It's pasta.

I don't have much to say about this. I mean, what else is there to say than this is pasta? It's an easy, tasty, weekday pasta dish that uses whatever you've got in the house. You could make it more saucy if you like, or leave it as it is.
I made this for a quick lunch for me and my lovely friend Alex, and then the next day, I ate it again. And I think it was even better cold, as a sort-of pasta salad.
But do whatever floats your boat, really.



Pasta with mushroom, tomato and olives. 

Serves 2-3

1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, chopped
a big handful of olives
4/5 button mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, diced
half a red capsicum, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
a big handful of fresh parsley, diced
200g dried spaghetti
parmesan cheese, for grating.

Fry the onion, garlic and mushrooms in some olive oil until onion is soft and mushrooms are getting brown.
Add the tomatoes, olives and capsicum, and simmer for 5-7 mins.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in lots of boiling, salted water until al dente.
When the pasta is done, stir a knob of butter through it.
Add the parsley to the tomatoes.
Mix the sauce through the pasta and top with parmesan and cracked pepper.

Pasta with bacon, lentils and silverbeet & a snow story.

At about 9:00 this morning, my Mum rang me to ask if I wanted to go to the snow. Of course I wanted too.
It snowed so much yesterday. It was the coldest September day ever. And here I was thinking it was spring. Silly me! And after a cold morning walking through the snow, all I wanted to do was eat pasta. (The above photo was taken on my phone, thats why its so baaad).

Pasta is my go-to meal when I want something quick and homey. This dish reminds me of something that Dad cooks - black-eyed peas with spinach and bacon. I love spinach and bacon together (I always forget that spinach and silverbeet are different things), they're a perfect couple. Like coffee and cake. This recipe had heaps of left-overs, which is perfect when you're studying, because you don't have to cook lunch. If you're like me, you'll just eat the cold leftover pasta straight out of the saucepan. What? You don't do that? My friend Leah and I used to do it all the time. We'd eat cold spaghetti straight out of the tin when she first moved out of home and none of us had jobs. I don't really eat tinned spaghetti any more, but I do still like to eat cold pasta.

Recipe:
serves 2 with leftovers
Adapted from delicious. Magazine

3 rashers of short cut bacon, diced
4 big leaves of silverbeet, chopped
1 250g tin brown lentils, rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock
500g short pasta, i.e. penne
knob butter, optional
parmesan to serve

Cook the pasta in a big pot of boiling, salted water for 12-15 mins, until al dente.
In a fry pan, heat some olive oil and cook the onions, bacon and garlic until garlic is soft.
Add the silverbeet, lentils, tomato and stock and cook until spinach is wilted and soft.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the cooked pasta and stir in the knob of butter.
Add pasta to the sauce, stir and serve with parmesan.