasta water from the pan, drain the remainder and tip the spaghetti into the frying pan.
4. Add the parsley and parmesan, toss well and splash in the pasta water, to moisten. Hand round extra parmesan at the table.