Very easy, healthy pasta dishes teens can cook

[MyfriendArchie]

I’m looking for some very easy to cook yet still healthy(ish) pasta dishes my teens can rustle up for when I am at work and they need to feed themselves.
Meat and veggie ones (ds is a vegetarian) would be great.

Fry off some cherry tomatoes with a bit of garlic, black pepper, salt and basil.
Cam get adventurous and add a selection of onion, bell pepper, zucchini, chorizo, frozen prawns... a swirl of cream. Grated cheese on top.

For easy sauces - red pesto and mascarpone 1:2 or green pesto with crème fraiche. Another favourite of ours is Cajun spice and mascarpone.
Add in various vegetables (spinach works well with all of these) and/or chicken/chorizo etc.

Put pasta on to cook.
Fry onion, peppers, mushrooms (or any other veg of choice)
Add garlic. Add chopped tomatoes, oregano, a good splash of balsamic vinegar and a can of chopped tomatoes. Season well and add to pasta.

Cook pasta.
Make basic tomato sauce ( as above) switch mushrooms out for sweetcorn and tin of tuna.

Cook pasta, five minutes before ready throw in handful of frozen peas. Drain. Add cream cheese, squeeze of lemon juice (optional), lots of black pepper and chopped smoked salmon.

Cook pasta. Fry mushrooms and red onion. Crumble in a soft blue cheese and add to pasta.

Forgot the most simple! Cook pasta. Drain, reserving a bit of pasta water. In the same pan melt a good knob of butter and a tablespoon of marmite. Add pasta back to pan and coat with the marmite butter, let it down a little with a splash of pasta water if required. Top with cheese.

Marmite pasta?! 😮 😋 .....runs to kitchen ...

I leave batch cooked spag bol and then all they have to do is cook pasta.
Bags of frozen soffito from waitrose are handy to shove into a basic sauce.

Simply Cook penne pasta with chorizo, I'm sure it has instructions or ideas for making it vegetarian, my Ds loves making it and he is not confident in the kitchen!

Spinach and ricotta tortellini with cream and mushrooms with garlic is super easy. Just fry up some mushrooms and add the double cream and garlic and stir through the cooked pasta. You can also add spinach to the sauce.

Marmite pasta is food of the gods!

Roast some chunky chopped onions and peppers. Cook pasta. Stir together with pesto (red or green) and parmesan. A bit of creme fraiche if want it 'saucier'. Spinach just stirred in to wilt, if desired.

Dice onion and courgettes. Finely chop a red chilli. Fry the onion in butter on a low heat. Add courgettes and chilli and cook until just softened but still with a bit of bite. Add to pasta, with parmesan.

Fry onions and garlic. Add mushrooms and fry some more. Splash of white wine and some single cream. Spinach. Parmesan.

And I know parmesan isn't veggie, but there are veggie alternatives, so no need for the Food Police to bite.

Big roasting tin with olive oil and chunky onion, couple of peppers, whole garlic cloves and if they like them courgette and mushrooms. Roast for 40 mins. Add cherry tomatoes near the end, mixed herbs salt and pepper.

Add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes and a jar of passata and a teaspoon of sugar. Cook for another 15/20 mins. I like use the hand blender to lightly blitz a few of the veg but still leave some chunky bits.

Cook large pan of pasta shapes (I use a whole 500g pack) and add to roasting tin along with half a cup of the pasta water and some olives. Top with cheese (mozzarella and parmesan is best) and bake high for another 10/15 mins.

Just 2 pans - no frying needed and this will serve at least 6.

This is a fab thread.

Thanks for all the fab ideas. I will get the kids trying these out this weekend.

Creamy tomato & pancetta pasta

www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/bacon-recipes/creamy-tomato-pancetta-conchiglie

It cooks in one pan. Very easy and tasty.

Fry off some onion, then add chopped bacon and cherry tomatoes. When cooked stir in some blue cheese. Spoon over pasta.

Tuna mayo chopped onion ( optional) sweetcorn

Cook pasta.

Add the tuna mix

Simple. Fast. Easy. Healthy.

