Food

Meal Inspiration Monday- Spanish Paella Recipe

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

Today I am going to be sharing with you a recipe which we have used a couple of times. Paella is something which we have had a lot as ready meals when we used to live in York without a microwave. Recently we though we would make a paella dish because we used to love it so much. This made me search Pinterest for Paella because I want to save money instead of getting a ready meal. This Paella actually made was as nice as the ones which we used to buy.  It of course, is going to be healthier than picking a ready meal up. Today I am going to share the recipe which we used for the Spanish paella.

Ingredient – Serves 6

 

Large pinch saffron strands

1 Vegetable or Chicken Stock make up 600ML

 

3 tbsp olive oil

125g Chorizo roughly chopped

500g Boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped

1 Onion finely chopped

3 Garlic Cloves finely chopped

1 Red Pepper deseeded and finely chopped

 

2 tsp paprika

250g Spanish Paella Rice

4 Medium Tomatoes roughly chopped

75g Frozen Peas

250g cooked prawns with shells on

Method

 

  1. Stir the saffron strands into the stock and set aside to infuse while you prepare the rest of the paella.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large deep frying pan with a lid. Tip in the chorizo and fry for about 3 mins until crisp and the oil has been released.
  3. Remove the chorizo and drain on kitchen paper, leaving the oil in the pan.
  4. Stir the chicken into the pan and fry over a high heat for 7-8 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.
  5. Pour another 1 tbsp of oil into the pan, tip in the chopped onion and garlic and stir-fry for 4-5 mins, until softened and just starting to colour.
  6. Stir in the pepper and paprika with the remaining tablespoon of oil and stir-fry for a further 1-2 mins. The pan should have lots of crispy, brown bits on the bottom, which will all add flavour.
  7. With the heat still quite high, quickly stir in the rice so it is well-coated in the oil, then pour in the saffron-infused stock plus 450ml boiling water, scraping up the sticky brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
  8. Return the browned chicken pieces to the pan, then add the chopped tomatoes.
  9. Cover the pan and cook on a medium heat for 10 mins, stirring once or twice.
  10. Scatter the peas, prawns and fried chorizo over the top, cover again and leave to cook a further 5 mins, or until the rice is just cooked and most of the liquid in the pan has been absorbed.
  11. Remove the pan from the heat, put the lid on and leave to rest for 5 mins. Stir a few times to mix the ingredients, season to taste.

Have you ever made Paella from scratch?

Charlotte xxx

 

 

 

Meal Plan 3rd May

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

Wow, another month this does mean that I have been meal planning for 4 whole months. I hope you have enjoyed actually seeing the meals which we have been consuming over that period of time. There has been a wide range of them. Today I am going to be sharing another meal plan this is week is going to be a little bit different. The reason for this is Joe is actually away for a couple of night this week which means that I am going to be eating food on my own. Obviously, I do not want to be cooking as fancy meals so I am going to try and use a few things up which we have in the freezer.  So on with the meals which I am going to be consuming this week.

Monday- Leek and Potato Pie with Chips. This is something which we have had in the freezer for a while. Joe is actually away this evening so I wanted something just for me. I actually purchased this reduced it is a Pukka Pie. I wanted something super simple because it can hurt to stand and cook due to my injured knee. For sure this is something which I enjoyed. Should I be able to purchase another one reduced I would do this. I am sure this is something which Joe would like as well. You could make your own if you really wanted to do this.

Tuesday- Chicken Katsu Curry, this simple meal for us. We picked up a jar in Asda which was reduced I do not know why this was the case. Katsu curry is something which we love consuming. We served this with rice for sure if we can find the jar of sauce in Asda. If we can not we can always make our own Katsu. If you have not tried it for sure it is something which you need to do. I think this is one of my favourite meals which I have had in a long time. The first time I had this was in Waggamamas only about a year or so ago.

Wednesday- Slimming World Ready Meal, I have one of these in the freezer. Again I am on my own however, this is going to make a lot of room in our freezer. There is a lot of packaging on this meal I can not remember what the meal is. It has been in the freezer for a long time and I do want to be rid of this. I think I must have picked it up in Iceland I will report how good these are. I know there is a number of my followers already on slimming world which is amazing.

