Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake

Serves 4

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250g dried macaroni pasta
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
3 bacon rashers, cooked and chopped
100g broccoli
300ml light thickened cream
1 can tomatoes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Do This

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease an  8-cup capacity baking dish.
2. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 10 minutes or until tender. 
3. Drain pasta and return to saucepan. Add cooked chicken and bacon, broccoli, cream, tomatoes and parmesan. Toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Top with mozzarella. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.

Creamy Pea and Bacon Spaghetti

I had bacon in the freezer, cream in the fridge, and that was about it.
So I made this, and I'll be making it again...YUM!

(serves 4)

Get This -

300g spaghetti
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
6 rashers streaky bacon, rind removed, sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 garlic cloves, crushed
80g soft or cream cheese
300ml thin cream
1 cup (100g) grated parmesan cheese

Do This -

1. Cook pasta in a pan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain, then toss in a little olive oil.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large frypan over medium heat, then add bacon and cook until crisp and golden. Add peas and garlic and cook until garlic is no longer raw.
3. Add cream cheese and cream, then stir over low heat until cheese has melted.
4. Season with salt and plenty of cracked black pepper and stir in half of the parmesan. Add cooked spaghetti and toss. Serve topped with remaining parmesan.

Slow Cooked Lamb Curry

What's better on a winter's night than a slow cooked curry?

Nothing...and here's a great, and easy, one!

Not my image and mine didn't look this good, but it tasted fantastic!

(serves 2)

Get This  -

• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 400g diced lamb shoulder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large brown onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Indian madras curry paste
• 150ml light coconut milk
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• steamed rice, yoghurt, papadams and chopped fresh coriander, to serve

Do This -

1. Place flour and lamb in a snap-lock bag. Season with salt and pepper. Seal. Shake to coat. Heat oil in a large heavy based saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook lamb, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Add onion, garlic and ginger to saucepan. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add chilli and curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, stock cube, chopped tomato and 3/4 cup cold water. Bring to the boil. Add lamb. Stir to combine.
3. Cook, covered, on low for 3 - 6 hours until lamb is tender. Serve with rice, yoghurt, papadams and coriander.

Fettuccine Marinara

I'm very proud to say I made this up...and it is gooooood!

For 2 serves...

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1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 shake dried thyme

1 can tomatoes

1 splash white wine vinegar

1 splosh sweet chilli sauce

300g marinara mix, fresh or frozen

fettuccine

salt & pepper

Do This -

1. Heat oil in large fry pan. Saute onion and garlic until onion is transparent.
2. Add tomato paste and dried herbs and stir until fragrant.
3. Add vinegar, sweet chilli sauce, can tomatoes and seasoning and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. After 20 mins cook enough fettuccine for two following instructions on the packet.
5. After sauce has simmered for 30 mins, add marinara mix and simmer a further 5 minutes, or until seafood is cooked through.
6. Serve over pasta in bowls.
7. Enjoy!



Slow Cooked Casserole

This recipe comes from my favourite food website, Taste.com.au

Get This -

• 800g chuck steak, diced
• 4 Desiree potatoes, cubed
• 4 carrots, trimmed, sliced
• 415g can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 beef stock cube, crushed
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• crusty bread, to serve

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 130°C. Place meat, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, tomato paste and stock cube into an ovenproof casserole dish. Add a pinch of dried herbs and season with salt & pepper if you wish.  Mix well to combine.
2. Cover with a lid. Bake for 3 hours 45 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking.
3. Remove casserole from oven. Stir in peas. Gradually add flour, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Return to oven. Cook, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes.

Four Bean Soup with Barley & Lentils

I found this recipe on Taste.com.au ...the best recipe website!
I added red lentils and salt & pepper, swapped the parsley for basil because I love basil and we happen to have a big pot of it in the garden.

Picture from Taste.com
But I'm sure mine looks just as good!



Get This (serves 4)

• 1 tb olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 1/2 cup (105g) pearl barley
• 1/3 cup red lentils
• 2 cups (500ml) salt-reduced vegetable stock
• 2 x 400g cans four-bean mix, rinsed, drained
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Do This

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and thyme, and cook, stirring, for 8-10 minutes until onion is soft. Add the barley and stir to coat in the onion mixture. Add the vegetable stock and 1 litre (4 cups) water, then bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until barley is slightly tender.
2. Add the beans, lentils and tomato, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Bring back to a simmer and cook for a further 15 minutes or until barley and lentils are soft. Serve in bowls sprinkled with basil.

Sausage Pasta Bake

Or as my husband likes to call this dish, bubble & squeak.

This is what I do with left over sausages from dinner the night before...

• Chop 2 or 3 left over sausages into bite size pieces and fry with some onion & bacon
• Cook enough pasta to feed the number you need
• Throw a handful of red lentils into the pasta while it's cooking
• Combine sausage mixture, cooked pasta and lentils, a can of tomatoes, some fresh or dried herbs, salt & pepper, a tablespoon of dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons of sour cream into a baking dish.
• Sprinkle with a small amount of grated cheese
• Bake in a moderate oven until golden and bubbly

Not my photo, but it does look a lot like this.

Chicken, Mushroom & Peas Pasta Bake

Yet another variation of the pasta bake...

Get This -

200g dried macaroni (or other short pasta)
1 chicken breast, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
100g button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup bechamel sauce
2/3 cup tasty cheese, grated
1/3 cup parmesan, grated

Do This -

• Cook pasta following instructions on the pack.
• Add small amount of oil to a frypan, cook chicken, onion mushrooms until chicken is browned and onion and mushrooms are soft.
• Combine pasta, chicken mixture, bechamel sauce, 2/3 of the cheeses and peas in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top and bake in a moderate oven for 20mins, or until golden.

Ham & Pea Frittata

image from Taste.com

(serves 4) 

Get This -

4 eggs

1/3 cream
1/4 grated parmesan
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup frozen peas
80g shaved leg ham, chopped

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 190C/170C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 19cm square cake pan or flan dish or muffin pan for individual frittatas. Grease tray/pans. 
2. Mix ingredients together in a large jug. Pour into pan/s. 
3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and set. 
4. Stand frittatas in pan for 2 to 5 minutes before serving.

Meatless Pasta Bake

The other meatless meal we had was a version of a pasta bake that I have made and love.
This one -  Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake.

I followed the recipe but instead of adding chicken I added red lentils and a few other things...


This is not my photo either, but again, it looked pretty much like this.

Serves 4

Get This -

250g dried macaroni pasta
100g baby spinach leaves
300ml light thickened cream
3/4 cup semi-dried tomatoes
1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 tablespoon capers
1/3 cup red lentils

1/2 small block fetta

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a 5cm-deep, 20cm x 28cm (base), 8-cup capacity baking dish.
2. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 10 minutes or until tender.
3. Cook lentils in boiling water until tender.
4. Drain pasta and lentils and return to saucepan. Add spinach, cream, dried tomatoes, tomatoes, capers, fetta and 1 cup parmesan. Toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Top with mozzarella and remaining parmesan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Spoon pasta bake onto serving plates. Serve.