What can I add onto my pasta to make it more interesting with very basic stuff from my cupboard?

Answer 1

I like to add a nice tomato sauce and lots and lots of cheeze!!

Answer 2

Cut up some onions and fry them in a little bit of oil and some cumin seeds. Cut up some tomatoes and add them to the mix. Fry til they go a little bit squishy and then add some fresh (or part cooked frozen) peas. Fry til everything is nice and hot and mix in with some pasta = instant "curried" pasta. Also if you're a student it's a good and easy way of getting some of your 5 a day. Basically you only need to use half an onion and a handful of all the other veggies for one person! So it's cheap as well!!

Answer 3

Hi

Buy a jar of Pesto, (not a tub of fresh pesto because it wont last long - has to be a jar), you don't need to add much to your pasta, start with one teaspoon and see if that's enough. If you have fresh ground pepper add some of that too. It will last a while and doesn't cost much. Also, tins of supermarket own brand tomatoes make a cheap sauce base and you can add a tin of tuna to it, or some sweetcorn (frozen or tin), and peas. If you invest in a jar of chili powder or curry powder you can add a tiny bit of either of those. I guess the key it to ensure you have the right 'basic stuff' - I'd say ground back pepper, jar of chili powder, jar of curry powder, tins of cheap tomatoes and salt are a must. Oh, that reminds me - cold pasta can be mixed with a little mayo and some tuna and sweetcorn for a nice lunch so don't throw leftover pasta away if you cook too much!

Answer 4

This is really basic but try frying off some onion with any other veggies you have hanging about eg peppers, carrots, courgettes. Add tinned chopped tomatoes and cook to thicken with oregano and/or basil with a splash of olive oil. An oldie but a goodie.

Also if you heat up a tub of double cream and then stir in some blue cheese (such as Stilton) and heat very gently for about 10 minutes to thicken that makes a lovely sauce for ribbon type pasta. A bit more expensive but tastes like it costs 10 times as much - lovely.

Answer 5

Great answers all of these. But you know the one thing I always do? Pick out the ingredients I like that I've got in the cupboard and add them.
Sweetcorn, tuna, cheese sauce. Yum.
Can of chopped tomatoes, herbs and onion. Cheap, simple.
Pasta sauces from the shops but hey, that's not in your cupboards is it!
Cheese, the worldwide favourite?!
Happy Cooking and tasting!

Answer 6

Advice from an Italian: The classic "alio olio e pepperoncino" is done with a little olive oil, garlic cloves and dried chilli. Delicious with some cheese on top. Take the olive oil, put it in a sauce pan, not too much mind...bring it to a gentle boil. Add garlic cloves, and dried chilli to taste. Let it darken the garlic clove while you boil the water for your pasta. Add salt to the water, chuck the pasta in for 10mins, or do it to taste...take it out, drain water, DO NOT rinse in cold water as many people do. Then take the boiling oil with your ingredients and chuck it over the top. Stir briskly, add parmesan cheese and you have a meal fit for a king. Don't forget to take out the garlic clove.

Answer 7

Olive oil , salt, black pepper.
Basic pasta sauce (make your own with tomatoes and onions or buy a jar) Add anything to that you like - e,g, cooked bacon pieces, tuna, chicken, ham, sweetcorn, olives, anchovies, (you can get alll this in tins)
I find that adding cheese to the end product often makes the meal tastier (cheese melts in but use good strong cheddar or parmesan)
Mmmmm! Think I'll go check my cupboard..........

Answer 8

this is definately not the italian way but the very very simple way!

cook your pasta, following the instructions.

1. tomato sauce is best. you can boil your tomatoes for a few minutes and remove the skins with a fork, then mash them up and fry with garlic and onion. very healthy!

2. or you can microwave some frozen veg,& melt a little cheese over it all.

3. you can make it buttery, melt in some butter.

4. pesto from a jar i nice too!

if you want to buy herbs, get supermarket's own brand of basil, or mixed herbs. you can add whilst cooking your veg or sauce.

my fave is carbonara.

bacon (chopped and fried)
egg beaten and added at end
cheese

yummy

Answer 9

Buy some sunflower seeds or pine kernels (more expensive than sunflower seeds). Fry them in a pan until they are browned and sprinkle some salt over them. Fry some garlic and onion in butter and add some herbs. Stir the pasta in the herby, garlicky mixture and sprinkle the seeds over the top. Season to taste. You can add anything you like to this (within reason!); it'll taste delicious. The nutty flavour really sets off the warm, provencale-style vibe.

Answer 10

Why not try a simple traditional italian "ragu" tomato sauce - and not out of a jar! Chop up an onion, a few mushrooms and a clove of garlic, fry in some olive oil, then add a tin of tomatoes. (BTW, tinned tomatoes are actually better for you than fresh ones - the canning process concentrates some beneficial constituent.) If these are ready chopped, put them straight in - if they are whole, pour the liquid into the pan and then chop them up in the tin (this is so much easier than chasing them around the pan!) with a fork. Add some herbs (dried mixed for simplicity, dried or fresh basil for authenticity). Pour onto the cooked pasta and add grated cheese (again, cheddar for simplicity, parmesan for authenticity). Dead simple, totally foolproof, very very italian and really good for impressing people with your culinary expertise!

Answer 11

when your making pasta sauce, if you add a hint of cinnamon it gives it a burst of flavours. Especially if its a hot sauce ;)...

If you have eggs, pasta, any kind of pasta sauce (doesn't matter if you made it, or if its meaty, as long as if it has tomato puree), cream etc listen up

Firstly cook the pasta and the sauce. Add one tablespoon maz to the pasta. Then layer the sauce and pasta. On top put in a little 'sauce' of a mixture of egg and cream (1 tblspn max) and then put it in the oven for 25 mins around 190(degrees Celcius) cook until the top part is brown, you can also put in herbs on top like rosemary and mint ;)