Help! What do I do with this pasta? Seek simple recipes

[sconscun]

Okay, so I'm a crap cook ... and I rarely eat pasta! But I now have an extra mouth to feed: my elderly Mum had moved in with my husband & I to keep her safe. So we bought in pasta, tinned tomatoes, cheese, etc to ensure we'd have enough food in if we couldn't get to the shops. But, well, I never cook pasta ... so I'm looking for simple but tasty recipes. Please share your tips for pasta bakes, pasta side dishes, etc

Pasta with cheese sauce is very easy

Have a look at Nagi's stuff. I came across her on Facebook. Search for recipetin.

My best tip for cooking pasta is to use a big pan. You want there to be plenty of water for it to move around in.
A simple pasta dish I like to cook is a bake. Cook pasta as instructed on packet (usually about 12 mins). In a frying pan fry a chopped onion with a couple of cloves of garlic, some sliced mushrooms and peppers. Add a can of kidney beans and a can of chopped tomatoes with some Italian herbs, a good glug of balsamic vinegar and season well. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes then mix with the cooked pasta and pour into oven proof dish.
Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs then bake for 20 mins.
You can sub any veg you like and add bacon, chicken or chopped sausages if you want to include meat.

You’re welcome to join this thread where we discuss lots of easy/using up/leftover recipes and inspiration and I’m sure you’d get loads of good suggestions from people there:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3857078-Food-thread-Favourite-leftover-dishes-avoiding-waste-menu-ideas

You could definitely make a delicious pasta cheese bake. I like to add bacon or mustard or jalapeños (or all three 😋 ).

I like pasta with tomato sauces and chicken or tinned tuna when I’m trying to stretch food/save money.

Pasta with creamed tuna is also nice.

Or there’s the failsafe bolognese sauce!

I like Jamie Oliver’s recipes, they are usually quite easy to follow and quite tasty.

Put fresh tomatoes and chunks of red/yellow peppers in oven to roast, cook pasta as per instructions on pack, drain, drizzle with olive oil, add cracked black pepper and a little salt, stir roasted veg into it, grate parmesan on top (or other hard cheese if veggie).

Eat.

Takes very little effort for maximum taste.

The can't fail method is to but a little of pot of Italian herbs from the spice section of the supermarket. Fry up some onions, add and fry your choice of meat, add tin of tomatoes and choice of vegetables, stir in a teaspoon of Italian herbs (and maybe some salt & pepper to taste) and then leave to gently simmer while you boil the pasta.

Do you like courgettes?

Dice an onion, chop a couple of cloves garlic, dice a couple of courgettes (remove the seeds), finely chop a red chilli or two. Fry in butter until just soft - you still want some bite. Eat with pasta and a shedload of parmesan.

Ask your Mum what to do, it will cheer her up to be teaching you something!

Chopped tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, garlic, dash of balsamic or worcestershire sauce and an OXO makes a basic pasta sauce. Serve with grated cheese on top and you can add most meats. Beef and bacon work best. You can add other veggies like peppers, onions, mushrooms.

It depends on what else you have but pasta is my go to quick dinner.
Pasta carbonara if you have bacon, eggs and cheese.
I also make a sauce with mushrooms, courgettes, leeks and creme fraiche with pesto stirred through the pasta first and then the creamy vegetable mix.

I make Nigella's pasta al forno a lot when I want lasagne but can't be bothered to make it. A ragu a la bolognese is a great item to make a vat of and stash in the freezer. It's a faff with the beef and pork mince, pancetta, soffrito, beef stock and tomato paste but making loads means that you can have a pasta bake or lasagne on the table fairly quickly after work.