easy breezy: 3 super quick n’ affordable pasta recipes

Monday February 16, 2009

easy breezy: 3 super quick n’ affordable pasta recipes

Today I give you three recipes. They’re quick, they’re easy and they are definitely affordable. All of ’em taste good too. These aren’t fancy and they don’t make the prettiest of photos (thank you Poladroid!), but they’re hearty and warming which makes them nice even as winter is slowly turning into spring.

This is a nice simple vegan recipe which uses Israeli or Mediterranean couscous, the large grained tastier cousin of plain old couscous. I bought a bag of it and didn’t know what to make. So I hopped online and found myself at Apartment Therapy and this recipe jumped out at me. I decided to change it up a bit by adding salsa and beans and skipping the balsamic vinegar. I also had kale so I used that instead of the chard. Cornelius wasn’t a fan, but he hates all couscous. Whatever, I liked it a whole bunch.

israeli couscous with kale
(recipe adapted from Apartment Therapy)
1 3/4 c vegetable broth
1 1/4 c Israeli couscous
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 t whole cumin, crushed
1/2 t dried red chilis
1 bunch of chopped kale
1 can of beans, drained (black beans, chickpeas, cannelli beans)
1/4 c fresh salsa
salt & pepper

Heat broth in a medium sized saucepan until it reaches the boiling point. Add in couscous, remove from heat and set aside. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add in garlic, cumin and onion and saute until soft (but not brown!). Add in the kale and saute until it starts to wilt, about 5 minutes or so. Add in the cooked couscous, beans and the salsa and let cook for another few minutes. If it’s dry, add a bit of broth or water. Serve.

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I love using pasta and chickpeas together. It’s a coupling that just works. This is a variation of something I’ve made many times. It ain’t the prettiest, but it’s tasty and cheap and tastes great. Usually, I top this with grated Parmesan, but I didn’t have any on hand and it still got rave reviews.

bowtie pasta with chickpeas & spinach
250 g bowtie pasta
2 T olive oil
1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 bunch of spinach, rinsed and torn
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 t dried red chilis
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Make pasta according to package directions. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add in onion, celery, garlic and hot peppers. Saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft. Add in the can of chickpeas and lightly mash about half the chickpeas. Add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to the chickpea mixture if it becomes too dry. Season with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is almost ready, add spinach into the pasta pot, letting the spinach wilt. Drain pasta/spinach, reserving some of the pasta liquid, and add it all into the pan with the chickpeas. Simmer for a few minutes and stir so that everything mixes nicely. Serve in deep bowls and top with Parmesan if desired.

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I love new cookbooks and this recipe is adapted from the book Apples for Jam –a relatively new book in my collection. It’s pretty and the recipes are simple and homey, however, it is organized by colour which isn’t the most practical when it comes to like, cooking. It does make it fun to browse, though. This recipe was taken and adapted and worked out wonderfully. It’s perfect weeknight food and might even qualify as nice enough to share with good friends over a bottle of wine. However, it is really good, so maybe you just want to be selfish just this once and keep it to yourself.

spaghetti with tomatoes, oregano, ham & parmesan
(adapted from the book Apples for Jam)
2 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dried red chilis
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 t dried oregano, crushed between your palms
salt
400 g spaghetti
6 slices of parma ham (or prosciutto) cut into thin strips
grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan, adding in garlic and dried chilis. When fragrant, add in tomatoes, oregano and salt. Use the back of your wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes as you stir and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook your spaghetti in salted water. When the pasta is done, add in the parma ham into the sauce and let it heat through. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir. Serve pasta in deep bowls topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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Filed in: pasta
Tags: beans, chickpeas, couscous, easily vegan, ham, kale, parmesan, spaghetti, spinach, tomatoes

24 comments to “easy breezy: 3 super quick n’ affordable pasta recipes”

1

VeggieGirl February 16, 2009 at 1:56 pm

Yum!!
2

Caviar and Codfish February 16, 2009 at 2:05 pm

I love, love, love your polaroids (and your pastas.)