Thursday- Pork Black Bean Stir Fry,  we have some pork in the freezer and some stir fry sauce. We need a quick meal because Joe may be home late tonight. So we need something which we can do very quick this is going to be a fast but tasty meal. I am unsure what I am going to be adding into this meal. Stir Fry is something which I am looking forward to it is such an easy meal and one which we love. I do not think we have done one with Pork for a long time.

Friday- Buffalo Veggie Burger, this is something I found on Pinterest. Joe has been saying that he fancies a burger for a long time now. It is something which we do not have a lot for some reason. I do love having a fakeaway because it does stop us ordering a takeaway. We are trying to save money and having a fakeaway helps us do this. I think I am thinking I am going to serve this with some chips as well. For sure I think this is one of the meals which I am looking forward to the most this week.

Saturday- Penne Pizza Bake, this is another meal which we found on Pinterest. Pasta is a meal which Jess loves and of course, she does loves pizza as well. For sure, this is one I can not wait to see how it comes out. This could go one or two ways hopefully it is really nice and this is going to be something which I will share with you. Without Pinterest I am unsure where I would actually manage to get half of the inspiration which I do. I would not have thought of doing this myself.

Sunday- Meal out or BBQ, it is my brother’s birthday this week. So my parents, him and one of his friends are coming over. Depending on the weather to what we actually do. If it is warm we are going to do a BBQ like we managed to host at Easter. If we are not lucky enough to have some amazing weather. We will be actually having a meal out somewhere if we do not manage to have a BBQ. It will be nice to see my parents even though it only has been a couple of weeks it is always nice to see my folks.

Of course, like every meal plan this is linked up with the amazing Katy. I get a lot of the inspiration from her and the linky which she runs. If you are struggling consuming the same meals I would recommend checking it out. You may find a meal which you love.

What meals are you planning on consuming this week?

Charlotte xxx

 

 

 

Meal Inspiration Monday- Peri Peri Chicken Slow Cooker

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

The slow cooker is something which we have been slowly getting back into using. We have been more busy which has mean the use of the slow cooker has been ideal for us. Whether it is a day out and we are getting home a bit late to start preparing a whole meal. So today I am sharing a meal which we had a few weeks ago now. This was a Peri Peri Chicken made in the slow cooker. As you can see we even made the marinade from scratch too.

Ingredient serves – 4

625g boneless skinless chicken thigh cut into large chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1 tablespoon light muscovado sugar

2 teaspoons piri piri spice belnd

1 red onion finely chopped

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 red pepper deseeded and diced

1 yellow pepper deseeded and diced

400g can chopped tomatoes

150ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon cornflour

salt and pepper

Method

  1. Put the chicken into a large plastic food bag.
  2. Mix the oil, vinegar, tomato puree, sugar and piri piri together with a small amount of salt and pepper.
  3. Pour the mixture into the plastic bag with chicken.
  4. Then add onions, garlic and peppers. Seal the then shake the contents together to mix. Leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
  5. Tip the tomatoes in a small saucepan.
  6. Mix the cornflour to a paste with a little bit of cold water. Add the paste into the small saucepan. Bring the mixture to boil and stir.
  7. Tip the mixtures in the large plastic food bag into the slow cooker. Pour over the hot tomato sauce then cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.
  8. Make sure the peri peri chicken is fully cooked before serving.
  9. You can serve the peri peri chicken with rice or anything you want.

Have ever made peri peri chicken in the slow cooker?

Charlotte xx

 

 

Meal Plan 26th April

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

Another week has past and it’s close to the weekend again. I do not know about you but I feel like I need it after such a busy Easter weekend. This week again has been trying to use things out of the freezer, it is come to the end of the month. We have spent a lot of time and money on the garden which means that we are running a bit low on funds. I have managed to do our weekly shop again for around £25 and this includes the food for the BBQ which we had on Easter Sunday.  So I am going to get on and share the meals which we have been consuming this week.

Monday- Sausage, Pepper and Onions with pasta. This is actually another meal of course we found on pinterest. We had some sausages left over from the BBQ so I thought this was a good meal to use them up. For sure this is something which we would do in the future should we have any sausages.

