Chicken and pasta bake. Pasta? Good. Chicken? Good. Broccoli? Meh. But other than that, what’s not to like?
If you’re looking for a simple, hearty dish, quick to make and quicker to eat, then look no further.

Ingredients

350g fusilli pasta
200g broccoli chopped into very small florets
2 chicken breasts
150g soft cheese with garlic and herbs
85g cheddar cheese
2 spring onions
4 tbsp sundried tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried thyme
Salt
Pepper

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190c or Gas Mark 5
2. Bring a large pan of boiling water with salt and a dash of olive oil to boil. Add in the pasta and cook for 6 minutes. At this point, add in the broccoli and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked.
3. At the same time as the pasta is cooking, pre-heat a skillet pan to a medium/high heat. Lightly sprinkle the half of the thyme over one side of the chicken breasts, add salt and pepper to your tastes, and place that side down into the skillet. Sprinkle the remaining thyme, salt and pepper on the top of the chicken breasts as they are cooking. After 5-7 minutes, turn the chicken breasts over. After a further 5-7 minutes, remove from the pan and slice into even slithers.
4. Once the pasta/broccoli is cooked, drain, keeping the pasta/broccoli in the pan. Over a medium heat, add the chicken slices, cheese and sundried tomato paste into the pasta. Stir through until the cheese and tomato paste have coated all of the pasta.
5. Pour the pasta out into a large oven proof dish, and cover the top with the cheese and sprinkle the spring onions over this.
6. Place the dish into the oven, and heat through for 20 minutes.
7. Remove the dish from the oven, and dish onto plates for you to enjoy!

Note, you can add roasted pepper antipasti/sundried tomatoes or even olives into the pasta prior to heating through in the oven to vary the dish.

Spaghetti and meatballs. Other than Pizza and Bolognese, I can think of no
more stereotypical a dish to epitomise Italian food. The big, warm meaty
flavours, the thick tomato sauce, and of course the wonderful connotations
with 2 dogs sharing a moment in a back alley with a big moustachioed
man looking on in the distance…

Seriously though, this is a simple and heartwarming dish that will make your mouth water.

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 1 onion, peeled, halved and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1tbsp olive oil
• A good knob of butter
• 1tbsp flour
• 100ml red wine
• 400ml beef stock
• 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

For the meatballs

• 1 small onion, peeled, halved and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1tsp chopped oregano leaves
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 350-400g minced beef
• 4-5tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2tbsp flour
• 2tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Firstly, start by making the meatballs.
2. In a large pan, gently fry the onion, garlic and oregano, again for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
3. Remove from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature. Once this is done, add the onion mixture to the mince and breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl.
4. Season well and start rolling some meatballs in the palms of your hands. The mixture should make about 24 meatballs, enough to feed 4, and perfect for freezing.
5. For the best possible flavour, leave in the refrigerator overnight.
6. Next, once you’ve got all the meatballs in the bag, we can look at making the sauce.
7. Begin by gently cooking the onions and garlic in the olive oil and butter on a low to medium heat for 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent.
8. Next, slowly stir in the flour. Once all the flour is combined with the butter/onions, slowly add the red wine and beef stock. Be careful to
   stir constantly to prevent lumps.
9. Finally add the tomatoes, bring to the boil, then simmer on a low to medium heat for 40 minutes.
10. Once you’ve got the sauce simmering, heat some vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan, lightly flour the meatballs and brown them evenly in the oil in a few batches.
11. Drain on some kitchen paper, then add to the sauce and continue simmering for about 15-20 minutes, topping up with water if the sauce is becoming too dry.
12. Finally, remember to cook the spaghetti! Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water, according to the manufacturer’s cooking instructions, then drain in a colander.
13. To serve, take 3 tablespoons of the sauce and stir into the drained spaghetti, portion up and spoon the meatballs and sauce over the pasta.
14. Serve with grated Parmesan, belissimo!

Macaroni Cheese

Macaroni Cheese, the staple diet of countless students across the world. Who would have thought that the simple
combination of pasta and cheese could be such a mouth-watering combination? This recipe is adapted from my mother’s recipe, the perfect comfort food, and cheap too!

Ingredients

• 250g macaroni
• 40g butter
• 40g plain flour
• 600ml milk
• 150g grated mature cheddar cheese
• 100g monteray jack cheese
• 50g grated parmesan
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

1. Cook the macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes; drain well and set aside.
2. Next, melt the butter over a low to medium heat in a large saucepan. As the butter starts to gently bubble, add the flour. Be sure to add the flour slowly and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes.
3. Now, add in the milk, again gradually, and stirring constantly. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the sauce is a thick, smooth and creamy complexion.
4. Remove the sauce from the hob, add half of both the cheddar and monteray jack cheeses and stir until the cheese is well combined and melted into the mixture.
5. Add some salt & pepper to the mixture to taste.
6. Add the macaroni to the sauce and mix well, ensuring all the macaroni is fully coated. Transfer to a deep ovenproof dish.
7. Now sprinkle over all the remaining cheese, as well as the paprika and place the dish under a hot grill. Cook until the cheese is browned and bubbling.
8. Serve straightaway.