pasta salad

Stephen_Leak

Try this simple but very filling "pasta & cottage cheese flan". You need just one packet of pasta and sauce, a small pot of cottage cheese and an egg.

Make up the pasta and sauce. Some makes say to use water and milk (and even butter) but, if you use all water, it is evidently "Weight Watchers' sin free". Pour into a 1 litre flat ovenproof dish and allow to cool a bit, so that the sauce thickens. Mix the egg and cottage cheese, and pour over the pasta and sauce. Cook at 200°C until the topping is thoroughly cooked and just browning on top. Its a bit difficult to give a time, as it depends on how thick this layer is.

You can add things like grated cheese, sliced tomatoes, cooked bacon, etc. to the top layer.

You can eat it hot, but I let mine cool, cut it into 5 slices and have it for "elevenses", to stop me eating all my sandwiches before lunch.

dronid

Wholemeal Pasta Twists and...

Red Pesto, chopped sun dried tomatoes or black olives and diced chicken.
Green Pesto, tinned salmon.
Tinned salmon & Mayo.
With a green salad all are great.

belfastgirl23

Lentil pasta salad (inspired by M&S lentil salad)

300-400g dry weight small pasta shapes, cooked
Stick of celery finely chopped
Handful of pine nuts
100g dry weight puy lentils, cooked

For the dressing:
tbsp oregano
pinch salt
pinch sugar
About 3 tbsps sunflower oil
About 1tbsp olive oil
About tbsp garlic vinegar
Squeeze of lemon juice.


Put all the dressing ingredients in a screw top jar and give it a good shake. Taste and adjust if necessary. Mix all the other ingredients in a large bowl and dress whilst still hot. Can be eaten hot or cold. Very nice with some balsamic vinegar added.

dolly_day_dream

Once I had a small amount of hm tomato sauce left over and being very mean didn't want to throw it away. I blitzed it in the blender with a large handful of fresh basil and then tossed some cooked pasta twist with it so that they were just coated. It was delish. I think the secret is not to use too much dressing when you are keeping it for any lenght of time.

The sauce

For each can of tinned toms - fry one chopped onion and then one clove of garlic (or 2 if you like it as much as me) and add the tin of toms and 1 tblespoon of dried basil and oregano. I teaspoon of salt for the whole pan and I tablespoon of sugar for the whole pan. Cook for about 20/30 mins till reduced by about 1/3.

I sometimes add chopped pine nuts to this as well

jo1972

Thanks to you all for your great suggestions, haven't had brekkie yet and I'm now starving! Bongedone, your mushroom, bacon & pesto sounds delish, my kids are bacon monsters so I'm sure that would go down a treat!

PW, thanks for your suggestion too and thanks for the link to the old thread, I hadn't seen that one before so I'm off to look now.

I saw a wide-mouthed thermos flask in Sainsburys last week, for those of you that use one, does it actually keep the stuff warm? Also as my DS is only 5 I'm worried that he'll make a mess. I'm not worried about me as I can microwave mine at work but my DS LOVES his spag bol and left overs would be ideal, especially with a separate portion of parmasan or grated cheese on the side!

Thanks everybody, hopefully I won't have to eat too much bread this week

debbiedebt

The food flask I bought for my DD is like a bowl shape with a screw on lid with handle. I bought it in Wilkinsons. You put the food in cold then microwave in the tub and then screw on the lid. DD says at lunch when she eats it it is just right not too hot. Because of the shape it is unlikely to spill.
I'm sure it would be suitable for you DS if you can find one.

poorbabe

Hi Jo

Was the flask you saw in Sainsbury's plastic or stainless steel? I bought a plastic one in Woolies a short while back, to take warm lunches in, but it was very luke warm by 12.30pm (food was loaded in it at 7.20am). I then bought a stainless steel one in John Lewis and that, for me, has done the trick :j

It may be that I'm just a tad fussy as I like my food hot :rolleyes:, but the plastic one might be best for your child (ie dropping, knocking it against something etc).

I'm sure when I was a child going on seaside trips, plastic flasks kept the food hot for at least 6 hours, or did I imagine it?

PasturesNew

I have a food flask I bought cheap from Aldi.

I decided I would experiment a bit with it by making up meals in it the night before then eating them the next day at lunchtime to see how good/bad they'd be. Unfortunately, I only got round to doing this once so far! I tried a pack of noodles, so I just put the noodles in, with some hot water, sealed it. They were OK, but a bit lukewarm.

Re putting these flasks in the microwave - it might not fit. Mine doesn't. My microwave is too small.

I want to try sausages/fried onions in the food flask - have to cook them the night before though, so not sure how hot they'd still be 18 hours' later, I think that's a bit optimistic. But if that works, then hot dogs could be made by taking the rolls separately.

jo1972

poorbabe wrote: »

Was the flask you saw in Sainsbury's plastic or stainless steel? I bought a plastic one in Woolies a short while back, to take warm lunches in, but it was very luke warm by 12.30pm (food was loaded in it at 7.20am). I then bought a stainless steel one in John Lewis and that, for me, has done the trick :j

It was a proper 'Thermos' stainless steel one, I'll have to have a look in Wilkies or Aldi next time I pass one.

Mmmmmm sausages!

linzi1978

Hi hope you donrt mind me joining in this discussion! I was just wondering if it was safe to leave pasta/rice etc warm for so long? I have been thinking about getting one of these things but worried of giving the kids something that has been warm like that for several hours esp pasta and rice?

Linzi