pasta sauce ideas

[Rosendula]

I'm so excited because my new pasta machine should be arriving tomorrow. I anticipate that we are going to be eating a lot of pasta over the next couple of weeks, so I'm hoping you can suggest some alternative ways of serving it, sauces and the like, so the family don't get too fed up of it. I have a few good sauces up my sleeve (not literally ), but I'm looking for suggestions. What's your favourite way of serving/eating pasta?

[Helsbells]

I love a tomatoe sauce with artichoke hearts (from a tin sadly not fresh) but I love it.

[Graye]

I have a couple you could try. We're having pasta tonight and this is the sauce I'll make. It's from a very old student/bedsit recipe and pretty basic but I love it. I have a pasta machine in the cupboard and have never used it here as I haven't seen pasta flour in France. I'm sure there is some but I haven't found it...

I make ours with pasta sauce TVP which goes in dry but if you want to use minced beef, buy half a pound of decent quality mince and brown in a pan, pouring off the excess fat.

Chop one medium onion, half a red pepper and two cloves of garlic. Brown in some olive oil. To this add the following

1 grated carrot
3 or 4 roughly chopped mushrooms
1 tsp. tomato puree
1 tin tomatoes (chop them as they go in)
1 glass of red wine
1 dash of tabasco or perhaps some worcester sauce
1 tsp of either basil or oregano
1 veggie oxo
Good grind of black pepper & a shake of salt
1 cup of TVP granules (add the mince if you are using meat). You will probably need to add some extra water with the TVP.

You can add half a tsp of sugar if you like the sauce sweetish but the carrot and puree should do the trick anyway. Leave to simmer gently for about 45 minutes.
Serve on fresh pasta with plenty of parmesan.

The slightly more sophisticated one we sometimes have involves prawns, cream and pasta. The amounts are pretty rough, you can almost make this up as you go! I sometimes add some lightly cooked asparagus too.

1/2 lb raw prawns (you can use cooked ones, just miss out the frying stage)
1/4 lb of whole button mushrooms
2 oz butter
2 oz cup flour
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 pt of hot water plus veggie Oxo
1/4 pt of thin cream or milk
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat up some butter in the pan and put in some of the chopped garlic, letting the garlic turn transparent. Put in the prawns and fry them until they turn colour.
Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Add in the remaining butter and when hot, put in the remainder of the garlic and fry gently.
Add the mushrooms and saute. Mix the flour with some of the veggie stock liquid until smooth then add the remainder, pouring it into the hot pan and stirring as you go.
Lower the heat and stir until the sauce thickens.
Add in the cream, salt and pepper.
Finally, put in all the prawns into the sauce.

Serve on fresh pasta and use parsley and the grated parmesan cheese on top.

[sleepyowl]

A pack of spicy sausage (pork sausage with chilli & coriander is a favourite of mine)
1 tin of tomatoes
1 large pepper
1 medium onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of chilli sauce

[Loobyloo]

If I've got nice fresh pasta then I like to keep the sauce to a minimum.

Something really simple like: olive oil, garlic, baby leaf spinach just tossed through the pasta is lovely, maybe with some gorgeous little pomodorini as well and parmasan on top.


hmmmmm

[Green Aura]

Don't forget the squeeze of lemon, Looby. Mmmmmmm - second only to spaghetti con aglio e olio. Already posted in cheap recipes thread.

[Odsox]

Funnily enough I'm cooking one tonight, it's a way of using up leftover chicken.

1/2 pint of milk thickened with 4 tsp cornflour
1 chicken oxo cube
1 tbs tomato purée
handful of chopped cooked chicken.

takes as long to cook as it takes to read the ingredients

Edit: sorry should have said ... serves 2

[Loobyloo]

Don't forget the squeeze of lemon, Looby. Mmmmmmm - second only to spaghetti con aglio e olio. Already posted in cheap recipes thread.

How could I forget! That a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.

I also like to add a few prawns or some steamed flaked white fish sometimes.
It just tastes so fresh and lovely.

[Rosendula]

Thanks everyone. Keep them coming
It arrived this morning about an hour ago but I haven't taken it out of the box yet I was in the middle of making breakfast when it came, then the washing machine stopped, then I had to do the next stage of breadmaking, then LO wanted a cuddle. I'm going to set her up with some of her toys and then go play with my new toy. Made some dough last night and put it in the fridge, so I'm all ready for the off. Wish me luck

[Green Aura]

You don't need luck honey. Have fun!

[contadina]

I tend to save tomato based sauces for egg-less pasta. But for fresh egg pasta either cream or fresh ricotta with lemon and fresh herbs goes really well with tagliatelle. Sage cooked in either olive oil or butter is good for both fresh pasta and gnocchi. Pomodori crudo (uncooked toms halved and squeezed, dressed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with garlic and basil or rocket) serve with torn fresh mozzarella. Alfredo - cream, butter, parmesan and parsley goes well with any long fresh pastas as does carbonara. Courgettes with lemon, asparagus, pesto, mushroom and seafood sauces also compliment pasta all'uovo.

[sheena]

A cheap & tasty sauce can be made with chopped tomatoes, onion, chopped garlic, chopped oregano or thyme(or both) add a pinch of salt & black pepper and add a chopped red pepper, flavour can be adapted to suit younger tastes too.(for an adult taste you can make it more fiery.)

[ina]

Not really a sauce, but one of my favourites: slice leek and saute in a pan with butter and/or oliveoil; when done, throw in pasta and some blue cheese (usually Stilton on special offer, in my case!).

[gigglybug]

How did you get on Rosendula?

I want one now!!

[gigglybug]

Oops Never mind i found the other post