We can all do with some mid-week meal inspo from time-to-time. Well Kate to the rescue! These three super easy pasta recipes have minimal ingredients and preparation, but boy do that pack a flavour punch.
"Incredible" declared Gen's 10 year old son about the creamy bacon, broccoli and mushroom macaroni. Her 12 year old was too busy whoofing it down and couldn't talk. But actions speak louder than words, don't they?
The roasted garlic pumpkin pasta - using the incredible Oaky Creek garlic salt, looks super fancy, but totally isn't.
Grab all the key ingredients in our handy recipe bundles.
Garlic roasted pumpkin with spinach & feta
Serves 4
Ingredients
500g x Kalfresh diced pumpkin
1 tablespoon Oaky Creek Farm garlic & rosemary salt
75g Scenic Rim 4Real Feta
60g Riverdale Herbs baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons The Pickling Project Pesto - we used rocket and walnut but you could also use any of the varieties
400g pappardelle or pasta of your choice
Olive oil
Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees fan forced.
In a bowl, drizzle diced pumpkin with olive oil and garlic salt. Mix to coat well.
Line baking tray and spread pumpkin mixture evenly on a single layer.
Cook in hot oven until tender and golden.
Cook pasta according to instructions.
Towards the end of the pasta cooking time, add two tablespoons of pasta water to pesto in a separate bowl to create a sauce.
Drain pasta and return to pan.
Gently stir through pesto sauce, spinach, and roast pumpkin.
Divide into bowls and top with crumbled feta, cracked pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Add a squeeze of lime or lemon to taste if you have one.
Serve immediately.
Creamy Broccoli Bacon & Mushroom Pasta
Servies 4-6
Ingredients
200g mushrooms, diced
1 spring onion, sliced
1 large head broccoli, florets removed (or can substitute english spinach, baby spinach or silverbeet)
3 bacon rashers, rind removed and remainder sliced thinly
200ml chicken stock
500ml cream (or can substitute with 1 can of Carnation evaporated milk)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 500g packet macaroni or pasta of your choice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Grated cheese to serve (optional)
Method
Render the bacon rind in a heavy based saucepan. Remove rind and add sliced bacon, spring onions and mushrooms to the pan. Saute for 3-4 minutes until slightly browned. Season with pepper to taste.
Add stock, mustard and cream and reduce heat.
Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
While sauce is simmering, cook pasta according to packet instructions and add broccoli florets to the boiling water for the last minute or two.
Strain pasta and broccoli and return to saucepan. Add bacon, mushroom sauce and stir gently through.
Note: if substituting other greens for broccoli, just stir through at end with sauce, rather than adding to boiling water.
Mediterranean Style Pasta - salami, olive, tomato, mini capsicum
Servies 4
Ingredients
100g Milano Salami, sliced (or a milder selection of you prefer)
4 x Oh Sweet Baby mini capsicums sliced
1 x punnet Passionate Farmer organic snacking tomatoes
100g Rathlogan Grove kalamata olives - pitted
2 tablespoons The Pickling Project Spicy Bruschetta Mix
400g spaghetti or pasta of your choice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Grated cheese to serve (optional)
Method
Warm salami, mini capsicums and tomatoes in a splash of olive oil in a shallow frypan on a low to medium heat. You just want to soften the capsicum and tomatoes, so they're not raw, but you don't want them mushy.
Cook pasta according to instructions.
Towards the end of the pasta cooking time, add two tablespoons of pasta water to bruschetta mix in a separate bowl to create a sauce.
Drain pasta and return to pan.
Gently stir through bruschetta sauce and salami, tomato and capsicum mix, and add olives.
Serve immediately.
