All about Pasta

 

All about Pasta

 

Pasta is one of the best dishes for any student to learn as there are many different recipes and variations that can be made.  Pasta also keeps relatively well meaning it is a great meal to cook in bulk and then keep for the rest of the week.  The recipe that I have cooked this week is a simple tomato pasta sauce with added meatballs.  I find this tomato sauce to be a great beginner sauce as it is quick and easy to cook but can be easily expanded to cook other dishes as desired. 

 

 

An advantage of this recipe is that on its own it is vegan however additional ingredients such as meatballs or sausage mince can be added at a later stage making it the perfect dish if you are cooking for others with a mix of diets.  Once you have given the recipe a try, have a look for more pasta recipes and let me know what you cook!

 

The cost for the ingredients was around £4 (not including cost of meatballs) meaning that it is only around a pound a portion!  I got my ingredients from Lidl as they have the value for money for tinned goods as well as fresh vegetables.

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 large white onion (chopped) 

• 3 cloves garlic (crushed) 

• 2 tins chopped tomatoes 

• 1 tsp salt 

• 1 tsp sugar 

• ½ tsp oregano 

• 1 ½ tsp tomato puree 

• 24 meatballs (optional) 

• ½ glass red wine (optional) 

• 400g pasta (spaghetti, penne, etc.) 

• Parmesan (for serving) 

• Fresh basil (for serving) 

 

Method: 

1. Fry the meatballs in a large pan until browned. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a separate dish

2. In the same pan, fry the chopped onion and crushed garlic for about 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown and soften. 

3. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, salt, sugar, oregano, wine, and tomato puree. Let the sauce simmer for 7-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional seasoning if preferred.

4. While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain when done. 

5. Add the cooked meatballs back into the sauce, and let them simmer for a few more minutes until they are heated through. 

6. Add the cooked pasta into the sauce, ensuring it’s well coated. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and a sprinkle of basil leaves.