Simple flavours for dry pasta?

pbryd

I've been buying packets of Batchelors Pasta for around 50p each and enjoying the variation of flavours.

Cooking plain pasta and flavouring it myself should save me money but I'm stumped for ideas. The big jars of sauces seem overkill for one meal.

Any ideas guys?

cityruss

Bacon, cream cheese, onions.

Tuna, mayo, sweetcorn.

Minced beef, onions, pepper, chopped tomatoes.

Peanut butter and strawberry jam.

Olive oil.

kommodevaran

I make Spaghetti bolognese or pasta shells with ricotta and peas for two days and refrigerate half. I also make "Pasta with ham and peas" and "Simple One-Skillet Chicken Alfredo Pasta" or scampi/tagliatelle for one day (google recipes, they abound). My own invention: Pasta with blue mussels and asparagus in cream cheese sauce. You can also make (lost in translation) "macaroni soup" - boil your choice of pasta shapes in milk, with sugar, pinch of salt, butter and cinnamon.

kindrabbit

I like Allioli, or pesto. If you like the stuff in big jars you could always put a portion into a sandwich bag or Tupperware and freeze it

MelanieCN77

Lemon and garlic, just garlic and a little parmesan. I've made a pasta salad before where you use jarred sun dried tomatoes and they are oily and give a nice coating and you can add a little basil and SP or whatever.

allthatgliitters

Tinned salmon, cream cheese, dill, peas and olives is amazing!

snowflake954

I live in Italy. I make pasta almost everyday. 2 simple recipes.

Aglio, olio, peperoncino (garlic,oil, and pepper flakes). Cook your pasta "al dente" which means a little hard, you don't want mushy pasta. I boil my pasta a few minutes less than it says on the package in salted water. When cooked, pour in colander, and then pour the pasta back in the cooking pan. While the pasta is cooking chop up some garlic, use some pepper flakes or use small fresh peppers, warm these up in a small pan with some EVOO. Quickly pour over the hot pasta and mix--salt to taste.

Pasta with butter-cook pasta as above. When cooked add cubed butter and Parmigiano Reggiano (grated). Add a little of the cooking water to make it creamier and mix.

I make simple recipes, nothing too complicated, but the ingredients have to be top quality. You'll also find that you have better luck with hard durum wheat pasta.

pbryd

Sundried tomatoes and I like the sound of feta cheese. I looked at Parmesan in the supermarket but you had to eat it in one week. No one can eat that much Parmesan in a week.

jgnatca

I cook for two so I understand your dilemma. The freezer is your friend. Go ahead and buy that big jar of tomato sauce and the Parmesan too. Save a little for dinner tonight and freeze the rest in ice cube trays. Once solidly frozen, pop the cubes in to a freezer bag. Presto Bango, individual portions to play with.

snowflake954

pbryd wrote: »

Sundried tomatoes and I like the sound of feta cheese. I looked at Parmesan in the supermarket but you had to eat it in one week. No one can eat that much Parmesan in a week.

I buy alot of Parmigiano Reggiano and grate it and keep it in the refrigerator--it keeps for weeks. However Reggiano is the good stuff, original cheese. It also has a totally different flavor than fake parmesean.

canadianlbs

onion, bacon, parsley, clams. if i were doing this still i would freeze the unused clams pre-divided into whatever quantity for a single meal.

butter and cracked pepper.

salmon and garlic.

AndOne8675

We love our pasta and sauce but I like to mix it up.
My family love noodles with lots of steamed veg and a little sesame oil, rice vinegar and liquid amino. I add salmon sometimes. They like it with ramen but never complain when I use whole wheat noodles.
Pasta and a little pasta water with nutritional yeast, garlic, salt and pepper...a vegan friend told me about this. So good.
Add noodles to a spicy broth with green onion, peas, garlic...whatever veg. Maybe crack an egg and swirl it around.

Someone mentioned ice cubes to portion. Do it! All the sauce and broth.

Walkywalkerson

A splash of garlic or chilli oil with steamed veggies and parmesan or
Loads of veggies and pesto

MarkaStone

You can get Tuna or Mackerel flakes in a tin with a sauce, break the chunks up and pour them & the sauce onto the pasta. Works great and just right for 1 person

fishshark

pesto l, splash of cream, parm.

CipherZero

Barest drizzle of olive oil and minced fresh basil.

rainbowbow

I like to make a version of this, but with way way way less oil. It is great because you can adjust it for individual portions all the way up to huge family meals.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/capellini-with-tomatoes-and-basil-recipe.html#lightbox-recipe-video

GottaBurnEmAll

snowflake954 wrote: »

I live in Italy. I make pasta almost everyday. 2 simple recipes.

