If you’re feeling the squeeze on your grocery budget, pasta is always a great, inexpensive direction to go in! Here we have a stack of brilliant and super-yum pasta recipes for the whole family to enjoy. We have one-pot wonders, simple kids’ pasta, vegetarian options as well as how to turn a BBQ chicken into a helluva pasta bake!
Pasta: a delicious cheap eat!
Pasta can be as cheap (or as expensive ) as you want to make it. I’m pretty sure every toddler goes through a ‘pasta and grated cheese only’ phase before exploring other add-ins and it doesn’t get much cheaper than that.
From simple to more complex, we have a recipe to suit every taste and every budget, just take a look at the delicious options below…
Same girl, SAME. via GIPHY
15 Perfect pasta recipes for every night of the week
1. Creamy pasta and chicken bake
VEGETARIAN? No
If you need to make a BBQ chicken go that bit further, THIS is the way to do it. This creamy chicken pasta bake is brilliant for feeding the family, plus you can sneak some extra veggies into it – roast pumpkin pieces would be a *chef’s kiss* addition!
2. TikTok’s viral fetta pasta
VEGETARIAN? Yes
I think most of the world gave this delightful TikTok fetta pasta dish a crack last year – and why wouldn’t you want to give it a go? YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO PEEL THE GARLIC for goodness sake!
3. Spicy vodka pasta
VEGETARIAN? Yes
Aaaaah Gigi Hadid won us over with her now-famous spicy vodka pasta recipe. It’s creamy, it’s spicy and it’s saucy. What more could you want from a pot of pasta?
4. One-pot pasta
VEGETARIAN? No
It’s enough for traditionalists to reel back in horror, but I’m telling you, it never fails to blow my mind that pasta CAN be cooked like this – it’s a one-pot pasta wonder dish!
5. Spaghetti and bacon meatball pasta
VEGETARIAN? No
Feeling like you want to go the extra mile with a recipe that will really knock the socks off family and friends? Try this spaghetti and bacon meatballs recipe on for size. A mouthwateringly good Amatriciana sauce, thin lengths of spaghetti and delicious pork and pine nut meatballs. Enough talking, let’s eat!
6. Pastitsio
VEGETARIAN? No
Aaaaah pastitsio – it’s Greek for pasta bake – but Greek or not, pastitsio is mighty delicious! And if cheese sauce is your most favourite thing ever, this is a recipe you’re not going to want to miss.
7. Jamie Oliver’s three-ingredient gnocchi
VEGETARIAN? Yes, depending on your sauce choice
If you have some time up your sleeve or the kids are all screaming ‘we’re bored!’ why not have a crack at making Jamie Oliver’s gnocchi. Just three ingredients are all you need to make these fluffy morsels of potato pasta goodness, then top them with your favourite pasta sauce!
8. Spaghetti bolognese garlic cob loaf
VEGETARIAN? No
We cut corners on our way to spaghetti perfection with a favourite spaghetti jar sauce, but boy, it’s worth it – just look at how brilliant this spaghetti bolognese garlic cob loaf is!
9. Sicilian-style pasta
VEGETARIAN? Yes
Known as “pasta alla norma” in Italy, this Sicilian-style pasta makes tastebuds sing. Simple and elegant, a meat-free dinner that is easy to throw together on a weeknight. Don’t skimp on the herbs, they’re a must-have!
10. Cheese and tomato pasta
VEGETARIAN? Yes
Four ingredients are all you need for this speedy cheese and tomato pasta. It’s a pasta sauce with a difference – using a tin of condensed soup! Who would’ve thought it could be THIS tasty?
11. Basil pesto pasta
VEGETARIAN? Yes
A favourite dish of mine, pesto pasta can be eaten both hot or cold which means leftovers are always devoured for lunch the next day. If you have someone who absolutely must eat meat, mix through some pulled BBQ chicken for quick results.
12. Eggplant pasta
VEGETARIAN? Yes
An awesome dish to prep the night before and then pop in the oven the following night, this eggplant pasta recipe packs a plentiful punch to a hungry appetite – without the meat! A really nice way to introduce eggplant to kids as it takes on the sauce flavours. Yum!
13. Capsicum and chilli linguini pasta recipe
VEGETARIAN? Yes
A light tomato-based sauce with delicious pasta, this capsicum and chilli linguini dish has just a nice amount of spice without it being overwhelmingly hot. The recipe doesn’t contain any meat products but you could easily add chicken, pancetta or even prawns if you wanted to!
14. Avocado, chilli and prawn spaghetti
VEGETARIAN? No
An awesome midweek meal, easy to whip up, filling and BONUS points for getting some healthy seafood into bellies. Give this avocado, chilli and prawn spaghetti a try, you won’t regret it!
15. Garlic bread cob loaf
Ok, so technically NOT actual pasta, but hear me out. It’s always a given that garlic bread is the ultimate partner for any pasta dish, right? RIGHT. We created this gorgeous garlic bread cob loaf and it went down as an absolute treat at our family table – we’re sure it will at yours too!
There you have it, folks, more pasta recipes than you can poke a spaghetti fork at – and ALL of them are utterly delicious and easy to make. The only question left to ask is which recipe are you going to start with!?
