what to add....

Bongedone

Its the nitrates in processed meat that are the problem. Not all bacon, sausages etc. contain it. Read the ingredients. Though it does tend to be the more expensive products that don't use it.

slig

I do a veggie lasagne with layers of aubergine, courgette, mozarella, tomato sauce and lasagne sheets.

I also have some soya 'bacon bits' by schwartz which can be sprinkled on things like pasta bakes or macaroni cheese which might trick your husband into thinking it's meaty when it's not.

In my opinion, if you can master a really good tomato sauce like this one http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetarian-recipes/the-quickest-tomato-sauce, then any kind of pasta bake will taste yummy, even if it's just a simple tomato and mozarella bake. Serve with some homemade garlic bread, yum.

pretz_2

hiya in our house pasta bakes are a firm fav we have the following differnt types

salmon, pea, creme fraiche and cheese
bolangse sauce and cheese
chicken, spinach cheese sauce mustard and more cheese lol
tuna, mushroom soup and sweetcorn and yes cheese

there is more that we have but im having a blank at the mo when i think of more ill add them
pretz

financially_gaga

Hello,

We're veggie and have various ways of doing a pasta bake. Family favourite is spiced pasta bake with as much veg as you can cram in. I buy a jar of value pasta sauce and add onions, chilli, garlic and some tumeric, throw in the veg and then the pasta. Sprinkle with cheese and pop in the oven until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Other than that, pasta bake with kidney beans is lovely, made in the same way as above but with the spiced sauce and a tin of drained kidney beans.

Katie-Kat-Kins

I do one from the BBC Good Food Cheap Eats book with courgette, aubergine, red onion and peppers in that is very nice. You can probably get the recepie on the website.

Otherwise why not try using a bit of mince to contribute some meat but not much and cheaply? You could use beef, turkey, lamb or quorn depending upon your taste and the sauce.

Mushrooms work well in most pasta bakes too.

thriftlady_2

Smoked mackerel is nice in a pasta bake.

On the subject of processed meats -I wonder if the same warning has been given in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the rest of Europe all of which have a strong tradition of processing meat into sausages, ham and bacon which goes back hundreds of years.

I shall continue giving my family all of these products. I am sick to the back teeth of the government telling me how to feed my family.

helyg

thriftlady wrote: »

On the subject of processed meats -I wonder if the same warning has been given in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the rest of Europe all of which have a strong tradition of processing meat into sausages, ham and bacon which goes back hundreds of years.

I shall continue giving my family all of these products. I am sick to the back teeth of the government telling me how to feed my family.

Totally agree. I remember asking the owner of my local Spanish deli when I was pregnant with my first whether they gave the same warnings about unpasturised cheese etc. When she had stopped laughing she said no, they didn't, and nothing terrible seemed to happen!

dixie_dean_2

helyg wrote: »

Have given in and been having a look at the reports on the processed meats cancer scare... It seems that eating some is OK, they are suggesting limiting intake to the equivalent of 3 rashers of bacon a week.

They are also suggesting that if you do eat processed meats then you should buy better quality ones, which would be common sense really!

One thing which interested me was the fact that they were suggesting cheese as a healthier option, now I have nothing against cheese and consume plenty of the stuff myself, but it is full of fat and salt!

I think the key is variety, if a child is eating a lunchbox which consists of a cheap ham sandwich, a bag of crisps and a chocolate biscuit every day then obviously that child is going to have an increased risk of health problems, but I don't think a couple of slices of good quality ham a week will do that much harm. Just my own personal opinion...

I think I'll go with science.

frugalmumof4

this is currently warming through in oven and smells delicious.

1 onion diced
3 sticks of celery
8 oz sliced mushrooms
4 tablespoons of margarine
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup of flour
2 cups of vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups of soya milk/cows milk
tin of chickpeas
2 tsp of lemon juice
8oz pasta
grated cheese to top

fry onion celery and mushrooms in margarine until softened, add flour and stir, then slowly mix in stock and milk and bring to boil again, then reduce to simmer and keep stirring until thickens. mash chickpeas and then stir through sauce.
cook pasta in seperate pan
then mix sauce and pasta together, put in a large oven proof dish and bake in oven with grated cheese sprinkled on top until golden.
This will serve 2 adults, 3 teenagers and a 4 year old, served with vegetables. Well it does us anyway!!!

thriftlady_2

I keep meaning to tell my gran to stop eating cheese, butter, cream, chocolate, ham, bacon, lard, sugar and to stop drinking alcohol. I mean, they could shorten her life.

She'll be 101 in 3 weeks. Oh, and I should tell my great aunt (other side of my family), she loves her bacon and eggs. She's 100 in October.