Four quick and easy pasta recipes
There’s nothing quite as restorative as a bowl of pasta and these recipes are delicious and ready in minutes | VIDEO
Have you ever listened carefully to the sound of dried pasta being poured into a saucepan of boiling water? The Italians describe it as resembling a “schiaffo” or slap with an open hand, and I find the sound very satisfying.
There’s nothing quite as restorative as a bowl of pasta. It has always been one of my favourite meals, but it wasn’t until I started making fresh pasta by hand, as a way to curb my anxiety, that I really discovered its powers. The late MFK Fisher, arguably the world’s best food writer, once said, “No yoga exercise, no meditation in a chapel filled with music, will rid you of your blues better than the humble task of making your own bread.” For me, it is the act of making pasta – be it kneading the dough, or the comforting sound of dried rigatoni being tipped into bubbling water – that has healing powers beyond anything I can quantify.
Some other delicious recipes you may love:
- Elizabeth Hewson’s green pasta
- How to master homemade pasta
- Fresh pasta and a jammy roast tomato sauce
You should not judge fresh pasta as better than dried; they are just different. Similarly, some pasta shapes are better suited to what you are making. Dried pasta is the better for spaghetti vongole, as the finished texture gives a stronger bite against the oily sauce. Fresh pasta absorbs sauce more readily, so it’s suited to wet dishes.
It is common to cook too much pasta. Typically, you want to weigh out 80g dried pasta per person. This of course depends on the quality of the pasta and how hungry you and your guests are, so let your appetite guide you.
The four dishes featured here are united by the following elements: they are quick to prepare, easy to source, comforting to eat and perfect partners for your favourite dried pasta.
A few tips when cooking dried pasta. Like most ingredients, you want to start with the quality. Look for a slow dried, bronze extruded, durum wheat pasta; the texture and taste are incomparable to the mass-produced variety. Always use a large saucepan so the pasta has plenty of room to swim around, otherwise it may become claggy. Bring the water to a lively boil. The pandemonium of the boiling water keeps the pasta moving and prevents it from sticking, which is important as the pasta releases starch while it cooks. And season your water! I follow the Italians and make it “as salty as the sea”. Pasta tastes lifeless if cooked in under-salted water.
Having the sauce ready when your pasta is done is another vital step. Before I even start to chop the ingredients, I always put my pot of the water on the boil. As the great Marcella Hazan says, “There should be no pauses in sequences between draining, saucing, serving and eating.” Pasta waits for no one. Cooked pasta should not be allowed to sit, or it will turn into a clump. And always finish your pasta in the sauce; tossing your pasta through your sauce allows it to become one. A splash of pasta cooking water helps the sauce to come together and makes it silky. It’s liquid gold that transforms your dish to restaurant status.
RECIPE: Sausage and broccoli pasta
Broccoli and sausages are a match made in heaven. The milk in this dish ties it together, resulting in a creamy pasta that won’t leave you needing a lie down afterwards. If you can’t find Italian pork and fennel sausages, use pork sausages and throw in a teaspoon of fennel seeds when cooking them.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 300g pork and fennel sausages
- 150g broccoli, finely chopped
- 2 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 250ml full-fat milk
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- Handful of Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt
- Freshly cracked pepper
- Your favourite dried, short pasta, for four
Method
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a lively boil and season it as salty as the sea. Add the pasta and begin cooking. Heat oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium to high heat. Squeeze sausages out of their casings, in little nuggets, and fry until golden. Turn heat down to medium-low.
- Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to ensure garlic does not burn. Add milk, and use a wooden spoon to scrape all that sticky goodness off the bottom of the pan. When the milk is almost at a simmer, throw in the broccoli and give everything a good stir, along with a pinch of salt. Put lid on and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often to ensure the milk does not burn on the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and set aside until pasta is ready.
