Recipe Ideas For Pasta As We LOVE Pasta

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7

Put the courgettes and red pepper in a roasting tin and sprinkle over the sliced garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, then season and toss to make sure all the vegetables are coated with oil

Roast for 15-20 minutes until the vegtables are tender and beginning to brown

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 10-12 minutes until just cooked. Drain and stir in the roasted vegetables with the crme frache, mustard and grated cheddar

or Lemon Pasta with Herbs and Cracked Pepper

1 lb (450 g) dried pasta

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 level tablespoons fresh lemon zest, plus a little extra to sprinkle at the end

12 whole peppercorns, lightly crushed in a pestle and mortar

1oz (40 g) fresh basil

1 oz (25 g) fresh mint

2 oz (50 g) fresh rocket leaves

6 spring onions, trimmed

2 cloves garlic, peeled

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

Begin by heating four pasta bowls ready for serving. Then, in a large saucepan, heat up 8 pints (4.7 litres) water with 1 level tablespoon sea salt and bring it up to a good, fierce boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and stir once, then let it boil briskly for 10 minutes

All that happens now is that while the pasta is cooking, the rest of the ingredients are piled into a processor with a teaspoon of salt, then one big whiz till the herbs are chopped and that it. Now drain the pasta and return it quickly to the saucepan with the sauce and toss the two together. Serve in the warm bowls with a little extra zest sprinkled over each one

or Mushroom and asparagus pasta

500g/1lb2oz fresh pasta shells

225g/8oz asparagus, cut into

5cm/3in lengths

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped

350g/12oz closed cup mushrooms, sliced

4 tbsp vegetable stock

freshly milled black pepper

2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

150g/5oz half-fat cheddar cheese, finely grated

Cook pasta according to the instructions on the pack

Meanwhile cook asparagus stems in boiling water for 2 minutes

Add the asparagus tips and cook for a further minute. Drain

Heat the oil and cook the garlic and mushrooms for 1 minute, stirring

Add vegetable stock, black pepper and thyme. Cover and cook for 2 minutes

Add asparagus and heat gently. Fold in the cooked, drained pasta and most of the cheese

Serve immediately with the remaining cheese sprinkled on top

or Penne with Leeks and Bacon

12 oz (350g) penne or macaroni

3 small leeks, cleaned and chopped

6 oz (175 g) streaky bacon, de-rinded and chopped

olive oil

2 oz (50 g) butter

For the sauce:

2 oz (50 g) butter

2 oz (50 g) plain flour

1 pints (850 ml) milk

6 oz (175 g) Cheddar cheese, grated

3 fl oz (75 ml) double cream

freshly grated nutmeg

salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the topping:

2 level tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

1 level tablespoon breadcrumbs

2 pinches cayenne pepper

Start by bringing a large saucepan of water to simmering point, add some salt, a few drops of olive oil and the pasta, then bring back to the boil and cook for 10 minutes exactly. Then turn the pasta into a colander and, to prevent it cooking any further, rinse it under the cold tap. While the pasta's cooking, melt the butter in a pan and soften the leeks and bacon over a low heat and, in another pan, make the white sauce with the butter, flour and milk and leave it to simmer very gently

Now turn the pasta, leeks and bacon into the prepared pie dish and mix them well together. Next stir the grated cheese into the sauce, season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg and, finally, add the cream. Then pour the sauce over the ingredients in the pie dish, sprinkle the top with the Parmesan, breadcrumbs and cayenne pepper

This is a dish which can be prepared well beforehand then, when it's needed, put into an oven pre-heated to gas mark 4, 350 (180) for 30-40 minutes till the top is nicely browned and the sauce bubbling