@Bagelsandbrie

Spinach and ricotta tortellini with cream and mushrooms with garlic is super easy. Just fry up some mushrooms and add the double cream and garlic and stir through the cooked pasta. You can also add spinach to the sauce.

This is a big fave in our house with a couple of laughing cow triangles melted through.

Cook pasta And cheese

This is lovely and even a hit with my tuna pasta bake hating dh

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/buddy-s-tuna-pasta/

This is also lovely. I'm cooking it on Good Friday

www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/quick-and-easy/prawn-spaghetti-with-tomato-chilli-and-basil/

Roast veg (buy the pre prepared packs if you must 😉), pesto pasta and feta/cheddar/ cheese of choice. So easy!

Sardine pasta...fry off an onion and some garlic in the oil from a tin of sardines. Add some green veg (spinach or kale works well, or green beans) then the sardines, a few capers and sultanas. Add some lemon juice at the end and stir through spaghetti. It's bloody lovely and you can chuck in whatever you fancy within reason.

When I was a teenager I used to do pasta with butter (or marg!) and S&P and lots of grated cheddar on top. Beige and delicious!

You've already had lots of good recipes and ideas.

I always keep a packet of tortellini around. Lidl & asda sell a version in a packet which doesn't need refrigeration and can be kept in the cupboard for months. I find it more filling than just plain pasta- and you can get way with a spoon of pesto for flavour.

I sometimes pimp up a jar of regular pasta sauce- adding in extra mushrooms, onions, garlic, anchovies or whatever I have on hand.

Pasta Primavera, cook in a saucepan with a knob of butter and a very small amount of water any mix of green vegetables, eg chopped asparagus, green beans, peas & broccoli. Keep the pan lid on so the vegetables steam gently. Meanwhile cook the pasta. When the pasta is done, drain and tip the vegetables into the pasta and serve.

For simplicity, you could cook the vegetables in the microwave, or use a pack of frozen mixed vegetables.

Tomato & mozzarella pasta, put pasta on to cook, meanwhile chop up a tub of soft sun dried tomatoes in olive oil and a ball of mozzarella cheese, crush a garlic clove or two.

Drain the cooked pasta, stir in the tomatoes including the oil, and the garlic & mozzarella, you can also add some pesto or chopped spring onions if liked. Serve.

Cook some fresh filled tortellini, drain and return to the pan, add a couple of slices of a soft herb cheese such as Boursin, and a spoon or two of cream or creme fraiche. Warm gently together till the cheese melts, then serve.

Finely slice an onion and add to a pan with a little butter. CHop a couple of rashers of bacon into small pieces and add to pan. Grate a couple of medium courgettes and add to pan. Boil spaghetti. Drain reserving a little water. Add to pan with water and one beaten egg. TUrn off heat and stir until sauce is smooth. Serve with loads of parmesan and black pepper.
YOu can leave out the bacon if you do leave out the bacon add a teaspoon of marmite with the pasta and water.

ANother one

Put pasta on to boil. In a separate pan add head of broccoli chopped up small. Whislt both are cooking open a tin of anchovies and chop the fillets finely with a pair of scissors. WHen broccoli is cooked drain and chop really finely. Drain pasta and add broccoli, chopped anchovies and oil from the tin. Stir.
You can replace anchovies with capers.

and leave out the bacon in the first. If you leave out the bacon add a teaspoon of marmite with the pasta and water in the first recipe.

@AtleastitsnotMonday

Forgot the most simple! Cook pasta. Drain, reserving a bit of pasta water. In the same pan melt a good knob of butter and a tablespoon of marmite. Add pasta back to pan and coat with the marmite butter, let it down a little with a splash of pasta water if required. Top with cheese.

I tried this yesterday as I had nothing in the fridge. I like Marmite but the pasta was quite an acquired taste. Possibly not helped by only having Parmesan and it needed a lot of Parmesan to offset the strong taste of the Marmite, though I'd only used half a teaspoon.

All in all, I felt a bit queasy afterwards so don't think I'll be repeating but it was a novel recipe which I enjoyed trying so thank you.