PASTA doesn’t have to cost a packet – and this World Pasta Day, celebrity chef Aldo Zilli is proving it.
With the cost of the weekly shop squeezing household budgets, there’s never been a better time to .
says: “Everyone in the world loves pasta, and the best dishes are those with just a few ingredients. In my early years as a chef, my favourite pasta dish was Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino, which only uses garlic, olive oil and chilli.”
And he has the following tips on perfecting your dishes: “My favourite pasta to use is Liguori, but use whatever you have in your cupboard. Always add salt to the water before you boil it. It seasons the pasta as it cooks.
“But you don’t need to add olive oil to the water – it’s a waste of money.
“Drain your pasta into the sauce two minutes before cooking time and finish the cooking in the sauce, adding a touch of olive oil and seasoning to taste. Also, always put your pasta into the sauce rather than adding sauce to the pasta.”
To mark this Sunday, here shares four simple, wallet-friendly recipes that each cost less than £2 per portion.
They all deliver big on flavour without sending your food bill through the roof.
Fusilli Alla Norma – £1.60 per portion
YOU NEED:
- 75g fusilli pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small aubergine, peeled and diced
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6 black olives
- 6 spring onions – green tops only
- 1 tsp capers, chopped
- 60ml vegetable stock
- 25g smoked ricotta or smoked Cheddar (crumbled)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
METHOD:
Cook the fusilli according to the instructions on the packet – reserve a little pasta water before draining, about two to three tablespoons.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the aubergine and cook until it is golden brown and soft (about six minutes).
Remove the aubergine from the pan and set it aside so it doesn’t get mushy.
In the same pan, add the cherry tomatoes, capers and black olives, then cook for three to four minutes until the tomatoes soften.
Pour in the vegetable stock and simmer for two minutes so it reduces.
Add the cooked fusilli and cooked aubergine into the pan.
Toss everything for one minute over a low heat so the pasta absorbs the flavours.
If it looks dry, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.
Turn off the heat, stir in most of the smoked ricotta or smoked cheddar and most of the chopped onion tops, letting the cheese melt into the warm pasta.
Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining smoked cheese and a few chopped onion tops, before seasoning with black pepper.
Pumpkin Linguine – £1.50 per portion
YOU NEED:
- 75g linguine pasta
- 2 tbsp pumpkin (finely diced)
- Splash olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon chopped sage
- 1/2 tin anchovies (roughly 2 fillets, drained and chopped)
- Black pepper to taste
METHOD:
Cook linguine according to the instructions on the packet, reserve a little pasta water before draining – about two to three tablespoons.
While the pasta cooks, place a small frying pan over a medium heat, add a splash of olive oil and toss in the pumpkin.
Saute for four to six minutes, adding in a splash of water if necessary, until the pumpkin pieces are tender.
Add the butter and chopped sage into the pan with the pumpkin.
Add the anchovies then mash them into the butter with a fork until they dissolve.
Add the drained linguine into the pan with the .
Pour in two tablespoons of the reserved pasta water.
Toss everything over the heat for about a minute so that all of the pasta is covered.
Serve immediately, seasoning with black pepper.
Penne Arrabbiata – £1.10 per portion
YOU NEED:
- 75g penne pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove (thinly sliced or minced)
- 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes or 1 small fresh red chilli (finely sliced)
- 100g chopped tomatoes
- Small handful of fresh basil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Parmesan, grated (optional, for topping)
METHOD:
Cook the penne according to the instructions on the packet, and reserve a little pasta water before draining – about two to three tablespoons.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the sliced garlic and chilli.
Saute gently for one to two minutes.
Spoon in the tomatoes and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Simmer on a low heat for five to eight minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
Toss the drained pasta into the pan with the arrabbiata sauce.
Add the torn basil leaves and a splash of the reserved starchy pasta water.
Stir over the heat until all of the pasta is covered.
Serve immediately, seasoning with black pepper and , if using.
Spaghetti Assassina – £1.20 per portion
YOU NEED:
- 75g spaghetti
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- Half to 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 100g chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 50g mozzarella (about half of a standard ball)
- 60ml vegetable stock
METHOD:
In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable stock on a low heat, and mix in the tomatoes and tomato puree.
Add the olive oil into a large frying pan or skillet (it needs to be big enough so that you can lay the spaghetti flat), add the garlic and chilli and cook on a gentle heat.
Lay the dry spaghetti into the pan over the sauce base, allowing it to crisp.
Add a few spoonfuls of the tomato sauce from the saucepan and allow it to bubble and reduce slightly.
Allow it to sizzle without moving it.
Ladle the warm tomato-veg stock a couple of spoons at a time.
Allow the liquid to bubble away and be absorbed by the pasta.
Turn the spaghetti over so the other side cooks, adding more warm stock gradually until the pasta is al dente (about ten to 15 minutes).
Once the pasta is cooked, and add it over the hot pasta.
Let it melt into the pasta for a minute before serving.
