Quick Healthy Pasta

Spaghetti with bacon and cherry tomatoes

If you love pasta but are fed up trying to find a shop bought jar of sauce that suits all then please give this recipe a go, it is a really quick, tasty meal for all the family

Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves 2

Ingredients

Bacon
Onion
Garlic
Pack of Cherry Tomatoes
Dried Spaghetti
Olive Oil
Dried Chillies
Worcester Sauce











Recipe

1. Boil the kettle and preheat oven to 180
2. Cut up bacon and onion and crush 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
3. Add bacon, onion, garlic and cherry tomatoes to oven tray, pour over a couple of tablespoons of oil, a few splashes of Worcester sauce and a pinch of dried chilli flakes.
4. Put approx 200 g spaghetti in a pot of boiled salted water and cook until al-dente.
5. Put in oven, after 10 minutes, removed from oven and give a stir, squash some of the cherry tomatoes and if you feel its a bit dry add a little beef stick and return to oven for a further 10 minutes.
6. Drain pasta and stir into oven dish.
7. Serve

Finished Result

This quick pasta is delicious and as its made with roasted fresh cherry tomatoes it doesn't give an after taste that I find you can get if you use tinned tomatoes.

Pasta is always a fail safe in my house as the kids enjoy it and there is so many variations.

This recipe proves that making a fresh pasta sauce doesn't have to take a long time, cost a lot of money or have vast amounts of ingredients. 

Please have a look at the websites below for more quick easy pastas that you and your family will enjoy:

Quick salmon for Busy Mums

Roasted Salmon with veggie rice

Preparation time – 15 mins

Cooking time – 30 mins

Serves - 2 adults and 2 children

Ingredients

3 Salmon fillets

1 Onion

2 cloves of Garlic

2 Peppers

1 Courgette

Rice

Soya Sauce

Sweet Chilli Sauce

Stock cube

Olive Oil

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and prepare stock
2. Chop onion, peppers and courgette and crush garlic
3. Place a sheet of tinfoil in an oven tray (big enough to create a parcel around the salmon fillets) put the fillets on the tin foil and add 2-3 tablespoons of soya sauce and sweet chilli sauce to each fillet - add less or more if you prefer. Put in oven for 15-20 minutes.
4. Cook rice - I use basmati rice and cook it in my microwave steamer but you could use boiled rice or a packet microwave rice - whatever you prefer.
5. Add tablespoon of oil to pan and add onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes, add peppers and cook for a further few minutes then add courgette.  If the vegetables start to catch, add some stock and continue to do this until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
6. Add the cooked rice to the pan and add a few splashes of soya sauce  and a little sweet chill sauce to taste.
7. Mix through and serve with the salmon on top, pour remaining sauce from tinfoil parcel over salmon.

Finished Result

As I like my food spicy I tend to serve the rice for my boys and before serving my husband and I's I add a sprinkle of chilli flakes to add more of a heat. 

Fish is so healthy and isn't always the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of a quick dinner (other than fish fingers) but if you prefer to cook fresh meals then check out the link below for some more quick fish recipes for busy mums on the go:

Quick-healthy fish and shellfish recipes

Mums Super quick stirfry

Stir Fry's are great for mums on the go.  Not only are they quick and versatile but they are also really healthy and give you the opportunity to get your 5 a day in one meal.

King Prawn and Noodle Stir Fry

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 2 Adults and 2 children

Ingredients

King Prawns
Noodles
Peppers
Onion
Mushrooms
Courgette
Carrot
Bean Sprouts
Garlic
Soya Sauce
Sweet Chilli Sauce
Chinese 5 spice
Stock

Recipe

1. Boil kettle and prepare stock.
2. Cut carrot, peppers and courgettes into matchsticks and chop the onion and mushrooms and crush the garlic
3. Add noodles to boiling water.
4. Heat tablespoon of olive oil in wok or large pan.  Add onion and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes, add peppers and fry for a couple of minutes.  If you feel the vegetables catching add tablespoon of stock, add carrots and fry for a couple of minutes, add courgette and mushrooms, fry for a couple of mins. Continue to add stock to keep pan from drying up and avoid using too much oil, Add beansprouts and prawns to heat through,
5. Add noodles to wok and stir through.
6. Add a few tablespoons of soya sauce and sweet chilli sauce, a teaspoon of chinese five spice and enough stock to prevent noodles from sticking.

Finished Result



I like to serve this stirfy with toasted pitta breads.  Halved they make a great pocket to fill with the tasty noodles.

I made this recipe with dried noodles but you could make it even easier by using a packet of fresh rice noodles.  (one less pot to wash).

Try clicking on the link below for more stir fry ideas:

stir-fries