Happiful March 2020

Bellissimo!
Pasta recipes to make you weak at the knees
Writing | Ellen Hoggard
Sometimes, nothing
beats a warming bowl
of pasta. It’s cheap and
cheerful, and you don’t
need to be a Michelinstarred
chef to whip up something
mouth-watering. By dabbling in
the world of seasonal vegetables,
and mixing up your sauces, you
can make a pasta recipe go a long
way – cooking in bulk to feed
you for a whole week, while also
providing you with more than
your five-a-day.
Nowadays, it’s a lot easier to
accomodate for allergies, too. With
pasta varieties in abundance, and
many alternative dairy products
now available, there’s nothing
stopping us all from getting out the
big pot and whipping up a bowl of
delicious, but nutritious goodness.
Vegetarian Bolognese
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 onion
1 large carrot
1 courgette
1 red pepper
200g mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp vegetable stock concentrate
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g spaghetti
40g parmesan, grated
Method
• Slice the onion. In a pan, heat
the oil and cook the onion until
soft. Chop the carrot, courgette,
pepper and mushrooms into
small chunks and add to the pan.
Sauté for 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, dried herbs and
mix. Add the tomato paste,
vegetable stock and chopped
tomatoes. Bring to boil, then
simmer for 20 minutes.
• In a large pan of boiling water,
add the spaghetti and boil for
10–12 mins.
• Drain the spaghetti and divide
into 4 bowls. Add the vegetable
bolognese with a sprinkling of
cheese. Serve hot with an optional
side salad.
Grilled Asparagus
& Pesto Spaghetti
Serves 4
Ingredients
25g basil
25g flat leaf parsley
1 tsp garlic
100g green olives
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
40g parmesan, grated
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra
for brushing
230g asparagus, trimmed
and halved
300g wholewheat spaghetti
Salt and pepper
Method
• In a food processor, add the
herbs, olives, pine nuts and
parmesan. Combine until coarse.
Add a glug of oil and combine
until a smooth, green pesto.
Set aside.
• Preheat a griddle pan, or the grill.
Brush the asparagus with a little
oil and cook for 10–12 minutes,
turning regularly until tender.
• Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in
a large pan of boiling water for
10–12 minutes.
• Drain the spaghetti and return
to the pan. Add the pesto and
asparagus and stir. Serve in
bowls with an extra sprinkling
of parmesan and black pepper.
Enjoy.