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

Mums Tasty Chicken and Rice Soup

Welcome to the first of my blogs. I hope you like my quick, simple recipes that all your family will enjoy.  I aim to concentrate on recipes that you can make in advance or that don't take hours to prepare and make.

The first 2 recipes are quick, nutritious soups.

Mums Tasty Chicken and Rice Soup

Preparation Time - 25 mins
Cooking Time - A further 15 mins
Serves - 6 - 8 bowls

Ingredients

Chicken Breast
1400 ml Chicken Stock
Packet of Super Chicken Noodle Soup
1 cup of cooked white rice
1 Leek
2 Carrots
Handful of fresh Parsley
2 cloves of Garlic
Dash of oil



Recipe

1. Prepare stock, chop up leek and garlic
2. Heat a little oil in a large pot, add the leek and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes
3. Add the stock, chicken and packet of super noodle chicken soup, bring to the boil
4. Meanwhile, chop 1 carrot and grate the other and add to pot, bring to boil and then cover and simmer for 15 mins or until carrots are soft
5. Add parsley and rice
6. Remove chicken, shred and return to pot and season to taste

Finished result

This recipe can also be easily amended to make chicken and lentil soup simply by adding a cup of lentils when you add the stock and omitting the rice. (A favourite of my eldest son)

I enjoy this most served with hot part baked rolls straight from the oven.

If you have kids that are big soup fans like mine, check out the link below for quick, healthy soups that are great for the winter months.

best-soup-recipes-kids

Quick Easy Minestrone Soup

Quick Minestrone Soup

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Cooking Time - A further 20 mins

Serves - 6 - 8 bowls

Ingredients

Tin of Tomatoes

2 Onion

2 cloves of Garlic

2 Carrots

2 Peppers

1/4 of a white cabbage

Pinch Chilli flakes

2 Pints Stock

Dash of oil

Recipe

1. Chop up onion, garlic, carrots, peppers and white cabbage
2. Heat a little in a large pot, add the onion and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, add the carrot, peppers and white cabbage and cook for another couple of minutes
3. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of chilli flakes to add some heat, stir through and add stock
4. Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft or to taste of you prefer yours al dente
5. If you wish you can add some pasta at this point, really small pieces work best or bits of spaghetti broken up
6. Season to taste

Finished Result

This recipe is versatile and can be adjusted to your family tastes - 

You can puree this soup and add croutons for kids who don't like lumps or cut your veg up nice and big for those who enjoy a thick chunky soup.

This soup is also good to make to use up vegetables left over, you can add anything really.

I enjoy it best served with a sprinkle of parmesan and garlic bread.

Alternative Minestrone Recipe 

If you fancy a minestrone with a bit of a difference, click on the link  jamieoliver-minestrone to see another recipe for minestrone soup, this one is a meal in itself with bacon and beans.  It has a lot more ingredients and takes longer to cook but worth a try.