Aglio, olio, peperoncino (garlic,oil, and pepper flakes). Cook your pasta "al dente" which means a little hard, you don't want mushy pasta. I boil my pasta a few minutes less than it says on the package in salted water. When cooked, pour in colander, and then pour the pasta back in the cooking pan. While the pasta is cooking chop up some garlic, use some pepper flakes or use small fresh peppers, warm these up in a small pan with some EVOO. Quickly pour over the hot pasta and mix--salt to taste.

Pasta with butter-cook pasta as above. When cooked add cubed butter and Parmigiano Reggiano (grated). Add a little of the cooking water to make it creamier and mix.

I make simple recipes, nothing too complicated, but the ingredients have to be top quality. You'll also find that you have better luck with hard durum wheat pasta.

^This. This is what my grandmother taught me and what I still do. Except with sad gluten free pasta.

federicafezza4271

I am Italian and live in Italy, so I know basically every pasta recipe. an easy one that I recommend because has some protein is pasta with tuna and tomato sauce.
1) take a piece of garlic and let it become golden with a bit of olive oil. (you can also add a bit of water to the oil if you want to use little as I do. it's not "grandma style" but it works)
2) add tomato sauce, canned tuna and salt to taste
3) allow it to cook, canned tomato sauce is raw and you can tell that it is cooked when it has changed color a bit, from bright red to slightly more "orange-red"... this takes 10-15 minutes if you make 1 portion but the time increases if the pot is bigger.
4) mix this with your pasta and enjoy!

P.S.: fish pasta is not supposed to be topped with parmesan cheese. If you like it, it's not forbidden, but remember it's frowned upon

vingogly

Aglio e olio is a great simple choice - get yourself some good quality olive oil. I like it this way occasionally with some chopped sun dried tomatoes reconstituted, some small peas, or an anchovy fillet minced. Capers are also a nice addition, as are garden vegetables, or reconstituted good flavored wild mushrooms with sautéed fresh mushrooms.

Getting away from European ingredients - there's a Thai style peanut sauce (peanut butter, soy, fresh ginger, some chopped scallions). Or eat them cold Japanese style with a sesame dipping sauce (best IMO with soba - buckwheat noodles).

Regarding tomato sauce -- I'll get the smallest jar of a good quality sauce, and refrigerate it. It will keep for a week or more that way.

snowflake954

federicafezza4271 wrote: »

I am Italian and live in Italy, so I know basically every pasta recipe. an easy one that I recommend because has some protein is pasta with tuna and tomato sauce.
1) take a piece of garlic and let it become golden with a bit of olive oil. (you can also add a bit of water to the oil if you want to use little as I do. it's not "grandma style" but it works)
2) add tomato sauce, canned tuna and salt to taste
3) allow it to cook, canned tomato sauce is raw and you can tell that it is cooked when it has changed color a bit, from bright red to slightly more "orange-red"... this takes 10-15 minutes if you make 1 portion but the time increases if the pot is bigger.
4) mix this with your pasta and enjoy!

P.S.: fish pasta is not supposed to be topped with parmesan cheese. If you like it, it's not forbidden, but remember it's frowned upon

I'll share my tuna fish and green olive recipe--a favorite of my 3 sons.

I buy Riomare tuna packed in olive oil
In a small heavy saucepan, open can of tuna and press oil into pan.
Chop green olives without pits into big pieces or rings (my olives are salty-Sacla' is the brand) and add to oil.
Chop a little garlic real fine, or use powder. Add this to the olive mixture with pepper flakes and a little pepper.
When it starts to simmer I add alittle of the olive water.
When it simmers again turn off the heat and let sit 5-10 min. Add tuna. I like the tuna just a little warm, not cooked.
Cook hard durum grain pasta al dent (that means still a little hard, not mushy), drain in colander, put back in pot and add tuna mixture + fresh basil leaves, if you've got them--mix and serve immediately.

I make this at least once a week.

kenyonhaff

My son and I did a gardening and cooking program at the local library one summer. Basically every other dish was: pick some greens. Cook in a little olive oil. Add grated Parmesian and garlic. Serve over pasta. But it worked!

AmandaDanceMore

My go to comfort food, easy pasta is a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, maybe some sort of herbs or seasoning, peas (peas and pasta is my favorite combo for some reason), and some Parmesan. Some times I'll add a dash of balsamic vinegar. You can add your protein of choice.