Tuesday- Herby Chicken wrapped in Bacon with New Potatoes.  I was actually watching Katy Instagram live where she was doing a meal plan. She mentioned that she was going to make this meal.. She actually inspired me to make this meal. It is something which we have done similar of in the past. It sounds like it could be one which we do more as the weather becomes nicer. All you do is slice the chicken in half fill it with herby cheese and wrap bacon around it. For a change we are going to be serving this with new potatoes.

Wednesday- Meatballs and Pasta. I actually made the meatballs a while back and froze them. I think I did this because Joe was not home. There is enough for us both I seem to remember these are the ones which have been filled with mozzarella. We have a pasta sauce which will mean that it’s not dery . I may even purchase a garlic bread to go with it if we fancy it. I love making too much food and then end up freezing them they are great for the end of the month.

Thursday-  Chicken Pad Thai, this is one which we did not get around to consuming last week. I seem to remember one of the meals actually did us two meals. So we decided to move this one across and have it this week. I just need to remember to get the chicken out of the freezer. The other ingredients are actually all going to be still in date so we can still consume.

Friday- Chilli and Lime Cod Fillets, we actually ended out up going out on Good Friday. For a meal with my parents so this is another meal which we did not eat. So I thought that I would make it this week so that no food did go to waste. We do hlasagnaave a lot of fish in the freezer at the moment so they may be more fish meals in the weeks to come. I can not wait for this meal because it is going to be so nice.

Saturday- Pork Steaks with Mushrooms and rice. This is another meal which we actually skipped from a couple of weeks ago. I actually forgot to get them out of the freezer which means that we did not have them. We had sloppy joe’s instead because we had some spare mince. I think this is going to be a good meal and one which Jess is going to eat. It is something different and pork steaks are something we have not had in a long time.

Sunday- Lasagna is another meal which we have not had in what seems like a long time. Watch it now we will have this a couple of times before May is over now. I actually found some mince in the freezer so I came up with this meal. This is something which Jess loves so much so I can not see why she will not clear the plate. No doubt I will make more than we need for this so we can put some in the freezer. I may serve this with garlic bread or some salad.

Of course, like every meal plan this is linked up with the amazing Katy. I get a lot of the inspiration from her and the linky which she runs. If you are struggling consuming the same meals I would recommend checking it out. You may find a meal which you love.

What meals are you planning on consuming this week?

Charlotte xxx

 

 

Meal Inspiration Monday- Smoked Haddock Curry

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

Smoked Haddock is something which Joe and I love. We tend to pick up a lot of the fish which we consume get reduced. This does mean that we are able to add a lot more fish to our diet. This is something which we do actually love. I wanted to get some of it used from the freezer and I knew we had some smoked haddock in. I searched Pinterest and actually found a recipe for Smoked Haddock Curry. This would be great even in the summer months because it is a lot lighter than an normal curry. For sure this is one which I would make again and I know a couple of my friends are dying to try it as well.

Ingredient – Serves 4

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 large chopped onion

3 chopped garlic cloves

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 chilli finely chopped

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 sweet potato peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes

2 teaspoons fish sauce

400ml coconut milk

250ml white wine

500g skinless smoked haddock cut into large chunks

A handful of spinach

Method

  1. Heat the coconut oil in a large pan then add the onion and garlic. Fry these for a couple of moments over a medium heat.
  2. Add the chilli, coriander seeds, turmeric and continue to fry for another 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
  3. Add the sweet potato, fish sauce, white wine and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Continue for 12-15 minutes until the sweet potato becomes soft.
  4. Add the haddock to the pan, stir carefully and cook for 4–5 minutes, then add the spinach and season.
  5. Serve with rice or nan bread.

The smoked haddock curry is that simple to make. With all of the prep which you may need to do you can have this done in under 30 minutes. This does mean that you can have it during the week after work. For sure this is a meal which you would be looking forward to coming home to cook.

Have you ever had a smoked haddock curry?

Charlotte xx

Meal Plan 19th April

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

Today we are going to be sharing the meals which we are going to be consuming this Easter Weekend. Of course, this week is not a normal one. We are actually having to feed Jess 4 times this week.This is double the amount of meals we normally have to do due to Easter.  There is also a day when she is not going to be at Nursery because we are in York for an event. I would like to think that there is a wide range of different meals this week. Hopefully some of them will give you inspiration for some meals which you want to consuming yourself in the future.

