Pasta

There are several sauces that can be used with pasta, which I try not to have more than once or twice a week. I only eat gluten free pasta and there are a lot of great GF pastas out there now, from lentil, pea or the standard GF pasta. All are great, you just need to ensure your water is boiling before you add the pasta and ensure you only cook for the time specified on the packet.

Lentil Lasagne

This is a delicious lasagne, I made this lasagne with some chunky layers and it is such a great comforting meal. I made it with green lentils, but you can use any lentil, green lentils do not cook down, they keep their shape. I added some smoked chipotle chilli as well as a little red chilli. You can add whatever vegetables you have to hand. I had quite a lot of the lentil ragu left over, so it was easy to make additional meals throughout the week. Saving time, energy and money. I served with a beautiful purple leaved salad and tomatoes, with a homemade cashew and basil pesto. The lasagne was enough for 3 servings, but I used the extra ragu for one extra meal as well, tossed through a penne. Serves 3

Lentil Lasagne
  • 1 cup green lentils
  • 4 lasagne sheets
  • tin chopped tomatoes, plus one tin water
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • half zucchini
  • half red and half yellow capsicum
  • handful mushrooms
  • porcini mushrooms 1\2 pint stock
  • 1 dried chipotle chilli – add to porcini to hydrate
  • teaspoon red chilli
  • Herbs: rosemary, parsley, thyme, basil, any that you have
  • Grated cheese (I used lactose free) about 100g
  • White sauce: 200ml lactose free milk, knob margarine, dessertspoon GF plain flour
  • teaspoon English mustard
  1. First cut up the vegetables and then add oil to a pan and add the garlic.
  2. Fry off the garlic, then add the mushrooms and cook off for a couple of minutes.
  3. Make the stock by adding vegan stock to a pint of boiling water and add dried porcini mushrooms and the chipotle chilli to a separate cup of boiling water.
  4. Add in the tin tomatoes, cut up the chipotle chilli and add, together with the vegetables, the red chilli and any herbs.
  5. Leave that to cook down for about 30 minutes and in a separate saucepan make the cheese sauce
  6. Make the cheese sauce, by making a roux, so melt the margarine, take off the heat and mix in the flour, put back on the heat and slowly add the milk. Add the mustard and the grated cheese (leave a little for the top).
  7. Use a lasagne dish and layer the lasagne, by putting a layer lentils, then dry pasta, then lentils, then cheese sauce. Do this with each layer, using a layer of pasta, then lentils, then sauce. I used four pieces dry pasta.
  8. Final layer add the remaining cheese sauce, then top with cheese, cover with foil.
  9. Cook for about 35-45 minutes in 180c / 160c oven. After 35 minutes take off the foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Serve with salad

Zucchini & mushroom Spaghetti

Well I really enjoyed this quick and easy spaghetti dish. Full of fresh herbs, like rosemary and thyme. A simple creamy sauce, with the mushroom flavour and herbs, so good. I always use gluten free pasta, I find my food intolerances have calmed down since eating it. The pastas you get now are really good, you might have to try a few makes before you find the ones you like though. Just make sure the water is boiling before you add the pasta. I used some truffle cheese for the top, it was delicious, I do not normally have much cheese and do only have lactose free, but I saw this and could not resist! You can however freeze cheese, so instead of making yourself ill by eating a whole block, just have a little and then freeze it for another time. I tend to cut my cheese up in small blocks and freeze. That way if I fancy just a little bit, I can have it, without getting sick because I only have a little as a treat every now and then!

  • Half zucchini
  • Handful mixed mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Tsp chilli
  • 50ml lactose free cream
  • Grated cheese to serve
  • Handful of fresh herbs (rosemary, sage or thyme are a good choice)
  • 75-100g spaghetti

1. Chop garlic and add to a little oil in a pan, chop both the mushrooms and slice the zucchini and add to the pan.

2. In a separate saucepan add boiling water and cook the spaghetti, normally for 10 minutes.

3. In the frying pan, add the chilli, season, add the cream and fresh herbs. Just tear in the herbs.

4. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan and toss through the sauce. Serve and add cheese.

