Pasta Carbonara is such a classic recipe and it is hard to mess with a classic! BUT - the original has lots of ingredients that many people need to avoid for various reasons. This recipe has been tested with loads of variations so make sure you read all the alternatives underneath to suit your needs (or your pantry!) I personally love it with mushrooms (this isn't classic at all) but you can ...
pasta
Pork Ragu
This Pork Ragu is a quick and easy pasta sauce and is a delicious variation to the typical spaghetti bolognese. This flavour combination is lovely with turkey mince too. I try to rotate the various types of protein we eat each week as each protein source is unique nutritionally. Because protein is comprised of up to 20 different amino acids, each source contains a different amino acid profile ...
Farmhouse Lasagne
This Farmhouse Lasagne is not a quick meal to make but it does my family two good sized serves so that means I get a night off! Using the Thermomix or a food processor to do the grating and chopping is a huge time saver. This is very versatile so feel free to switch up any of the veggies, or you could even sub the mince for chicken or turkey. If I'm cooking this for two meals I assemble in two ...
Tuna Pasta Bake
This Tuna Pasta Bake is a very adaptable family meal. I love having a tasty tuna recipe to go to as it's a sure-fire option when I've forgotten to get meat out the freezer! This recipe could also be considered a Mornay since it has a cheesy white sauce, but there are a heap of vegetable included making it a bit more 'bake-ish'. You can of course very easily vary the quantity and variety of veggies ...
Slow Cooked Beef Ragu
This slow cooked Beef Ragu is a delicious, easy meal. My family call it fancy or 'real spag bol' after a trip to Italy when they were little made them experts in Italian cuisine. Interestingly, the main difference between ragu and bolognese is the ratio of meat to sauce. Ragu is a meat-based sauce while the 'ragu alla Bolognese', a regional variation of ragu, has a higher tomato content. Whatever ...
Broccolini Macadamia Chilli Spaghetti
This Broccolini Macadamia Chilli Spaghetti is a simple vegetarian pasta that is quick and easy to make and a really tasty, healthy meal that’s perfect for a meat-free Monday. Broccolini is coming into season now, so it's a great time to enjoy this simple, light meal. Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit your specific dietary ...
Green Eggs and Ham Pasta Cups
This Green Eggs and Ham Pasta Cups recipe is a delicious one handed snack with a whole load of nourishment. Greens are often hard to get kids to accept, so a power pesto like the one below combined with a universally loved food (pasta) is very often enough to convert green skeptics. Throw in a legendary tale like the Dr Suess classic ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ to spark young imaginations and you may be ...
Vegan Mac ‘n Cheese
This super delicious Vegan Mac 'n Cheese is incredibly creamy and remarkably (fake) mac 'n cheese-like according to my kids. It's super easy to make and using nutritious plant based ingredients, this will surely become a family favourite. Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit your specific dietary requirements. ...
Thyme Mushroom Pasta
This Mushroom Thyme Pasta is one of my favourite vegetarian mid-week meals. It’s quick and easy to make and really tasty. You can make it with any kind of mushrooms, but I like a mix of shiitake, oyster and field or Swiss brown mushrooms. Really anything you can get your hands on. During the winter months I try to incorporate mushrooms a couple of times a week as they are a wonderful source ...
Pastitsio
This is my healthy take on a Greek classic, Pastitsio. Instead of a rich cheesy sauce, it’s topped with a much lighter blend of yoghurt, tahini and parmesan cheese. It can also be made with beef mince if you prefer, but personally prefer to use lamb mince. Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit any specific dietary ...
One Pot Tuna Tomato Penne
This One Pot Tuna Tomato Penne is a delicious, healthy really easy to make meal. You don't have to pre-cook the pasta which makes for one less thing to wash up. I also love the consistency of the sauce when the pasta is cooked in it. Best of all this can be easily varied to suit your taste and pantry stores. Take a look at the variations below the ...
Fresh Tomato, Olive and Basil Spaghetti
This delicious Fresh Tomato, Olive and Basil Spaghetti is perfect for a simple dinner or light lunch. It’s really quick and easy to make, literally in the time it takes to boil pasta, you have a meal on the table. It can be served at room temperature or chilled as a pasta salad. When I was a vegetarian this was one of my regular go-to meals, especially when I was short on time. It's a simple and ...
Kale Pesto Penne
Each week I try to rotate the veggies I buy because I really do believe that variety is such a great way to ensure our nutritional needs are met. I also make sure a good part of what I buy is green and leafy. Leafy green vegetables have more nutrients per calorie than any other food. Forget fancy and expensive ‘super’ foods, leafy greens like kale are as nourishing as it gets. Kale isn't one of ...
Mushroom and Lentil Lasagne (to die for)
I have SO much thyme in my garden at the moment and even though it is just one of many ingredients in this totally divine Mushroom and Lentil Lasagne, it was what ultimately inspired this dish. I'm constantly experimenting on delicious ways to win over my meat loving family and this is our latest vegetarian favourite so I thought I'd better share it. For about 20 years of my life I was a ...
Turkey and Sage Spaghetti Meatballs
So here we have my twist on Jamie Olivers's second recipe 'to save your life' - a Classic Tomato Spaghetti. It's tough to mess with a classic but the Naturopath in me is screaming 'add protein and vegetables' to make this simple staple, nutritionally complete! So that's exactly what I did and not only is this one nourishing meal, it's also absolutely delicious and really very quick and simple to ...
Smoked Salmon, Pea and Broccoli Pasta
We tend not to eat a heap of pasta, but it does make for a really fast meal occasionally. So it's handy to have a few easy, delicious flavour combos like this lemony, smoked salmon, pea and broccoli recipe to call on. This recipe came about after I bought some hot smoked salmon from our local farmers market (it's also available in supermarkets), which I generally keep in the fridge to whip up ...