Monday- Chicken Parmigianna and Jacket Potato. I saw someone unfortunately I can not remember who it was in Katy’s Linky have this meal. I had some chicken which needed to be used up and also some mozzarella. i thought that this was a great way to use both up. This is a meal which is a little bit different to something which we would normally make which is always a bonus. I do like to keep things fresh when it comes to meal planning.

Tuesday- Bacon and Sausage Casserole. This again is a meal which has come around due to us having things in the freezer which I wanted to use up. We had some bacon and sausage alongside some parsnip and swede. So I decided to have a google and see what kind of meals I could make using these items. This is how I came up with the bacon and sausage casserole. I am looking forward to this meal because it is something different and not something which we would have normally thought about making.  I think this is one of the reasons I love pinterest so much.

Wednesday- Prawn Curry, recently I purchase a large number of prawns reduced and froze them. I am going to get one of the packets out and make then into a prawn curry. This is such a simple meal we are going to be doing this as we will have been in York all day. Jess and I for an event which means that when we get home we want something quick because she does have nursery the next day after all. I will be serving this with rice and of course, I am not going to make it too hot as it is also for Jess.

Thursday- Chicken Pad Thai,I think this is one of my favourite meals at the moment. You may remember we made a simple shrimp pad thai. I fancied making something along this lines I had some more chicken to use. So this is where the idea of a Chicken Pad Thai came from. We also had all of the ingredient nearly in for this meal so I thought it would be a good meal. Of course, this is the last meal of the week where we do not have Jess. This is why we have chosen a meal which Jess may not actually eat.

Friday- Chilli and Lime Cod Fillets, this is a meal which Joe and I will consume. Jess is going to have some fish fingers and chips. This is going to be a split meal which is not something we would normally do. However, we wanted to have a traditional good Friday Meal of fish. We had the Cod in the freezer from when we had purchased i the reduced section. I am unsure if we will have these with wedges or chips. This is hopefully going to be a healthier option instead of having traditional fish and chips.

Saturday- Takeaway, we are actually going out on Saturday.  I have a feeling that we could end up home late so we want something simple to be able to have. This is our monthly takeaway treat because we are trying to cut down on the number which we consume. I could not tell you which takeaway we are going to consume yet as we have not decided. I am unsure which one I fancy at the moment. In all honesty this could end up with us having a slow cooker meal instead.

Sunday- BBQ, fingers crossed. If the weather is as nice as it is meant to be this is what we are thinking about doing. I am unsure if we will actually end up having one or not. We are thinking about having my parents over and doing an Easter egg hunt for Jess. I am unsure if this is something which we will end up doing or not. I guess I should have a meal on standby in case the weather does turn and become horrible again.

Of course, like every meal plan this is linked up with the amazing Katy. I get a lot of the inspiration from her and the linky which she runs. If you are struggling consuming the same meals I would recommend checking it out. You may find a meal which you love.

What meals are you planning on consuming this week?

Charlotte xxx

Meal Inspiration Monday – Chicken, Leek and Brie Pie

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

A pie is something which I have been fancying for a long time. I wanted to make something a little bit different to the ones which you can pick up in the stores. I was browsing on pinterest and I found one which was Chicken, Leek and Brie. Brie is something which I love and rarely cook with I do not think I have done since we moved. This is a meal which we loved actually and we can not wait to make again. I know this is properly not going to happen until the autumn/ winter months. It is an amazing comfortable food which I is something which you sometime need. For sure this is for sure something which we will make again in the future. It was pretty easy to make as well.