Zucchini and Sausage Spaghetti

Sometimes you just need to grab something from the freezer and add it to the pan and this was one of those occasions. Vegan sausages at the ready, for this zucchini and sausage spaghetti. I actually bought a pumpkin pesto, but you can make it if you wish. Obviously I added extra vegetables, for colour and nutrition. Really quick and easy to make.

  • 2 vegan sausages per serve
  • 75G GF spaghetti
  • 1/2 zucchini
  • 1/2 capsicum (two colours)
  • 1/2 pot pesto
  • cheese to serve
  1. Simply slice the vegan sausages and add a little oil in a frying pan, add the zucchini and capsicum and fry off for a few minutes. You can of course add extra chilli and garlic, but I just wanted a really quick meal. Remember essentially the sausages just need to be defrosted and heated through thoroughly.
  2. Cook the spaghetti for about 10 minutes in boiling water.
  3. Add the cooked spaghetti to the zucchini, toss through the pesto for a couple of minutes and serve with a little grated cheese.

Healthy Comfort Pasta

So sometimes you do just need a bowl of comfort food and something that is quick as easy. I was craving cheese sauce, but managed to make this slightly healthier option, mainly because I had run out of cheese! If you make less sauce and add less cheese, then this will ensure you do not overeat.

  • 1 clove Garlic
  • 1 small Onion
  • Tsp Mustard
  • Tbsp GF flour
  • 1/2 Capsicum
  • Handful Broccoli
  • Handful Mushrooms
  • 75g GF Pasta
  • Approx 100ml Milk
  • 15g Vegan cheese
  1. Fry off garlic, onion and mushrooms. Add capsicum and tsp English mustard and season. Add tablespoon flour, mix, then slowly add milk, until a thick sauce.
  2. In a separate pan, cook the pasta and add the broccoli for the last 5 minutes.
  3. Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce and toss.
  4. Grate the cheese and put under the grill for a few minutes. Delicious!!

Smoky tomato, zucchini and Prawn Pasta

This is a tasty tomatoey dish. Full of smokey goodness. Quick and easy to make and as always a balanced dish with protein, vegetables and carbohydrates. One serve

Smokey tomato, prawn and zucchini spaghetti
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 small Onion
  • Chilli (to your liking!)
  • 2 dessertspoon Smokey tomato paste
  • Half zucchini
  • 7 raw tiger prawns
  • Handful of cherry tomatoes or vine tomatoes
  • 75g GF Pasta
  • Cup water
  • Fresh rosemary and basil
  1. Fry off garlic, onion and add chilli.
  2. Add the zucchini and fry off. Add the cherry tomatoes, or vine tomatoes have a lot more flavour! Add the Smokey sauce and the water and season.
  3. Add fresh herbs. You can also add dried mixed herbs if you like.
  4. Cook the pasta in a saucepan, to packet timings. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss.

Spaghetti with vegetables

Another quick and easy Italian inspired recipe, that literally took 10 minutes to cook. Sometimes, if you are like me and have an extremely busy life, it needs to be quick, but needs to be healthy too. I used quorn as my protein in this recipe, straight from the freezer.

  • Handful kale
  • handful frozen quorn
  • 1/2 capsicum
  • 2 tsp capers
  • 5 cherry tomatoes
  • tsp chilli
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 75g Spaghetti
  1. Cook the spaghetti in boiling water for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the chopped garlic and chilli to a frying pan, together with the tomatoes, capers, quorn and chopped capsicum. Finally add the kale, season and add the cooked spaghetti and toss through. Serve

Tomato and cheese pasta

Well this is another quick and easy pasta. A nice bowl of comfort with lots of vegetables. Again I used less cheese, but still with the usual creamy sauce. This recipe is gluten free and lactose free. Can be made vegan with vegan cheese and alternative milk. Listed below per portion.

