Pasta, to me, summarises the beauty of few-ingredient cooking. Pasta recipes are fast, simple and delicious – perfect for budgeting or for busy families on a dinner time-crunch. Not to mention, they satisfy ALL the carb cravings and they’re the perfect food to disguise veggies for the kids. Keen for a pasta night? Choose from one of our 5 all time favourite recipes below!
Most of these recipes serve 2, so simply double or triple if feeding a large family.
Reviewed by: Amanda Turbill, APD, M.Nutr&Diet, B.Edu
Fresh Tomato Pasta
- 2 Serves
- 5 min prep time
- 10 min cooking
- 318 Cal / serve
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cups Wholemeal Pasta (80g)
- 2 Teaspoons Olive Oil (10g)
- 2 Cloves Garlic (6g), crushed
- 2 Tomatoes (334g), chopped
- 1/2 X 400g cans Borlotti Beans (117g), rinsed & drained
- 1/2 Cups Basil Leaves (20g), torn
- 20g Low Fat Feta, crumbled
Method
- Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water following packet directions.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add beans and heat through.
- Drain pasta and return to pan. Toss tomato mixture through pasta with the basil. Season well with freshly ground black pepper. Divide between serving bowls and top with crumbled feta.
Chicken & Zucchini Pasta
- 2 Serves
- 5 min prep time
- 10 min cooking
- 304 Cal / serve
Ingredients
- 80g Spaghetti
- 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil (5g)
- 2 Cloves Garlic (6g), crushed
- 1 Zucchini (101g), coarsely grated
- 100g Lean Chicken Breast, cooked and shredded
- 100g Baby Spinach
- 1 Tablespoon Flaked Almonds (9g)
- 1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan (7g), optional to serve
Method
- Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling water according to packet directions.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and zucchini and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add chicken and spinach. Cook for 2 minutes until spinach has wilted and chicken has heated through. Add almonds and season with freshly ground black pepper.
- Drain pasta and return to the pan. Add zucchini mixture and toss to combine. Divide between bowls and serve topped with parmesan, if desired.
Broccoli Pasta with Chilli Ricotta
- 2 Serves
- 15 min prep time
- 15 min cooking
- 332 Cal / serve
Ingredients
- 120g Wholemeal Pasta
- 300g Broccoli, cut into florets
- 4 Tablespoons Reduced Fat Ricotta (80g)
- 1/2 Red Chilli (5g), deseeded & chopped
- 1 Clove Garlic (3g), crushed
- 2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (14g), shaved
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice (20g)
- 20g Rocket, optional to serve
Method
- Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water according to packet directions. Add broccoli for last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Meanwhile combine ricotta, chilli and garlic in a small bowl.
- Drain pasta and broccoli. Return broccoli to saucepan, and use back of a large spoon to finely mash.
- Return pasta to pan and add parmesan and lemon juice. Season with freshly ground black pepper and toss to combine.
- Divide between dishes. Serve and top with ricotta mixture and optional rocket.
Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni
- 6 Serves
- 30 min prep time
- 40 min cooking
- 331 Cal / serve
Ingredients
- 2 Packets Frozen Spinach (500g), thawed
- 400g Reduced Fat Ricotta
- 2 Cloves Garlic (6g), crushed
- 100g Reduced Fat Cheddar, grated
- 700g Passata
- 18 Tubes Cannelloni Pasta Tubes (200g)
Method
- Combine spinach, ricotta, garlic and 40g of grated cheese in a bowl. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
- Preheat oven to 180C. Pour a little passata over base of a 20cm x 30cm baking dish.
- Fill cannelloni tubes with spinach mixture, using the end of a spoon to push mixture through. Place filled tubes in baking dish.
- Pour over remaining passata and sprinkle with remaining grated cheese. Bake for 35 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Technically this last one is NOT one of our pasta recipes …but it’s too good not to share with you and let you try for yourself! Oh and we’re also not counting the olive oil as an ingredient…
Rice Cooker Pumpkin Risotto
- 4 Serves
- 10 min prep time
- 25 min cooking
- 319 Cal / serve
Ingredients
- 500g Pumpkin, diced into 2cm cubes
- 1 Cups Arborio Rice (200g)
- 1000g Liquid Vegetable Stock
- 1 Onion (145g), diced finely
- 2 Cloves Garlic (6g), crushed
- 2 Teaspoons Olive Oil (10g)
- 4 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan (28g)
- 4 Leaves Sage (2g)
Method
- Dice your pumpkin and onion.
- Turn on your rice cooker and allow it to warm. Add the olive oil, garlic and onion and cook stirring for 1 minute.
- Pop the pumpkin in and stir for a further 1 minute.
- Add the arborio rice and stock. Stir and then close the lid.
- Give the risotto a stir after ten minutes and place the lid back down.
- The rice cooker will stop cooking when the rice is cooked.
- Once cooked, serve with parmesan and sage. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Interested in a custom weekly meal plan for your family? Want to get rediscover a healthy lifestyle? These pasta recipes are just the beginning of what 12WBT has to offer. Visit us anytime at 12WBT.com to learn more about our nutrition, fitness and mindset programs.
Or check out more of our pasta recipes here on the blog.