Ingredient – Serves 4

2 Large squares of puff pastry

25g Butter

1 Leek thinly sliced

3 Crushed garlic cloves

400g Chicken diced into 1 inch cubes

125ml White Wine

125ml Chicken Stock

2 Tablespoons Cornflour

60ml Cold Water

100g Brie thinly sliced

60g Parsley Chopped

1 Egg lightly beaten

Salt and Pepper

Method

  1. In a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat, melt the butter and cook down the garlic and leek until soft. Add chicken and cook through.
  2. Add the wine and Chicken Stock and cook for a further 5 Minutes. Season with Salt and Pepper.
  3. In a small bowl mix together the cornflour and water to create a paste. Add this to the chicken mixture along with the chopped parsley.
  4. Mix through the whole mixture and remove from the heat.
  5. Take the first sheet of the puff pastry.  Leave a 1 ½ inch border around all sides make about 8 evenly spaced slits along the width of the pastry sheet.
  6. Place the second sheet on the baking tray and spoon the chicken mixture into the center. Spread the mixture out, leaving a 1 ½ inch border.
  7. Place the slices of brie on top. With a pastry brush (or your finger), brush some of the beaten egg around this border.
  8. Put the first sheet on top of the second, press down the border with your fingers and brush the egg over the top of the pie.
  9. Cook for 20 minutes on 200c until the Chicken, Leek and Brie Pie is golden brown. Wait 5 minutes for it too cool otherwise you may burn your mouth.

I am so glad that I made the Chicken, Leek and Brie pie. For sure this is a new comfort food which I can not wait t make again in the future. It only took around 40 minutes to make. I know this is going to be one which Joe is going to demand we make again. It was so simple as well.

What is your favourite pie filling?

Charlotte xxx

Meal Plan 12th April

- cupsofcharlotte 2 Comments

Another week has managed to speed past us. I am unsure how the hell this has happened for some reason since February time seems to have whizzed by. We have managed to meal plan every single week and some of these have been harder than others. This week we have had to make meals which we can use in the slow cooker because we was unsure what hours Joe was going to be working. We have been able to eat meals together which is something that is important to us. Today there is a wide range of different meals. The majority is because we can use the slow cooker to cook these meals.  So with further ado we are going to share with you the meals we have been consuming.

Monday-  Salmon Noodles, this is a meal which Joe choose as a result of loving noodles. We did manage to pick up some Salmon reduced in the supermarket. This is the way we manage to keep the meal plan of our weekly shop to under £30 per week. This is a meal which we would not have done before. It is one which we managed to get from a pinch of nom again. I would recommend checking out this website and book if you are looking to eat a little bit more healthy.

Tuesday- Piri Piri Chicken and Rice again this is a meal which Joe has picked for this week. Peri Peri is something which we actually love it is something which I would not have thought of cooking in the slow cooker. We are using chicken thighs which is something we never have. Instead we usually cook with the breast so I am looking forward to cooking with something different. We are actually going to be serving this with rice for something a little bit different.

Wednesday- Mexican Three Bean Taco Bowl, this is something which I decided to choose. This is a meal which does have no meat. As you may remember in January we had a couple of meals which did not feature any meat. I would love to have more of this. We also have some nachos which we need to use up so this will be served with this meal. For sure I think this is going to be one which I am looking forward to the most.  If this is a meal which we enjoy of course, I will be sharing this recipe with you.

Thursday- BBQ Pulled Gammon, you have heard of BBQ pulled pork. However, when I was looking through Pinterest I found this recipe. Gammon is a piece of meat which Joe loves so of course, this is something which we had to try. This is something which we are going to serve with either wedges or chips. I am hoping that this is going to be so tasty because it is a fraction of the price of making pulled pork and we love gammon more.

Friday- Donner Kebab, Fridays we love making fakeaway. Which is a fake takeaway so this week we have opted to make a donner kebab from a pinch of nom of course.This has a lot less calories than a donner kebab would and is not going to feel as greasy.  Making your own of course, is fun and also the fraction of the price a meal from the takeaway would cost you. So this is win win in our eyes.

Saturday- Meatballs and Pasta, we picked up some meatballs a few weeks ago reduced. I also made some and froze them. So I am thinking of getting them out of the freezer and then throwing them together with some pasta and a sauce. I know that this is a meal which Jess will eat without having to be asked twice. I may even throw the boat out and have a garlic bread with it as well. This is going to be a simple meal yet very effective.

Sunday- Pork Steaks In Mushroom Sauce. This is another slow cooker meal because we are in Derby at the Mama Meet Market. So we want something simple and effortless when we get in. I know that no doubt I will be tired because I will have done a lot of walking and talking. This is going to simple and I feel like I am going to serve it with some for of Potato however, I have not decided what yet.

