pasta and rice dishes

Pasta and rice dishes are economical, filling, tasty and nutritious. They are great for everyday eating or for entertaining and most people love them!

The most important thing when cooking pasta and rice, however, is not to overcook them. Sticky and soggy means unappetising and pushed to the side of the plate. So follow the step-by-step instructions given earlier for perfect results every time.

spaghetti bolognese

with a mixed salad

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Put the water on to boil for the spaghetti.

2 Chop one of the onions.

3 Put in a medium-sized saucepan with the meat. Cook over a fairly high heat, stirring all the time until the meat is no longer pink and all the grains are separate.

4 Add the can of tomatoes, a good squeeze of tomato purée and a small squeeze of garlic purée. Stir well. Sprinkle a little salt, pepper and dried oregano over and stir again.

5 When the mixture is boiling hard, turn down the heat until it is only just bubbling, stir again and leave to cook while you prepare the rest of the meal.

6 Now cook your spaghetti.

7 While it is cooking, turn on the oven at the lowest setting and put plates in to warm. Make a mixed salad and French dressing.

8 Use spaghetti tongs or a large spoon and fork to transfer the cooked spaghetti to the warm plates. Spoon the Bolognese sauce over and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with the salad.

sausage pasta bake

with basil tomatoes

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Measure out 175 g/6 oz pasta and cook. Once drained, return the pasta to the saucepan.

2 While the pasta is cooking, divide the sausagemeat into walnut-sized pieces. Sprinkle your hands with flour and roll into balls.

3 Turn on the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.

4 Finely chop the onion.

5 Grate enough Cheddar cheese on the coarse side of a grater to make about two handfuls of grated cheese.

6 Heat a frying pan, add the sausage balls and fry (sauté) on all sides until brown. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper (paper towels).

7 Add the onion to the pan with a small squeeze of garlic purée and fry, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.

8 In a small cup or bowl, mix 1 tbsp flour with 2 tbsp milk until smooth. Stir in the cream, some salt and pepper and ½ tsp each of dried sage and basil. Pour into the frying pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until smooth, thickened and well blended. Stir in one handful of cheese.

9 Pour over the tagliatelle and mix well. Tip into an ovenproof dish and scatter the sausage balls over the top. Crush two handfuls of cornflakes and mix with the remaining grated cheese. Sprinkle over the top and place in the oven near the top.

10 Empty the can of tomatoes into a casserole dish (Dutch oven) and sprinkle with a little dried basil, salt and pepper. Stir gently. Cover and place in the oven below the pasta. Cook for a further 25 minutes until the top of the pasta is golden and bubbling. Warm your plates in the oven for the last few minutes of cooking time. Serve the pasta with the tomatoes.

top tip!

lasagne al forno

with italian salad

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Make the meat sauce. Begin by finely chopping the onion.

2 Put half of it in a large saucepan with the minced meat. Cook over a fairly high heat, stirring all the time until the meat is no longer pink and all the grains are separate.

3 Add the contents of the can of tomatoes, a good squeeze of tomato purée, a small squeeze of garlic purée, a good sprinkling each of dried oregano and caster sugar and some salt and pepper. Stir well. Add a good slosh of red wine, if liked. Let the mixture boil rapidly, then turn down the heat, stir well again and leave to bubble gently for 15 minutes.

4 While the meat sauce is cooking, make a basic white sauce.

5 Grate some Cheddar cheese until you have two good handfuls. Put about two-thirds of the cheese into the sauce and stir well.

6 Turn on the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.

7 Put a little of the meat mixture in the base of a shallow ovenproof dish and spread it out (it doesn’t have to cover the base completely).

8 Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets, breaking them to fit, if necessary. Cover with about half the remaining meat mixture, then a further layer of lasagne. Repeat the layers again.

9 Spoon the cheese sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until the top is bubbling and golden brown.

10 About 15 minutes before the end of cooking time, put in the plates to warm. Peel the skin off the celeriac and the carrot. Grate them on the coarse side of the grater. Put in a salad bowl with the remaining chopped onion. Make some French dressing.

11 Add about 4 tbsp French dressing to the Italian salad and mix well. Serve the lasagne on the warm plates with the salad separately.

tuna and sweetcorn pasta

with garlic bread and a green salad

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Put a large pan of water on to boil to cook the pasta. While the water is coming to the boil, before adding the pasta, prepare the garlic bread.