Gotta try that couscous and kale this week, I have an overflow of kale in my fridge.
3

Daily Spud February 16, 2009 at 2:31 pm

I love that larger grained couscous in a big ol’ stew of root veg – with kale and beans sounds great too. And while I love chickpeas in just about anything, I don’t often think of putting it with pasta. ‘Nother one for my list, then 🙂
4

Bijoux February 16, 2009 at 2:44 pm

I’ve tried the larger couscous before and although I did enjoy its chewier texture, I do prefer the finer couscous for absorbing flavours more readily. All three dishes sound delicious, easy to prepare and pocket-friendly.
Over time, I’ve come to realize that C is not a fan of MY people’s food…couscous, feta, olives (or perhaps it is my husband that dislikes olives)…LOL…anyway, my M-I-L also dislikes feta and olives. What is wrong with these people? 😉
5

Not Another Omnivore February 16, 2009 at 7:11 pm

That couscous and kale photo is great!

NAOmni
6

Aimée February 16, 2009 at 7:16 pm

I’d order a bowl of spaghetti–or three rather, as it’s my family’s favorite, too!
7

Rootbeer Racinette February 16, 2009 at 8:46 pm

The couscous looks delicious! Also, I am interested in the chickpea pasta. So often they can seem extraneous, rather than integral to the meal, so I look forward to trying this.
8

Lexi from Quick Dinner Recipes Blog February 17, 2009 at 4:53 am

you can’t have too many pasta recipes, in my humble opinion! pasta is a staple in my busy household. your recipes look really good and yummy. must remember to introduce the munchkins to couscous soon.

thanks for sharing!
9

Dawn February 17, 2009 at 6:23 am

OK, I’ve seen 4 pasta recipes this morning so far–that’s it, I’m having pasta!
That last one sounds INSANELY good.
10

Bellini Valli February 17, 2009 at 7:32 am

My favourite would be the last with or without the ham Kickpleat:D
11

kickpleat February 17, 2009 at 8:59 am

indeed, veggiegirl!

thanks caviar…poladroid is great for turning any photo into a polaroid 🙂

daily spud, it goes great, trust me 🙂

i love the texture of the larger couscous and thought c might like it too…not!

thanks, omnivore!

that spaghetti is insanely good, aimee!

flame, i love chickpeas and hardly ever think of them as extraneous! i hope you like them.

thanks lexi.

dawn, it is amazingly delicious!

bellini, it would be great without the ham, as well!
12

Culinary Wannabe February 17, 2009 at 9:09 am

All look delicious – but I’m going for the bowties!
13

Hayley February 17, 2009 at 11:58 am

These all look incredible, especially that farfalle dish. Thanks for sharing!
14

Moondancer February 17, 2009 at 12:56 pm

Thank you! I was trying to think of what to have for dinner tonight and checked your blog….good stuff!!!
15

Girl Healthy February 17, 2009 at 1:46 pm

I just got a big ol’ tub of spinach yesterday. Now I know what to make with it. Thanks!
16

Cookie baker Lynn February 18, 2009 at 8:01 am

What great, quick meals. I, too, just bought Israeli cous cous and am clueless what to do with it. Now I know!
17

celine February 18, 2009 at 9:17 am

that “apples for jam” book looks awesome. lovely recipes and pictures, as always! love the little drawings, as well as your handwriting.
18

kickpleat February 18, 2009 at 9:50 am

good choice, culinary!

thanks haley!

moondancer, glad i could inspire 🙂

girl healthy, you could throw spinach into any of these recipes and they’d turn out great!

thanks cookie lynn!

celine, those are my little doodles, but not my handwriting. it’s a font!
19

Tartelette February 18, 2009 at 10:33 pm

I love them all! Pasta is one the menu on friday nights because he needs something to hold him up while he plays music all night and I need something to get cooked fast right after work. All of these are great! And I love the poladroids.
20

Joanne February 21, 2009 at 6:26 am

These seem like great go-to pasta recipes with stuff you would already have in your fridge/cabinets. Love it!
21

redmenace February 24, 2009 at 10:01 pm

I love couscous– especially the Israeli variety. Thanks!
22

kickpleat February 25, 2009 at 10:52 am

thanks tartlette!

joanne, these definitely are!

red menace, i love it too! so good.
23

por-shee-ah March 16, 2009 at 5:50 am

i love your polaroids!

may I ask what kind of font is used?
24

kickpleat March 16, 2009 at 9:52 am

por-shee-ah, it’s http://www.dafont.com/prophecy-script.font

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