Chicken soup with orzo pasta

Category: starter / main course

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients:

Serves 4

2 chicken breasts
100g orzo pasta
1l chicken stock
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
3 celery sticks
3 carrots
1 red pepper
2 potatoes
1 can chopped tomatoes 
2 bay leaves
fresh parsley
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Chop the onion and red pepper, slice the celery and carrots and cut the potatoes into medium chunks
2. In a large saucepan, heat a little olive oil and add the onion and chicken, gently brown for 2 minutes
3. Add the celery, carrots, red pepper, potatoes, bay leaves, tinned tomatoes and stock
4. Top with cold water until 1 inch over the contents of the pan
5. Bring to the boil, add garlic and parsley, then simmer on low-medium heat for about 20 minutes
6. Remove chicken breasts, set aside to cool for a few minutes, keeping the soup simmering, adding more water if required
7. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a small saucepan according to package instructions
8. Shred the chicken and return it to the pot along with the drained orzo pasta
9. Season with salt and pepper, discard bay leaves, stir and serve, topping with chopped parsley to taste

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One pot tomato spinach and mascarpone pasta

Category: main course

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Serves 4

500g farfalle pasta 
250g spinach
50g cherry tomatoes
2 cans chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 red onion
5 garlic cloves 
1l boiling water
3 tbsp mascarpone
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp dried italian herbs
1 tbsp fresh or dried basil
grated parmesan
olive oil
salt and pepper

  

Preparation:

1. In a large saucepan, heat some olive oil and gently brown the chopped onion for 2 minutes
2. Add the crushed garlic cloves and herbs and gently saute for another 1 to 2 minutes
3. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and balsamic vinegar and cook for 5 minutes
4. Add the farfalle pasta and the boiling water and season with salt and pepper
5. Bring to the boil and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly, adding more water if required
6. Add the spinach and halved cherry tomatoes and stir until cooked
7. Stir in the mascarpone until melted and a thick creamy sauce is obtained
8. Serve and top with grated parmesan and basil to taste

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Pasta bake with tuna sweetcorn and spinach

Category: main course

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Serves 2 - 3
250g pasta

200ml tomato sauce

200g tinned tuna in olive oil
80g tinned sweetcorn
80g frozen chopped spinach
1 ball mozzarella
grated parmesan

  

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven at 180C
2. In a pan of boiling water, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet
3. In a frying pan, heat up a little olive oil, add the chopped spinach and cook for 3 minutes

4. Drain the pasta, and return to the pan (off the heat), add the tomato sauce, the tinned tuna with the olive oil, the spinach, and the sweetcorn
5. Mix well, season with black pepper
6. Transfer to an oven proof dish and top with torn pieces of mozzarella
7. Bake for 15 minutes
8. Serve and sprinkle with grated parmesan

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Parmesan chicken breast and pasta

Category: main course

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts

1 tin chopped tomatoes

100g grated parmesan
50g grated emmental

400g pasta

salt & pepper
mixed or provence herbs
butter

olive oil

  

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven at 200C
2. In a frying pan, heat up a little olive oil, add the chicken breasts and cook for 4 minutes on each side

3. Transfer the chicken breasts to an oven-proof dish and cover with the tinned chopped tomatoes, season with salt, pepper and mixed herbs and top with grated emmental and most of the parmesan

4. Place in the oven for 15 minutes
5. Meanwhile, in a pan of boiling water, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet
6. Drain and return to the pan (heat off), add a knob of butter and the rest of the parmesan and stir until melted
7. Serve the chicken breast with the pasta

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Pasta with tomato mozzarella and basil

Category: main course

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: under 15 minutes

  

Ingredients:

Serves 2

200g pasta (like penne)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 ball of mozzarella torn into pieces

2 tbsp fresh basil chopped roughly

black pepper

  

  

Preparation:

1. In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, add the pasta and cook according to instructions on the packet

2. Drain and pour back into the pan

3. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and heat up for 2 minutes on a medium heat

4. Add most of the chopped basil and most of the pieces of mozzarella

5. Serve and top with the remaining basil, mozzarella pieces and black pepper

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Pasta with courgette strips and cherry tomatoes

Category: main course

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Serves 2
200g fusilli pasta
1 courgette

