If you're looking for simple pasta dishes, perfect for speedy after school dinners then why not try one of these three easy pasta recipes?
We all have those days when we haven't thought about what's for dinner until dinner time. What do you do? Well, apart from making a sandwich, many of us turn to pasta. I certainly do this, especially with my youngest child who loves pasta.
So, when Barilla challenged me to come up with three easy pasta recipes using their pastas and sauces, I was delighted to see what I could come up with. And maybe, if I was really lucky, would I be able to make something to tempt my older non-pasta loving child too?
Barilla makes Italy's number one pasta in a wide range of traditional and wholewheat shapes. As I tried out the pastas I realised how ignorant I've been about pasta until now. I usually buy penne but I'd never thought about how some penne is smooth on the outside and some has little ridges to catch more of the sauce. Now I know which one I'll be buying in the future!
I was really impressed by the sauces too. They are made from traditional recipes and contain 100% Italian tomatoes with no added preservatives. They tasted very natural and definitely helped when making these three easy pasta recipes. Not only are these pasta recipes easy, they are absolutely delicious too!
Lamb, Mint and Feta Meatballs with Olive Pasta Sauce
My children both love olives and my first recipe was inspired by Greek flavours and so I decided to use the olive sauce which is a tomato based sauce but with green and black olives in it as well as capers. I hoped the stronger flavours in the olive sauce would go well with the lamb and feta meatballs and they did. The meatballs were delicious and so quick to make. You might think meatballs take time but you can roll them into balls really quickly and then they cook in the same time it takes for the pasta to cook. These meatballs are so delicious I promise you'll think they're worth it.
Ingredients - Serves 4
- 400g lamb mince
- 75g feta cheese, crumbled or cubed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 1 egg
- 300g Barilla spaghetti
- 1 jar Barilla Olive pasta sauce
How to Make Lamb, Mint and Feta Meatballs with Olive Pasta Sauce
- Heat a large frying pan with a little oil. Put the lamb, feta, mint and egg into a bowl and mix together with your hands. Form into meatballs and put them into the frying pan. Turn them over when they are crisp underneath.
- At the same time, cook the pasta according to the pack instructions.
- When the pasta is ready, drain and stir in the pasta sauce. Heat through.
- When the meatballs are ready, take them out of the frying pan and put on a plate covered with kitchen roll to soak up any excess fat.
- Either serve the meatballs on top of the pasta or stir them into the sauce.
Cheesy Roasted Vegetable and Pasta Bake
My next recipe is a roasted vegetable and pasta bake and I promise you, with just a little forward planning, it really is quick to get on the table. The beauty of this recipe is that you can prepare the different elements in advance, even the night before and then just heat it through in the oven before serving. Just put the vegetables in the oven to roast whenever is convenient and after they've cooled, leave in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the dish. You can cook the pasta in advance too. Once it's ready, stir in a little olive oil to prevent it sticking together. It's then just a matter of assembling the ingredients and baking when you're ready to eat it. We loved it and it will definitely become a regular mealtime choice.
Ingredients - Serves 4
- 2 aubergines, sliced lengthwise
- 1 orange pepper, sliced
- 250g mushrooms, sliced in half
- 70g mozzarella ball, diced into 1 cm pieces
- 160g Barilla Pasta, I used Barilla Mezze Penne Tricolore
- 1 jar Barilla Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce
- 100g grated mozzarella
How to Make Cheesy Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake
- Toss the vegetables in a little olive oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Cook the pasta until al dente.
- Stir the pasta sauce into the pasta and stir to coat all the pasta.
- Put the roasted vegetables in an ovenproof dish and dot pieces of the mozzarella ball on top. Then add a layer of pasta and top with the grated mozzarella.
- Put in the oven at 180C for 20 minutes if freshly made and the ingredients are still warm/hot or 35-40 minutes if it's been in the fridge.
Chorizo and Pepper Arrabbiata
My third dish takes one of my favourite ingredients - chorizo - and pairs it with my favourite Italian pasta sauce - arrabbiata. My children also love chorizo and the flavours in this are guaranteed to make everyone happy. I usually like to add a few extra vegetables to my pasta and for this dish I've chosen red peppers as they go so well with both the chorizo and the arrabbiata sauce. This is a truly simple dish and I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes that standby pasta dish you keep on making for years to come.