Tomato and cheese
  • 3 mini Mixed capsicum. I used orange, yellow and red
  • Few florets of broccoli
  • 1 shallot
  • dollop tomato purée (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 dessert spoon GF flour (ordinary flour is also ok)
  • Approximately 150ml milk
  • 30g cheese
  • Fresh basil
  • tsp mixed Italian herbs

1. Cook pasta in water to packet instructions, normally about 10 minutes

2. Fry off shallot in a little oil, slice capsicum (peppers) and add. Again fry off a little.

3. Slice broccoli into small fine pieces. Add to pan. Add a dollop tomato purée.

4. Once this has cooked down a little, say 2 minutes, add the flour. Gradually add milk, letting the mixture combine and thicken. Add enough milk to ensure the sauce is not too thick.

5. Add the herbs and the cheese and allow the cheese to melt. Serve

Zucchini pasta

So pasta seems to be my go to comfort!! With this particular pasta there is actually layers of zucchini underneath the pasta, so I only actually used 1/2 cup dried pasta for this portion. Garlicky cheese sauce, although I run out of milk, so it was a little thick!! But once it had cooked in the oven it was great. This was one serve.

Zucchini pasta
  • 1 zucchini sliced
  • Tsp chilli
  • Tsp chutney (I used gooseberry, but you could use tomato or onion)
  • Tbsp tomato purée
  • Handful oyster mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup pasta
  • 50g cheese grated
  • 100g milk
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • Dessert spoon GF flour

1. Firstly I sliced the zucchini lengthways. Cut up the mushrooms. Then mixed the chilli, chutney and tomato purée together, then rubbed this mixture onto the mushrooms and zucchini. Season

2. Layer a ceramic roasting dish with the zucchini and Mushroom.

3. In a separate saucepan, boil water and cook the pasta.

4. In a separate pan, fry off chopped garlic, add the flour, mix together, then gradually add the milk, stir whilst it thickens. You can add extra milk if it feels too thick. Sometimes I add a bit of Worcestershire sauce for some added flavour. Add some cheese and melt in. Leave a little for the top.

5. Once cooked, add pasta to zucchini and pour the sauce over. Add foil to the top and place in the oven. Cook for approximately 25-30 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, take the foil off and add a sprinkle of cheese and place back in the oven.

Smokey cheese pasta

A definite quick and easy pasta, for a mid week meal. Who doesn’t want life to be simple. I love Smokey cheeses and this was made with a Smokey vegan cheese. So this meal can be made totally vegan if you use an alternative milk, like oat and it is totally gluten-free. 1 serve

Smokey cheese pasta
  • Portion Gf pasta (approx dry 50-80g)
  • 4 cherry tomatoes
  • 3 florets broccoli
  • 2 oyster mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Dessert spoon GF flour
  • 100ml lactose free milk
  • Smokey vegan cheese 50g (grated)

1. Cook pasta for 10 minutes or timing on packet. Add the broccoli to the water, for the last 3 minutes. Drain

2. Cook off chopped garlic and add chopped oyster mushrooms and fry off for a minute.

3. Add the flour and slowly add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce gets thick.

4. You can add a little extra milk if you find it too thick. Add the grated cheese and stir through to melt. Season.

5. Add the cherry tomatoes (halved) and stir through the remaining ingredients. Add some fresh basil (optional).

Homemade beans penne

This is a really quick meal, if you have already made my homemade beans, its a great way to use leftovers and make an additional meal out of what you have already cooked. The butter beans provide protein and fibre as well as many other nutrients like calcium and potassium.

Homemade Bean Penne
  • Homemade Beans (see recipe under small plates)
  • 4 Cherry tomatoes
  • 2 mushrooms
  • Portion GF penne (75g)
  • grated vegan cheese for serving (30g)
  1. Simple mid week recipe, using up left overs. I used up the homemade beans that I leftover from lunch a couple of days before.
  2. Add Penne to boiling water and cook for 10 minutes
  3. Just chop and add the mushrooms to a tiny bit of oil and fry off for a couple of minutes.
  4. Add the chopped cherry tomatoes and beans to reheat. Once the pasta is cooked, add to the sauce and toss through.
  5. Add cheese to taste.