1 onion
10 cherry tomatoes
grated cheese

salt & pepper
olive oil




Preparation:

1. In a pan of boiling water, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet
2. Slice the onion thinly, and slice the courgette in half lengthwise, then with a vegetable peeler, slice it into long strips
3. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat up a little olive oil, cook the onion and courgette strips on a medium heat for 3 minutes
4. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for a further 2 minutes
5. Season with salt and pepper
6. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan and reduce the heat, mix well

7. Serve and top with grated cheese to taste

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Farfalle pasta with bacon and peas

Category: main course

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Serves 2
3 slices of bacon
200g farfalle pasta
100g frozen peas
100ml cream

2 cloves of garlic 

1 chicken cube
chopped parsley
grated emmental

black pepper
olive oil



Preparation:

1. In a pan of boiling water, add a chicken stock cube and the the pasta, then cook according to the instructions on the packet
2. Meanwhile, chop the garlic finely and cut the bacon into strips
3. In a frying pan, heat up a little olive oil, add the garlic and bacon and cook on a medium heat for around 5 minutes
4. Add the frozen peas and cook for a further 5 minutes

5. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan
6. Add the cream and parsley and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring regularly, season with black pepper
7. Serve and top with grated emmental to taste

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Seafood spaghetti

Category: main course

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Serves 4
500g prepared and cooked seafood mix
500g spaghetti
100ml cream

1 red pepper

1/2 lemon 
1 onion
chopped parsley
grated parmesan

salt & pepper
olive oil



Preparation:

1. In a pan of boiling water, cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet
2. Slice the onion, chop the pepper and juice the lemon
3. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat up a little olive oil, cook the onion and pepper on a medium heat for 8 minutes
4. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan and reduce the heat

5. Add the mixed seafood, the lemon juice, the cream, the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper
6. Simmer for a further 3 minutes until hot, stirring regularly
7. Serve and top with grated parmesan to taste

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Ratatouille

Versatile: can be served by itself, with pasta, rice or couscous, or as a side for fish, chicken or steak...
Tastes great when reheated and can be frozen too!

Category: main course
Origin: France
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
4 servings
1 aubergine

2 courgettes
3 tomatoes
1 onion
1 garlic clove
olive oil
herbes de provence


Preparation:
1. Peel the onion and the garlic, and dice finely
2. Wash the aubergine, tomatoes and the courgettes before dicing them into cubes
3. In a large frying pan, fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil on a medium heat for 2 minutes
4. Add the cubes of aubergine, courgettes and tomatoes
5. Season with salt, pepper and provence herbs
6. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally

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Pasta with king prawns and peas

Category: main course
Origin: Italy
Preparation Time: 3 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

2 servings

350g pasta (suggestion: spinach tagliatelle)

200g frozen peas
300g cooked king prawns
1 lemon (zest and juice)
100g cream cheese
grated parmesan (optional)
black pepper (optional)



Preparation:
1. In a saucepan of boiling water, add the pasta and cook according to the instructions on the packet
2. Meanwhile, in a non-stick frying pan, gently cook the peas, the prawns and the lemon zest and juice for 4 minutes
3. Add 2 tbsp of the pasta water and 100g of cream cheese to the pan
4. Drain the pasta, return to the saucepan and add the peas and prawns sauce, tossing well
5. Add black pepper and parmesan to taste

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Salmon and broccoli tagliatelle

Category: main course

Origin: Italy

Preparation Time: quick, under 10 minutes

Cooking Time: under 10 minutes

Diet: contains dairy, wheat

Ingredients:

For 4 people

600g of fresh tagliatelle

20cl of creme fraiche or double cream

400g of broccoli

200g of smoked salmon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

100g of grated parmesan

Preparation:

1. In a large pan of boiling water, cook the fresh tagliatelle for a few minutes according to instructions on the packet and drain

2. Wash the broccoli and cut it into small florets, cook it in boiling water for 5 minutes

3. Cut the smoked salmon into small strips

3. In the large saucepan, gently mix the cooked tagliatelle, broccoli, smoked salmon pieces, the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg with a wooden spoon, over a low heat for 2 minutes

4. Serve immediately with parmesan sprinkled on the top

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