There are dozens of things you can do to serve it up with a different taste – here’s just a few quick and easy different ways with pasta. Have you got any favourites that you’d like to add? Leave it in the comments below!
Different Ways with Pasta
Serve it as a side, a main meal, or even as a sweet. It can be hot or cold, vegetarian or not. There are loads of different ways with pasta – here are just a few ideas.
- Different Ways with Pasta
- Chicken Pasta Shells
- Method
- Tuna Crunch Pasta Bake
- Other meal-time recipes to try:
Cost: The staple food of Italy, it’s one of the cheapest ingredients in the store cupboard.
Money Saving: It’s also good for using up anything that’s looking past it’s best! Just be inventive and chuck it all in the pot – you might discover a taste sensation!
Tip: Keep an eye out for meat and vegetables on the reduced shelf, or use tinned/frozen, to reduce the cost of the ingredients.
Another Tip: Buy the cheapest own-brand pasta. It tastes just the same except it’s a fraction of the price!
Chicken Pasta Shells
Thanks to our friends at Trevors Foodservice for this recipe. They’ve made it with their Country Range ingredients.
- 200g Country Range Sweetcorn
- 100g Country Range Pasta Shells
- 50g broccoli, cut into small pieces
- 25g Country Range Sundried Tomatoes (optional)
- 500g Country Range Chicken Breast Fillet, cut into thin strips
- 50g grated cheese
- Salt and pepper
Method
1. Place the pasta in boiling salted water with an optional splash of olive oil and cook for 10-15 minutes.
2. Place a hot pan onto the stove with a splash of olive oil and add the sweetcorn to roast until golden brown (approx. 4-5 minutes).
3. Add the chicken strips and cook for 8-10 minutes along with the raw broccoli.
4. Drain the pasta, keeping some of the water. Add the pasta to the chicken and sweetcorn and mix for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add half a mug of the pasta water and bring to the boil. Check the seasoning then add the sundried tomatoes.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and serve (remove/substitute cheese and chicken for a vegan option)
Chicken, Cheese & Sweetcorn Pasta
Here’s another recipe from our friends at Trevor’s, also using their Country Range ingredients. You can use any supermarket produce too.
- 200g Country Range Sweetcorn
- 100g Country Range Pasta Shells
- 50g broccoli, cut into small pieces
- 25g Country Range Sundried Tomatoes (optional)
- 500g Country Range Chicken Breast Fillet, cut into thin strips
- 50g grated cheeseÂ
- salt and pepper
Method
1. Place the pasta in boiling salted water with a splash of olive oil and cook for 10-15 minutes.
2. Place a hot pan onto the stove with another splash of olive oil. Add the sweetcorn to roast until golden brown (approx. 4-5 minutes).
3. Then add the chicken strips and cook for 8-10 minutes, then the raw broccoli.
4. Drain the pasta, keeping some of the water. Add the pasta to the chicken and sweetcorn and mix for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add half a mug of the pasta water and bring to the boil. Check the seasoning then add the sundried tomatoes.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and serve. You can remove the cheese and chicken for a vegan option.
Tuna Crunch Pasta Bake
A few weeks ago we stumbled upon a Facebook page called ‘Feed your Family for £20 a Week‘. It’s packed full of easy to make, normal meal ideas and we’ll be giving loads of them a try!
Here’s one of them for a dead-easy bit of a twist on a pasta bake. You could adapt this in loads of ways – what have you done with it? Leave us a comment below.
- Boil some pasta in a pan in vegetable stock – as much pasta as you need for your size of family. Drain and put in a baking tray.
- Add a tin or two of tuna – to taste and again depending on how many you’re feeding.
- Add a sprinkling of frozen peas.
- In a pan make a white sauce. Do this by melting 2 oz of butter then and adding 2oz of flour to make a paste. Gradually add a pint of milk, stirring until it boils, then thickens and the flour cooks – it only takes a couple or three minutes so don’t leave it. You’re supposed to use plain flour but mine’s always been fine with self raising! You can add anything you want to at this stage – black pepper is an essential in our house. Add anything you want – some chopped dried parsley, dill, mustard (powder and sauce both work). Or leave it just plain.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta and tuna in the tray, then top with breadcrumbs and cheese. On the Facebook page people also suggested adding crisps to the topping for an extra added crunch.
- Bake in a hot oven for about 30 mins.
Other meal-time recipes to try:
- Corned beef hash
- Homemade Shepherd’s Pie
- Meat and Potato Pie
- Quick, sticky roast vegetables in a pan
- Yorkshire fishcakes
Why don’t you check out Trevors Foodservice – it’s the large, back-stage business that’s quietly feeding the Fylde Coast! They’re Blackpool’s number one wholesaler of chilled, frozen and ambient foods. And also sell cleaning materials, catering disposables and equipment.
The family firm was first established in Blackpool in 1962. It sells branded products and their Country Range, specially made for the 12-member buying group which Trevors is part of.
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