One-Skillet Lasagne

As much as I love the traditional lasagne, layering can be quite tedious. 

So I found this delicious lasagne recipe made in just one-skillet.
Toss all ingredients together in the skillet, let it cook and then serve.

No stress, no mess. One-skillet/ one-pot wonder meals always top my list!

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

500g beef mince

2 tbsp tomato paste

700g passata or pasta sauce

4 spinach lasagne sheets

250g ricotta

1/4 cup parmesan

1/2 cup mozzarella
handful of basil leaves

Method

* Heat oil in deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot and cook for 5 mins. 

Add meat and cook for another 5 mins or until meat is browned. Stir in tomato paste, passata and 1 cup water cook until it boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins.

* Cut lasagne sheets in half (crosswise) add to the pan one at a time to avoid sticking together. Stir and cook for 15 mins or until pasta is tender.

* Sprinkle mozzarella and ricotta over the mixture. Cook for 2 mins until cheese melts. Sprinkle basil leaves.

Recipe adapted from Woolworths Magazine 9/15.

Baked Risoni with Spinach, Mushroom and Parmigiano

 

I had a packet of risoni sitting in my cupboard for months.
I was not sure what to cook with it until I stumbled upon this recipe from Real Living magazine.
This rice-shaped pasta adds a wonderful texture to this dish that you just cannot get from rice.

The mushroom also goes really well with the dish.
I've made this twice now and my family loves it.

Ingredients

500g risoni pasta
25g butter
1 tbsp olive oil

300g Portobello mushrooms, sliced
5 garlic cloves, chopped finely
700g passata
1 tbsp sugar

200g baby spinach leaves

1/2 bunch basil leaves, torn

200g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (to serve)
salt and pepper

Method
*Preheat oven at 200C. Cook risoni according to packet.
*Heat butter and olive oil in large pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes. Stir through garlic and cook for further 2 minutes.

*Add passata and sugar, mix well. Bring to simmer and set aside.
*Add risoni, spinach and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
*Transfer to a baking dish. Top with shaved cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
*Remove from oven and top with grated cheese. 

Recipe adapted from Real Living Magazine

Pasta Chorizo

I love chorizo pretty much any way it's cooked.
I'm keeping this dish simple and let the beautiful smoky flavours of the chorizo speak for itself.

Ingredients

250 grams spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Spanish chorizo, chopped
1 bunch fresh basil, finely chopped
salt
freshly ground pepper


Method
* Heat the olive oil in a large pan and then gently cook the garlic.
* Add the chorizo and cook until the meat is nice and crispy.
* Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, drain and then add to the pan of chorizo and its oil.
* Add chopped basil. Toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. 

Creamy Beetroot Pasta

 The best present I can give myself on Christmas is this yummy bowl of pasta and forget about the diet. haha! Believe me when I say this dish is incredibly delicious. The sauce is wonderfully rich and it's got  that strong, distinct taste of gorgonzola which gives the dish a lift. 

Ingredients
2 beetroot bulbs or 450g sliced beetroot in can, drained
1 teaspoon olive oil
30-50grams gorgonzola
150ml cream
1 slice of prosciutto

Method
1. Roast the beetroot. Set oven at 180C/350F and roast beetroots for 1 hour. Set aside.
2. Cook the pasta according to directions in plenty of salted boiling water. Drain.
3. In a small saucepan on low to medium heat, add a teaspoon of oil and crumble the gorgonzola in and cook it stirring all the time so that it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and heat this up on medium heat  and keep stirring until the gorgonzola has melted into the cream. Add prosciutto and beetroot.
4. Place pasta in a bowl and pour sauce over.




Recipe from Not Quite Nigella (Pink Pasta Bows)

In this festive season, we always adorn our windows with "parol", a Filipino Christmas lantern influenced by the Mexican Pinata. It represents the star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Wise Men to the manger of baby Jesus. The traditional form is a five-pointed star with two decorative tails like this one my hubby made.