- When the pasta is al dente, reserve half a cup of cooking water and set aside, then fling the pasta directly into your sauce, along with butter, parmesan and lemon zest. Season with plenty of cracked pepper; taste. Give everything a forceful stir to bring it all together, adding a splash of cooking water if things need to be loosened up. Serve immediately with extra parmesan and cracked pepper, if desired. Serves 4
RECIPE: Anchovy and butter pasta
This would have to be the pasta dish I cook most often for myself. It’s quick to prepare, comes together with a few ingredients that I always have on hand, and is one of the best pasta dishes for anchovy lovers. I’m not going to even try to convince those of you who have an aversion to anchovies to try this dish (although you are missing out), as it puts them front and centre. I’ve made this to serve one, purely because it’s how I most often enjoy it (alone in heaven with a glass of wine), but simply double or triple it if you’ve got more anchovy lovers in your house. Breadcrumbs are optional but they do add a lovely crunch.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or you can use the oil from your anchovies)
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 40g butter
- 6 anchovies
- ½ garlic clove
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup baby spinach, finely chopped (you can substitute with parsley)
- Dried chilli flakes, to taste
- Dried spaghetti, for one
Method
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a lively boil and season as salty as the sea. Add the pasta and cook until molto al dente (which means very al dente, as we will be finishing the pasta in the sauce). Heat oil in small fry pan over a medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs and fry until golden; drain on paper towels and put aside. Wipe the pan clean, then place back on a low heat. Add butter and anchovies and gently melt, stirring frequently. Once melted, give it a good whisk around to bring the ingredients together. Keep the sauce on a very low heat until pasta is ready.
- Using tongs, throw the pasta dripping wet into anchovy sauce and give it a forceful stir. Using a microplane or zester, grate in garlic and lemon zest. Spin it around in the sauce. Add half a cup of your pasta cooking water along with spinach and dried chilli. Keep forcefully stirring the pasta around in the pan, adding more pasta water if needed. You’re after a lovely loose consistency. Turn off heat and serve immediately with your fried breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. Serves 1
RECIPE: Brothy pea and ham pasta
This one-pan dish sits between a warming bowl of soup and a comforting bowl of pasta. I love frozen peas, especially in the depths of winter. Their very existence makes me happy and their plump, bright little green bodies always make it seem warmer than it really is. You can make this dish vegetarian by simply using vegetable stock and omitting the pancetta. Feel free to use a thickly cut bacon if you can’t find pancetta.
Ingredients
- 120g pancetta (or bacon), cut into lardons
- 700ml good-quality chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 50g frozen peas
- Small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
- Parmigiano Reggiano, to serve
- Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 50g short, small, dried pasta for two (I like ditalini)
Method
- Place a small, deep-sided pan over a medium-low heat. Add pancetta or bacon and fry until golden; remove and set aside. Pour stock into the pan, increase heat and bring to the boil. Add pasta and cook according to packet instructions. At 3 minutes before the end of cooking time, throw in frozen peas. Cook for 1 more minute before turning the heat off. Stir in parsley and taste to season. Divide into two bowls and shower with parmesan. Serves 2
RECIPE: Tomato, olive and mozzarella risoni al forno
A bubbling, bronzed, cheesy pasta bake needs no introduction. It’s a bestseller in our house. The addition of olives and their brine gives a further dimension to the dish. I will often cook the pasta the night before (or in the morning), then come dinner time pull it out of the fridge, sprinkle over the toppings and chuck it in the oven for a super easy midweek dinner that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 1 red onion, very finely sliced (I use a mandoline to achieve this)
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 250g risoni or orzo pasta
- ½ cup olive brine
- 1 x 400ml can tomatoes
- 600ml boiling water
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, picked
- 50g pitted kalamata olives, sliced lengthways
- 150g mozzarella – half of it cut into 1cm cubes, the remainder finely chopped/grated
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
- ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs (or panko crumbs)
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C (fan forced) and oil a ceramic, ovenproof dish with a 2-litre capacity. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep sided, heavy pan. Add thinly sliced onion and garlic with salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until onion is very soft and sweet. (If you didn’t cut your onion very finely, you might need to cook it here for a further few minutes.)
- Add tomato paste and stir into onion mix. Cook for a further minute until a deep red, then throw in the pasta, giving everything a good stir to coat the pasta. Add olive brine and can of tomatoes. Rinse can with a splash of water and add that in too. Stir. Bring to a simmer, then add 600ml of boiling water, using a spoon to scrape off any pasta stuck to the bottom of your pan. Cook pasta for 2 minutes under what the packet recommends, usually about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally until it’s molto (very) al dente. You want your pasta to be a little underdone at this stage, as it will continue to cook in the oven.
- Pour pasta into the oiled dish and poke in the mozzarella cubes, olives and oregano. Using a spoon, smooth out the pasta. Finally, top with remaining grated/finely chopped mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano and then sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Drizzle over a little olive oil and place in the oven. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and leave to stand for five minutes before digging in. Serves 4
