Whether you’re a spaghetti savourer, farfalle fanatic or just generally a pasta partisan, here are four easy pasta recipes from some top chefs. And every single one is plant-based, making them perfect for meatless Monday.
1. Whole Grain Spaghetti with Green Vegetable “Cacio & Pepe” by Andrea Tranchero
INGREDIENTS
- 340g Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti
- 100ml Extra Virgin Olive oil
- 8 leaves Fresh basil, torn
- 1 zucchini
- 100g broccoli florettes
- 4 asparagus, cut in slices
- 50g baby spinach
- 100g pecorino romano cheese, grated
- Black pepper, fresh minced
- Rock salt (for water)
For the sauce:
- 250g green peas (fresh or frozen)
- 70ml Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Salt
METHOD
- To prepare the sauce: blanch the peas in salted boiling water for 3 minutes, strain and cool down in an ice bath.
- In a mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer to blitz the peas with the olive oil, strain through a fine sieve. Season to taste and keep aside.
- Slice the zucchini into 5cm long strips, remove the seeds and cut in small batons, keep aside.
- Meanwhile, bring plenty of water to the boil. When boiling, add 5 grams of rock salt per litre of water, drop pasta in and stir. Cook as per the instructions on the box.
- Four minutes before the suggested pasta cooking time, add the zucchini batons and broccoli to the water and cook for 2 mins.
- Two minutes before the pasta is ready, drain pasta and vegetables, reserving one ladle of cooking water.
- In a large fry pan, combine pasta, vegetables and reserved cooking water, with asparagus and baby spinach and cook together for a minute. Then add pecorino cheese, black pepper, basil and olive oil.
- To serve, warm plates in the oven, then pour one quarter of green pea sauce on each plate. Use a ladle to twirl spaghetti into a nest and place on top of pea sauce.
- Serve immediately.
2. Roasted Beetroot & Thyme Spaghetti with Walnuts & Sage by Ashley Alexander
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 500g Barilla Spaghetti
- 4 cloves fresh garlic
- 4 tbs fresh thyme leaves
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- 3-4 large fresh beetroot
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
- 50g Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan (optional)
- 150g chevre goats’ cheese (optional)
- ¾ cup walnuts
- 1 bunch fresh sage leaves (about 1 cup)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes
METHOD:
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Peel the beetroot, roughly chop and place onto a paper lined baking tray and bake for roughly 30 minutes.
- Remove the beetroot from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Add the beetroot to a blender or food processor, then add water, garlic, and 2 tbs of the thyme leaves and blend until smooth.
- In a large fry pan add 2 tbs olive oil, walnuts, sage leaves and ½ tsp of sea salt flakes, then cook until the walnuts are golden, and the sage is just crispy.
- Remove from the pan, place into a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan add the chilli flakes and the remaining 2 tbs thyme leaves and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add the pureed beetroot mixture, balsamic vinegar, honey, and finely grated parmesan into the pan and stir for 5-7 minutes until the mixture is warmed through and the garlic has mellowed.
- Cook the spaghetti as per packet instructions.
- Drain the pasta then add to the beetroot mixture and stir well to combine, completely coating the spaghetti
- Place onto serving plates, top with the goat’s cheese and the walnut and sage mixture and serve immediately.
Tip: For a diary-free version, leave out the parmesan and goat’s cheese.
3. Creamy Zesty Lemon Spaghetti by Ashley Alexander
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
- 400g Barilla spaghetti No.5
- 80g salted butter
- Zest of 2 large lemons
- 120g fresh parmigiano reggiano or grana padano, very finely grated
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Sea salt
METHOD:
- Boil a large pot of water and add a generous amount of salt (roughly 1-2 tbs).
- Add the spaghetti and cook for 7 minutes.
- While the spaghetti is cooking, melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium heat along with the fresh lemon zest.
- Grate the zest directly into the pan so the oils and flavour from the lemon rind are all captured.
- Once the spaghetti is cooked, reserve about 2 cups of the starchy pasta water. This is very important as its a key
- element to the sauce.
- Add the spaghetti to the butter and zest mixture in the saucepan while still on the heat then stir to combine for about
- 30 seconds while the pan is still on the heat.
- Remove the pan from the heat, add the finely grated parmesan, a pinch of sea salt, and about 1⁄2 cup of pasta water.
- Stir quickly to create a smooth creamy sauce, adding extra pasta water as needed. You want the sauce to be quite
- loose and runny looking because as the sauce cools it with firm up a little.
- Taste for salt and add as needed.
- Serve immediately and top with generous amounts of freshly cracked black pepper.
- Serve the spaghetti alongside a crunchy green leafy salad. Enjoy!
4. Spaghetti Pomodoro ‘Simplified’ by Nicola Pelligana
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 400g Barilla Spaghetti n5
- 1.3kg ripe tomatoes
- 100g Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese, plus extra to serve
- 90g butter
- 4 garlic cloves, squashed with a knife blade
- 100ml Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Fresh basil, to serve
- Rock salt, for pasta water
- Sea salt, to taste
METHOD:
1. Tomato Water:
In a large saucepan combine 4 litres of water and 1kg of tomatoes. Cook over a high heat for 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft enough to blend. Mix with a stick blender. Use a sieve to strain out the skin and seeds. Set aside.
2. Tomato Sauce:
Blend the remaining 300g of tomatoes with 100ml of olive oil in a blender. Season with salt, strain, and keep in the fridge until needed.
3. Cook the Pasta:
In a large saucepan, bring the tomato water to the boil. Once boiling, add 6 grams of rock salt per litre of water (24 grams).
Cook the pasta for 8 minutes in the tomato water or until “al dente”. Save a tablespoon of the pasta water to combine with the sauce.
4. Combine and Serve:
In a frypan add a dash of olive oil and cook the garlic until it turns golden, remove and add the tomato sauce to the pan.
Drain the pasta when ready, and toss it in the fry pan, adding the reserved pasta water, butter & Parmigiano Reggiano. Mix until well coated.
Serve with a few leaves of fresh basil and a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Buon appetito!
Tip: To further simplify this sauce, take out step 2 and use a jar of Barilla’s Basilico sauce. Only 1kg of tomatoes will then be needed for the recipe.
For more delicious recipes and tips, visit https://www.barilla.com/en-au
