Hummus Pasta

Hummus Pasta

This can be served warm or cold, as a fragrant pasta salad.

250g dried pasta (I used Cavatappi)
30ml olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 handfuls of baby spinach
250ml hummus
the juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
a handful of small basil leaves

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Reserve about a cup of the cooking water.
Add the olive oil to a large saucepan and cook the onion over medium-high heat until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute.
Now add the spinach and stir-fry for another minute.
Turn the heat down slightly and add the hummus.
Slowly add the cooking water of the pasta while stirring constantly. Stop adding water once it is of a consistency that will cover the pasta and still stick to it.
Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat with the sauce.
Squeeze over the lemon juice and grate the lemon over the pasta.
Taste and season with salt.

Serve the hummus pasta with grated parmesan cheese and a scattering of basil leaves.


Broccoli Pasta

Broccoli Pasta

This recipe is easy, quick and really big on flavour. The recipe will feed 8 hungry adults.

500g dried pasta
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
a handful of parsley
a handful of basil
2 heads of broccoli ( I know it sounds like you are about to feed an army!!!)
5ml salt
2,5ml black pepper
1 stock cube
250g cream cheese
30ml lemon juice

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.
Cut the broccoli florets from the stems and add them to the pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking time.
Reserve 250ml of the pasta water before draining the pasta and the broccoli florets. Keep aside.
Chop the broccoli stems and add them to a large saucepan with a good dash of vegetable oil.
Turn the heat on to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft.
Add the 250ml pasta water and the stock cube and cook until the broccoli stems are soft.
Take the saucepan off the heat and pour the mixture into a liquidiser.
Add the parsley and basil and blitz. You are aiming to have a chunky, very thick sauce.
Pour this sauce back into the saucepan, add the salt and pepper and then stir the cream cheese into the mixture. Keep stirring until the cheese has melted and is incorporated into the rest of the sauce.
Add the lemon juice and stir through.
Now add the pasta and the broccoli florets. Stir the mixture so that everything is coated in the sauce.
Serve immediately.

Zucchini – Macaroni Bake

Zucchini – Macaroni Bake

250g macaroni, uncooked
1 onion, chopped
50g tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chopped tomatoes
5ml salt
15ml sugar
375ml zucchini, grated
250g cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat your oven to 190℃.
Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the packet.
Chop the onion and cook it in a small amount of vegetable oil until soft.
Add the tomato paste and garlic and fry for a minute more, while stirring around.
Now add the can of tomatoes, salt and sugar and stir to combine.
Cook on medium to low heat for 5 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the grated zucchini.
Add the cooked macaroni, zucchini mixture and the grated cheese in a mixing bowl.
Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof dish and bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
Serve with fresh, crusty bread.