Of course, this is linked up with the lovely Katy. If you are ever looking for meal inspiration she runs a lovely linky. Where a number of bloggers share what meals they are going to be consuming that week. I sometimes get some amazing ideas from it as well.

What meals are you going to be consuming this week?

Charlotte xx

Meal Inspiration Monday- Shrimp Pad Thai

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

As you may have seen a few weeks back in my meal plan I made Shrimp Pad Thai.  In this house, we are a huge fan of oriental food. I know the far east is somewhere where Joe would like to visit and I wouldn’t say no to going back.  We have noticed that Thai food can be a pain to get hold of. When it comes to things like takeaways and restaurants. I wanted to be able to consume this food more often so I decided that I was going to look online and see if I could find any recipes.  I managed to hunt down one which made shrimp pad thai. This was something different because we always seem to have a lot of chicken in our meal. This for sure made a change and something which I loved is that it could be made in as little as 25 mins.  And there is not a lot of washing up which I think everyone will agree is a bonus. More so when your cooking from scratch.

Ingredients – Serves 3

For the Pad Thai Stir Fry

110g dry brown rice noodles (I had to use white Asda didn’t stock brown)

2 teaspoons olive oil

225g Shrimp/ Small Prawns

2 Crushed Garlic Cloves

3 Large Eggs

65g Beansprouts

65g Freshly Grated Carrot

2 Large Spring Onions finely chopped

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon honey

1-3 teaspoons chilli garlic sauce

Method

  1. Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions. They should be soft but not mushy. Drain and rinse under cool water.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients: fish sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, water, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce.
  3. Heat the oil in a large wok and cook shrimp until just before they turn pink this should be around 2 minutes
  4.  Add the garlic and noodles. Stir continuously to coat the noodles and shrimp with the garlic.
  5. Move the mixture to the side of the pan.  Crack the eggs into the empty side. Break apart the yolk with the spatula and let cook for 30 seconds, until just beginning to set
  6. Stir the egg in with the noodles then in the sauce.
  7. Add the bean sprouts, carrots, and chopped green onions and let cook until the bean sprouts are crisp-tender, about 1 minute.
  8. Serve and enjoy your shrimp pad thai

Have you ever had or made pad thai before?

 

Charlotte xx

 

Meal Inspiration Monday- Sausage and Spinach Pasta Bake

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

Pasta bake is something which we love in this house.  Jess is well and truly a pasta fiend it is one of her favourite foods.  Pasta bake is something which is so simple to make and something the whole family can consume. There are so many different ways you can make a pasta bake something which we make is sausage and spinach.  This is a recipe which I again found on Pinterest because I was looking for something different.  Using this is a good way to get Jess to eat some of the greens because this can be a pain in young children.  I also like hiding veg because it does mean that Joe eats it. He would avoid fruit and veg if he could, to be honest.

Ingredients – Serves 6 to 8

250g Ricotta

250g Creme Fraiche

1 Egg

250g Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 chopped medium onion

2 thinly sliced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh oregano

450g Sausage

2 tins chopped tomatoes

450g Pasta

180g Spinach

300g mozzarella thinly sliced

Method

 

  1. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, creme fraiche, egg and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and black pepper and set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.

3.  Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano and cook for 2 minutes more.

4. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon.

5. Put the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season to taste and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 200c

7. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 4 minutes, short of al dente according to the package directions.

8.  Save 125ml pasta water

9.  Place spinach in a medium bowl and pour over pasta water to wilt the spinach. Drain and set aside once wilted.

10. Remove the sauce from the heat then stir half of the sauce into the ricotta mixture.

11. Add the pasta and spinach and toss together to coat.

12. Pour the pasta into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and top with the remaining sauce.

13. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan over the top and bake until the cheese starts bubbling about 20 minutes.

 

As you can see this is a super easy to make and of course you can leave it when in the oven.  You could switch up the sausage and make it with anything you wanted.  For sure this is a recipe which we have loved and Jess managed to eat it all demanding more. I think this is one which I will be making again it is an easy way to get sausage and spinach consumed. If for some reason we have any of these items left again I make this in a blink of an eye for sure.

 

Have you ever had sausage and spinach pasta bake?

 

Charlotte xxx