Chilli Tomato Mushroom Penne

Another quick and easy meal to make, takes such a little time to prepare a balanced nutritious meal and you reap the benefits, by feeding your body with healthy food and your mind with tasty food.

Chilli Tomato Mushroom Penne
  • 8 Mange Tout
  • 2 Oyster mushrooms
  • 3 Chestnut mushrooms
  • 2 shallots
  • grated cheese (30g)
  • tsp maple syrup
  • tsp chilli
  • tablespoon tomato puree
  • 1/2 tin tomatoes
  • Small handful spinach
  • Portion penne (75g)
  1. Fry off the chopped shallots in a little vegetable oil. Add the sliced chestnut mushrooms and fry off for a couple of minutes.
  2. Add the chilli, tomato puree and tomatoes and a little water (1/2 cup) and cook down for about 10 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, add penne to boiling water to cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Finally, add to the sauce, the mange tout (ensure you take the ends off first), spinach and oyster mushrooms, I finely chop these. Cook off for 3-4 minutes. Season.
  5. Toss the Penne through the sauce and serve with a little grated cheese. You can add basil if you have any fresh.

Mushroom and capsicum lasagne

Simple lasagne that looks great. Filled with colourful capsicum and garlicky mushrooms, with a cheesy sauce. Has a bit of tomatoey sauce in the middle as well. All of the ingredients goes so well together. Serves 2-3

Mushroom and capsicum lasagne
  • Pack of mushrooms
  • 2 capsicum
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 200ml Lactose free milk
  • Knob Lactose free margarine
  • Dessert spoon GF flour
  • 100g Cheese
  • Tiny bit of Nutmeg
  • Tin tomatoes
  • Tsp or two of Oregano
  • Dash Worcestershire sauce (omit if vegetarian)
  • Handful rocket to serve

1. Roast capsicum in oven 180c / 160c fan for about 10 minutes

2. Cook off the chopped garlic and mushrooms for about 10 minutes, then set aside

3. Cook off the tomatoes with a little water, you can add some garlic into these as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, oregano and season. Cook down until the tomatoes are a thicker sauce.

4. Make the cheese sauce, by making a roux, so melt the margarine, take off the heat and mix in the flour, put back on the heat and slowly add the milk. Add a little grated nutmeg and the grated cheese (leave a little for the top).

5. Use a lasagne dish, Now layer the lasagne, by putting a little tomatoes, then dry pasta, then mushrooms, then cheese sauce. Do this with each layer, using capsicum for a layer, then mushrooms etc.

6. Final layer add the remaining cheese sauce, then top with cheese, cover with foil.

7. Cook for about 35 minutes in 180c / 160c oven. After 35 minutes take off the foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Serve with salad

Turmeric Vegan bolognese

This was a nice alternative dish to the standard bolognese. Delicious flavour, full of fresh herbs, fresh turmeric and tomato, onion and vegan mince. Fresh turmeric does not taste like curry! It’s does however have healing qualities, it is suppose to help with inflammation. I didn’t have any fresh ginger, but I would swap the powder if you have any. This was an excellent tasty dish, I would highly recommend!!

Turmeric vegan bolognese
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp powdered ginger
  • Tin tomatoes
  • Portion vegan mince (75g)
  • Handful of basil and coriander
  • Grated Cheese to serve
  • 75g GF spaghetti

1. Chop and fry off the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes.

2. Add in a tin of tomatoes and a tin of water, grate in the turmeric and add the mince.

3. Let it cook down for 30 minutes in total.

4. After 20 minutes, put the spaghetti in boiling water to cook for 10 minutes. Drain and serve with bolognese and cheese.