2 Cook 175 g/6 oz pasta shapes.

3 When the pasta and garlic bread are cooking, make a basic white sauce.

4 Drain the pasta and return it to the saucepan.

5 Grate some Cheddar cheese so you have a good handful. Add to the sauce.

6 Drain off the liquid from the tuna and the sweetcorn. Stir the fish and the sweetcorn into the sauce with a wooden spoon.

7 Put the plates to warm in the oven. Prepare a green salad.

8 Add the tuna and sweetcorn sauce to the pan of drained pasta and cook, stirring continuously, over a gentle heat until piping hot.

9 Spoon the pasta on to the warm plates and garnish with parsley sprigs. Serve with the hot garlic bread and the green salad.

top tip!

spaghetti carbonara

with mixed salad

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Put a large pan of water on to boil to cook the spaghetti.

2 While the water is coming to the boil, before adding the spaghetti, chop one onion for the carbonara (keep the other one for the salad) and cut the bacon into small pieces with scissors.

3 Cook the spaghetti.

4 While it is boiling, heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the chopped onion and the bacon and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes over a fairly low heat until the onion is transparent but not brown and the bacon is cooked.

5 Add a good squeeze of garlic purée, stir, cover with a lid, turn the heat down as low as possible and leave to cook until the spaghetti is ready.

6 Chop a small handful of parsley and add to the bacon and onions. Put plates over the pan with the saucepan lid on top to warm.

7 Make a mixed salad.

8 When you have drained the spaghetti, put it back in the saucepan. Add the contents of the smaller pan and stir well.

9 Break 2 eggs into a cup and beat with a fork until well blended. Beat in about 3 tbsp milk or single cream and some salt and pepper.

10 Pour this mixture into the spaghetti and put over a gentle heat. Cook, stirring until the egg mixture is just beginning to scramble but the mixture is still creamy. Take off the heat immediately.

11 Pile on to the warmed plates using a fork and spoon or tongs and serve with the salad.

top tip!

smoked haddock kedgeree

with glazed carrots

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Cook 225 g/8 oz/1 cup rice. Add a good shake of turmeric and a handful of frozen peas to the rice halfway through cooking. Drain in a colander and return to the saucepan.

2 While the rice is cooking, dice the carrots.

3 Melt a large knob of butter in a frying pan. Add the carrots and turn over in the butter until coated. Add 150 ml/¼ pt/2/3 cup water, sprinkle liberally with caster sugar and add just a pinch of salt. When the mixture is bubbling, turn down the heat to low, cover with a lid and leave to cook for about 15 minutes until the carrots are tender.

4 Put the fish in another saucepan and cover with water. Scrub the eggs under cold running water and add to the pan. Put over a high heat. When the water is bubbling rapidly, turn down the heat to moderate, cover with plates (to warm) and a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the plates, lift out the eggs and place them in cold water. Lift out the fish, and put it on a board or plate.

5 Pull the skin off the fish and break the flesh into chunks. Add to the cooked rice.

6 Tap the shells of the eggs on the work surface and then peel off the shells. Cut the eggs into chunks and add to the rice and fish. Check the carrots and, if they are cooked, leave the lid off and turn up the heat to boil off any remaining liquid, then turn off the heat.

7 Chop the parsley. Add to the rice with a good pinch of cayenne and some salt and pepper. Add a little milk or single cream to moisten the mixture and stir over a gentle heat until very hot throughout.

8 Spoon on to the warm plates, sprinkle with paprika and serve with the glazed carrots.

top tip!

smoked ham and mushroom risotto

with sautéed courgettes

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Boil a kettle of water. Chop the onion.

2 Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to remove any soil, then cut into slices. Cut the ham into small dice.

3 Weigh out 225 g/8 oz/1 cup rice. Add 2 chicken stock cubes to 600 ml/1 pt/2½ cups boiling water and stir until dissolved.

4 Heat a good knob of butter or margarine and 1 tbsp olive oil in a flameproof casserole over a moderate heat.

5 Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.

