Quick Easy Pasta And Potato Food

TOMATO, PASTA, AND POTATO BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 cups water to a boil and remove from heat. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the pasta in a single layer in dish. Top with one-third the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon oregano, half the potatoes, all the onion, and 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Distributing evenly, layer with remaining pasta, another one-third tomatoes, and remaining oregano and potatoes; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with remaining tomatoes.
• Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Carefully pour hot water into dish until it comes up to the top layer of potatoes. Tightly cover dish with foil and bake until liquid is absorbed and pasta and potatoes are tender, about 1 hour. Remove foil and top with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until browned, 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

ONE-POT POTATO PASTA (PASTA E PATATE)

Steps:

• Cut onion, carrot and celery into small pieces.
• Peel and cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch chunks.
• Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in the diced vegetables (soffritto), reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 10 minutes until soft. Stir frequently.
• Add the potato chunks, the tomatoes, and salt to the pan, stir well to coat.
• Pour in hot water, cover, increase the heat and cook for a couple of minutes, until the potatoes are almost soft.
• Then add pasta, and cook until al dente, stirring frequently. As soon as the mixture begins to thicken, add a bit of boiling water.
• When the pasta is nearly done, taste and adjust the seasoning. Make sure you're happy with the consistency, if you prefer a soupy potato pasta add more water and give a good stir.
• Turn the heat off, add grated parmesan cheese, parsley, black pepper and stir well.
• Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and extra black pepper, parmesan cheese, and parsley if you wish. Enjoy!

GNOCCHI I

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel potatoes and add to pot. Cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash with a fork or potato masher.
• Combine 1 cup mashed potato, flour and egg in a large bowl. Knead until dough forms a ball. Shape small portions of the dough into long "snakes". On a floured surface, cut snakes into half-inch pieces.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top; drain and serve.

BEST EVER PESTO & POTATO PASTA

Steps:

• KIDS: the writing in bold is for you. GROWN-UPS: the rest is for you. Pick the basil for the pesto. Get your child to pick the basil leaves off the stalks. Ask them to look at and smell the leaves as you tell them the name of the herb until they remember it - try to do this with all herbs when you can.
• Make the pesto. Toast the pine nuts in a pan over a low heat. A child of seven years plus can stir the nuts in the pan. Tip into a mini chopper (or use a pestle and mortar) with the basil, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. Blitz or pound into a green sauce, then set aside.
• Chop up the beans. Using a child-friendly knife, get children from the age of five to chop the green beans into shorter lengths, and quarter the potatoes. Younger children can snap the beans into short lengths while you prepare the potatoes.
• Cook the vegetables and pasta. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the potatoes and boil for 3 mins. Remove from the heat and ask the child to tip in the pasta and give it a stir. Put the pan back on the heat, boil the pasta for 5 mins, add the beans and cook for a final 3 mins.
• Mix everything together. Drain everything well and tip into a bowl. Spoon most of the pesto into the pasta and stir everything together to coat. Bring the large bowl of pasta to the table and serve with extra parmesan, more basil and remaining pesto, if you like.

QUICK & EASY PASTA AND POTATO

Steps:

• Add the cubed potatoes and cabbage/spinach to a pot of boiling salted water. Boil for 5 minutes then add the pasta and boil for 12 more minutes.
• In the meantime, melt the butter then add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Drain the potatoes and pasta, then into a large bowl start adding layers of potato+cabbage/spinach+pasta, and cheddar and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Finally, pour the melted butter over the dish. Serve while hot.