Ingredients - Serves 2
- 160g Barilla pasta, I used Barilla Tortiglioni pasta
- 2 cooking chorizo sausages, sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 red pepper, sliced into strips
- About 16 cherry tomatoes
- Jar of Barilla Arrabbiata pasta sauce
- Parmesan to serve (optional)
How to Make Chorizo Arrabbiata
- Fry the chorizo for about 4 minutes on each side until it browns.
- Put the pasta on to boil while the chorizo is frying. It will take about 10-12 minutes.
- Remove the chorizo from the pan and place on kitchen paper to mop up any excess oil. Add the peppers. Cook for about 3 minutes then add the whole cherry tomatoes. Cook Just until the tomatoes begin to split but not break down.
- When the pasta is ready, drain, put back in the pan and stir in the jar of sauce.
- Serve topped with a little parmesan.
Finally, did I tempt my oldest child to eat the pasta? Unfortunately not, but she did enjoy the meatballs and chorizo and my littlest one ate everything.
More of my favourite pasta recipes
If you like these recipes then why not have a look at one of my favourites below.
Creamy chorizo pasta
Sundried tomato pesto pasta
Or my salmon pasta bake?
Where to find out more about Barilla pasta
For more pasta recipe ideas and inspiration then do take a look at the Barilla website or Facebook page.
Disclosure: This post was commissioned by Barilla but the recipes and opinions are my own.
wanderlustandwellnessjen
Pasta and feta, my favorite combination!
Corina
It's yummy isn't it! I love cheese with a bit of kick to it.
hijackedbytwins
We love pasta it is a dish that we all love. All three dishes look lovely. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Corina
Thanks Kirsty! I wish I could get my daughter to eat pasta as well - It would make life easier if I didn't have to prepare something else for her whenever the rest of us have pasta. I keep trying and I'm hoping that one day she realises that everyone likes pasta and start to like it x
April
You did great! I love Barilla pasta! I always stock up when they have a sale.
Corina
Thanks! I'm going to have to do that in the future too!
The FoodOlic
Love Barilla products, from the pesto to the pasta! Your recipes are looking fantastic, especially the chorizo arrabiata! So going to try it out!
Corina
I do hope you enjoy it! We all love chorizo and I find it goes so well with pasta dishes.
michelleferrand
All of these recipes looks so good!
Corina
Thanks Michelle!
Kimberly
All three of these look so good. I think my favorite is probably the pasta bake with all the veggies and cheese.
Corina
Thanks Kimberly! Cheesy pasta dishes are always a winner for me.
Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed
I love Barilla pasta but I haven't tried the sauces before. Such delicious recipes and perfect for a quick mid week meal, must try the lamb meatballs and olive sauce.
Corina
They are delicious. I think lamb has so much flavour and we really enjoyed those meatballs!
Warm Cocotte
As Italians we love pasta in any way! These are really cool versions!
Have a wonderful day!
Gloria & Emanuele (Warm Cocotte)
Corina
Well as you're Italians, I'm especially pleased you like these dishes.
foreverfaithandfood
These all look super yummy!
Corina
Thanks! You can't go wrong with pasta.
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com
Oooh, I love Barilla pasta, but I've never tried the sauces...they sound delicious and I like the idea of no nasty additives! I love all three recipes and they would just be perfect easy midweek dishes for when life is busy. The lamb one looks especially good 🙂 Eb x
Corina
Thanks Eb! I'm finding at the moment with all the Christmas preparations I really need easy meals like this x
Gloria Duggan
We use Barilla too. The dishes always come put perfect. These sound delicious.
Corina
It sounds like Barilla is a really popular brand for lots of people!
Nico @ yumsome
Yum - pasta al forno... such a great way to use up leftovers too!
The Barilla sauces sound fab - I've never used a sauce from a jar before but amato mio used to cook with them all the time before we moved in together, and he rated the Barilla ones really highly!
Corina
I always feel I'm taking a bit of a shortcut when I use sauces like this but I was genuinely impressed by them too!
Nico @ yumsome
I'll have to check them out - sounds like they'd make great emergency store cupboard sauces.