6 Stir in the rice until all the grains are glistening. Stir in the mushrooms.

7 Add half the stock and let it come to the boil. Turn down the heat and let it simmer until the liquid is absorbed.

8 While the rice cooks, cut the ends off the courgettes and cut into fairly thin slices.

9 Heat a good knob of butter or margarine and 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Add the courgettes and fry (sauté), stirring and turning over occasionally until golden. Transfer to a serving dish lined with kitchen paper (paper towels) and keep warm in the oven at its lowest setting. Put the plates in to warm too.

10 When the rice has absorbed the stock in the casserole, add the remaining stock, stir, turn up the heat until it boils again, then turn down the heat and let it cook gently until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is just cooked.

11 Stir in the ham and 4 tbsp cream. Taste and season as necessary with salt and pepper. Let it heat for 3 minutes.

12 Spoon on to the warm plates, garnish with sprigs of parsley and serve with the courgettes.

top tip!

majorcan rice

with green salad and garlic and herb bread

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Boil a kettle of water. Dice the red pepper and one of the 2 green peppers.

2 Measure 600 ml/1 pt/2½ cups boiling water and stir in 2 chicken stock cubes until dissolved.

3 Weigh out 225 g/8 oz/1 cup rice.

4 Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the chicken and chopped peppers and fry (sauté) for 4 minutes over a fairly high heat, stirring all the time.

5 Add the rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

6 Keep stirring while you pour on the stock. When the mixture is bubbling rapidly, turn down the heat to low, cover with a lid or foil and cook gently for 10 minutes.

7 Meanwhile, make the garlic and herb bread, adding 2 tsp dried mixed herbs when mashing the butter and garlic.

8 Add about half the packet of peas and sweetcorn (put the rest back in the freezer for use another time) and all the prawns to the rice, stir, re-cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.

9 While the rice cooks, prepare the green salad. Put the plates in the oven briefly to warm.

10 Taste and season the rice with salt and pepper. Scatter as many olives as you like over the surface.

11 Serve the rice straight from the pan with the garlic and herb bread and a green salad.

chicken and mushroom pilaff

with garlic bread

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Chop the onion.

2 Wipe the chestnut and button mushrooms to remove any soil. Cut all the mushrooms into slices.

3 Cut the chicken into neat pieces and put to one side to add later.

4 Measure out 175 g/6 oz/¾ cup wild rice mix. Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over a fairly high heat. Add the onion and fry (sauté), stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly coloured.

5 Add the rice and stir for 1 minute until coated in the oil. Measure out 450 ml/¾ pt/2 cups water and add to the rice. Crumble in the stock cube and stir until dissolved. Heat until the water is bubbling.

6 Add the mushrooms, a bay leaf, a sprinkling of dried thyme and salt and pepper. Cover tightly with a lid and turn down the heat to low. Leave to cook for 10 minutes.

7 Make the garlic bread or, if you prefer, make garlic slices. Put plates to warm in the oven.

8 Remove the lid from the rice, add the chicken and two good handfuls of peas. Cover with a lid again and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove the lid. The rice should have absorbed all the liquid. If any remains, turn up the heat and cook quickly for a minute or two, stirring gently.

9 Remove the bay leaf, then serve the pilaff on the warm plates with the garlic bread.

top tip!

special prawn fried rice

with chinese salad

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Cook 175 g/6 oz/¾ cup rice, adding a good handful of frozen peas for the last 5 minutes’ cooking time.

2 While the rice is cooking, cut the roots off the spring onions and peel off the outer damaged layers. Cut off about half the green tops. Cut the onions into short lengths.

3 Cut the green pepper in half, remove the stalk, core and seeds and cut one half into small pieces. Cut the other half into thin strips and put in the salad bowl.

4 Cut the pork or chicken into small pieces.

5 Peel the carrot and grate on the coarse side of the grater and add to the salad bowl. Add the beansprouts, a sprinkling of oil, vinegar and soy sauce and toss gently. Leave to stand while preparing the rice dish.

6 Break the eggs into a small mixing bowl and beat with a fork until well blended. Turn on the oven at the lowest setting and put the plates in to warm.

7 Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan or wok. Fry (sauté) the spring onions and small pieces of pepper for 2 minutes. Add the rice and a sprinkling of turmeric and keep stirring with a fork for 1 minute.

8 Add the beaten eggs and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring all the time with a fork, until the egg is set.

9 Add the pork or chicken, a good sprinkling of soy sauce and the prawns and cook, stirring with a fork, for a further 2–3 minutes until piping hot. Serve straight away with the Chinese salad.