WEEKEND EATS: PASTA

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 150g diced pancetta or smoked bacon lardons
• 4 courgettes, coarsely grated
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• handful freshly grated parmesan
• 1 small tub (200g) low-fat crème fraîche
• 300g tagliatelle

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and sizzle the pancetta or bacon for about 5 mins until starting to crisp. Turn up the heat and add the grated courgette to the pan. Cook for 5 mins or until soft and starting to brown then add the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Season and set aside.
2. Cook the tagliatelle according to the pack instructions and scoop out a cupful of cooking water. Drain the tagliatelle and tip into the frying pan with the bacon and courgette. Over a low heat toss everything together with the crème fraiche and half the Parmesan adding a splash of pasta water too if you need to loosen the sauce. Season to taste and serve twirled into bowls with the remaining Parmesan scattered over.

Ingredients

• 500g penne pasta
• 200g pot of houmous
• 1 avocado, roughly chopped
• 1 courgette, roughly chopped
• 200ml light coconut milk
• 100g defrosted frozen peas
• Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
• The leaves of 5-6 fresh mint sprigs
• Extra squeeze of lemon, lemon zest, black pepper, a few torn mint leaves and sea salt flakes, to serve

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions. Put a the houmous, avocado, courgette, coconut milk, peas, the finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon, the leaves of 5-6 fresh mint sprigs and plenty of salt and pepper in a blender. Whizz until completely smooth and bright green.
2. Once cooked, drain the pasta, return to the pan and toss with the avocado sauce over a medium heat until well coated (but don’t heat too much – think of it as a saucy pesto). Taste, then add an extra squeeze of lemon, if needed. Sprinkle over a little lemon zest, some black pepper, a few torn mint leaves and some sea salt flakes to serve.

Ingredients

• spaghetti 150g
• olive oil
• chorizo 100g, diced
• chilli flakes a pinch, optional
• garlic 1 clove, finely sliced
• cherry tomatoes 150g
• ciabatta ½ loaf, crust removed and pulsed to rough breadcrumbs
• rosemary sprigs 2, needles chopped

Method

• Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the chorizo. Cook until starting to crisp up then add the chilli flakes, garlic and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes just start to burst. Heat another tbsp oil in pan and add the breadcrumbs. Cook stirring until they become crisp and crunchy. Add the rosemary and stir through.
• STEP 2Drain the pasta and tip into the chorizo pan. Toss together then serve sprinkled with the rosemary pangritata.

Ingredients

• 150 g dried tagliatelle
• 3 higher-welfare sausages
• ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15g)
• 1 large free-range egg
• 30 g Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, squeeze the sausagemeat out of the skins, then, with wet hands, quickly shape into 18 even-sized balls.
3. Roll and coat them in black pepper, then cook in a non- stick frying pan on a medium heat with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil until golden and cooked through, tossing regularly, then turn the heat off.
4. Finely chop the parsley, stalks and all, beat it with the egg and a splash of pasta cooking water, then finely grate and mix in most of the Parmesan.
5. Toss the drained pasta into the sausage pan, pour in the egg mixture, and toss for 1 minute off the heat (the egg will gently cook in the residual heat).
6. Loosen with a good splash of reserved cooking water, season to perfection with sea salt and pepper, and finely grate over the remaining Parmesan.