Gourmet on a Shoestring

Prep and Cooking time: 60 mins Serves 6

This lasagne is very hearty yet also very fresh and light (low fat too!). You will eat your heart out and won’t leave the table feeling heavy. Delicious! To save money with this one, you can get the Ricotta from the deli, buy the Coles brand lasagne sheets, and grab whichever pasta sauce is on special.

Ingredients

400g minced Chicken
1 Red Capsicum, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Red Chilli, finely chopped (very mild)
440g can Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
575g jar Tomato-based Pasta Sauce
400g can Crushed Tomatoes
375g fresh Lasagne sheets
375g Ricotta Cheese
½ cup Tasty Cheese, grated

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Heat a big non-stick fry pan to high and add chicken. Break clumps up with a wooden spoon as you brown chicken.
3. Add capsicum, chilli, beans, pasta sauce and tomatoes, and stir to combine.
4. Grease lasagne dish with a small amount of olive oil (use a brush or spray). Cut pasta to size and place a layer on the bottom of the dish, then alternate sauce and pasta layers, finishing with a pasta layer (you should fit 5 or 6 layers).
5. Spread ricotta over the pasta and sprinkle with grated cheese.
6. Bake for 30mins or until cheese starts to brown slightly. Stand for 5 minutes, then serve with green salad.

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Prep time: 20 min Cooking time: 35 min Serves 6

This rich Italian dish is another of my favourites and is also great comfort food. Just the thought makes my stomach groan in hunger! This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart, and I find bacon bits is easier to find in your supermarket deli, cheaper and just as yummy.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
283g Pancetta, sliced into small rectangles (or 300g of bacon bits)
1 tablespoon Garlic (or two cloves)
500g Spaghetti
1 cup Thickened Cream
3-4 large Egg yolks
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Black pepper

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Cook spaghetti in boiling water until al dente, about 8 minute. While spaghetti is cooking, whisk cream, egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until well combined.
3. In a pan over medium heat fry the garlic and olive oil for a few minutes, then add pancetta (or bacon bits) and cook until browned. Drain on paper towel.
4. Drain pasta, and return to pot. Immediately stir in egg/cheese mixture until well combined
5. Add warm pancetta/bacon. Toss well.
6. Thin sauce with additional cream, if necessary. Serve immediately with more Parmesan cheese as a garnish.

(Alternative: substitute parmesan with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano - more expensive)

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Cooking time: 40 mins Serves 6

This recipe is one of my all-time biggest hits on the dinner table, and it used to be one of the only things I knew how to cook in my university days (thanks to my ex Greg!). It is a sure fire winner with anyone NOT on a diet (although dieters are usually happy to make an exception in this case). It is also one of my easiest and quickest recipes – I’m not usually one to buy pre-made sauces, but this pesto really makes this amazing and it would take you hours to make it yourself. You will never go to Fasta Pasta again!
(If you can’t find Leggo’s Sundried Tomato Pesto,  substitute with another concentrated red pesto.)

Ingredients

500g packet of fettuccine
400g chicken breast
¼ cup sliced kalamata olives
¼ cup sliced semi-dried tomatos
1 cup thickened cream (add more if you want more sauce)
1 jar of Leggo’s Sundried Tomato Pesto

Method

1. Chop the chicken into bite-sized cubes, and drain olives and semi-dried tomatos.
2. Bring your biggest pot full of salted water to a rapid boil, then add fettuccine and stir to ensure they don’t stick together.
3. Add chicken to a very hot pan with a dash of olive oil, and cook until just browned.
4. Add jar of pesto and let sizzle for a minute, then add the olives, tomatos and cream.
5. Cover and let it simmer on very low for 5 minutes, or until ready to serve.
6. Drain pasta and serve into bowls with a few big spoonfuls of sauce on top – this sauce is very rich so you don’t need much!

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