(By emergency, I mean those-days-when-I'm-working-late-and-amato-mio-offers-to-'cook'!)
Corina
My husband needs sauces for that too!
Caroline {Girl about townhouse}
Oh these all sound delish! I love the sound of the lamb meatballs though, I'm going to give that recipe a try. #brillblogposts
Corina
Thanks! Do let me know how it goes it you try it. Hope you enjoy!
petra08
I can't choose a favorite! They all sounds good and perfect for any weeknight meal as well as sharing with friends over a glass of wine or two! Brilliant recipes 🙂
Corina
Oh yes, pasta is great with a glass of wine!
Tanya
Had no clue they made an olive sauce! I think I am in love, great recipes!
Corina
I don't think I'd had an olive sauce before but it was really good! It went really well with the meatballs.
brownbutterandbiscuits
Yum! Pasta is my favorite food so I'm always looking for new recipes to spice it up! This looks great!!
Corina
Thanks! You can never go wrong with pasta!
Cliona Keane
All three of these look fab and Barilla pasta sounds excellent, I'll make sure to give it a go next time I'm shopping for new supplies! #CookBlogShare
Mandy Mazliah
These dishes all look lovely and the Barilla pasta sauces sound like a tasty and healthy way to make dinner a little bit quicker. Thanks for adding to #CookBlogShare
Corina
Thanks Mandy! Before I had children I used to avoid pre-made sauces and shortcuts but these days it's all about making things easier, as long as they still taste great of course!
Le Coin de Mel
I love pasta. Most weeks, we have pesto pasta or our favourite, chorizo pasta. I love the look of your penne. That's the kind of dish my whole family would enjoy! #CookBlogShare
Corina
Thanks! We also love pesto pasta and chorizo pasta is one of our favourites too!
choclette
Wow Corina, you really went to town making three recipes. I only did the one. I was really quite impressed with the pasta and sauces. Now I'm itching to make your roasted veg pasta bake 🙂
Corina
Thanks Choclette! The sauces really were good and it meant I had more time to focus on making the meatballs etc as I didn't have to spend time preparing everything.
taramdeal
The cheesy roasted vegetable pasta bake sounds like my top choice! We typically had 1 pasta night a week while growing up, and last night I made a version of pasta with zoodles instead. It's so simple and comforting 🙂 Sometimes simple food is best.
Corina
I love adding zoodles to pasta as well to make it lighter. I don't usually ditch the pasta completely though - I'm too much of a pasta lover!
Culinary Flavors
Delicious looking dishes!
Corina
Thank you! Pasta is always great for an easy delicious meal.
Brynn at The Domestic Dietitian
These all sound so delicious! Especially that lamb pasta dish...yum!
Corina
Thanks! Those meatballs were delicious!
Ginger Hultin
That pasta bake looks fabulous - all of these recipes do!
Corina
Thanks! The bake was yummy and is definitely a recipe I'll be making again.
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
These sound delicious! I love having some fast and easy weeknight dinners under my belt- and Barilla is always a good choice!
Corina
I know, I love to make sauces from scratch when I have time but sometimes it's just not possible and these are really good for those days!
cricketsconfections
I love Barilla, though I have to use their gluten free noodles. I can't wait to try your recipes with them!
Corina
I hope you enjoy!
Love & Zest (@KristinaLaRueRD)
YUM!! love Barilla pasta.
Corina
Thanks!
Garlic + Zest
That chorizo arrabbiata sounds like it's right up my alley! I use Barilla pasta all the time, but I've never tried their sauces before. I'll be on the lookout!
Corina
That recipe was adapeted from a recipe I make all the time but this was the first time I'd used the Barilla sauce. I was really impressed by it!
Chelsey
These all look delicious!!! Chilly weather = pasta weather in our house!
Corina
Thanks so much! SO pleased you like them.
streetsmartnutrition
Yum! These all look delicious - we are definitely a pasta-loving household! So easy and reliable for weeknight meals when we don't have a lot of time
Corina
Exactly! I just wish both my children liked pasta and then we'd be eating it even more!
Platter Talk
Barilla is my "go to" pasta. Your dishes look delicious. I've never tried the sauce but I need to, now!
Corina
The sauces were lovely! Perfect for those days when you really don't have much time to cook.