Quick Easy Pasta And Potato Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook 10 minutes, then add the broccoli and pasta and cook as the pasta label directs.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes.
• Put the lettuce in a colander. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta, broccoli and potatoes over the lettuce to wilt it. Return the pasta and vegetables to the pot.
• Add the leeks to the pot and stir in enough of the reserved cooking water to moisten. Stir in the cheeses and season with salt and pepper. Top with more parmesan.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel potatoes and add to pot. Cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash with a fork or potato masher.
• Combine 1 cup mashed potato, flour and egg in a large bowl. Knead until dough forms a ball. Shape small portions of the dough into long "snakes". On a floured surface, cut snakes into half-inch pieces.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top; drain and serve.

Steps:

• Put several cups of water in a pot on stove, and keep it at a simmer. Place olive oil in a large saucepan, and turn heat to medium. If you're using pancetta or bacon, add it to the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until it becomes slightly crisp, about 10 minutes. (If you are omitting the meat, proceed to the next step.)
• Add potatoes, garlic and chiles and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown all over, about 10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and their juice, along with 2 cups of the simmering water, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium-low, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally to break up the tomatoes and prevent sticking.
• While potato mixture is cooking, break long dried pasta, like spaghetti, into several lengths; place cut pasta, like ziti, in a bag, and break it up with the back of a pot or a hammer. After potato mixture has simmered for about 10 minutes, add pasta and plenty of salt and pepper to pot. Simmer, stirring and adding the simmering water as necessary; mixture should remain thick and stewy, never dry.
• When potatoes are tender and pasta quite tender - this will take 20 minutes or more - the dish is done. (It may be covered and refrigerated for a day or two, or put in a closed container and frozen for several weeks; it's likely that you will need to add more liquid when you reheat.) Check the seasoning, and add some crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper or salt if needed. Serve hot, in bowls.

Steps:

• KIDS: the writing in bold is for you. GROWN-UPS: the rest is for you. Pick the basil for the pesto. Get your child to pick the basil leaves off the stalks. Ask them to look at and smell the leaves as you tell them the name of the herb until they remember it - try to do this with all herbs when you can.
• Make the pesto. Toast the pine nuts in a pan over a low heat. A child of seven years plus can stir the nuts in the pan. Tip into a mini chopper (or use a pestle and mortar) with the basil, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. Blitz or pound into a green sauce, then set aside.
• Chop up the beans. Using a child-friendly knife, get children from the age of five to chop the green beans into shorter lengths, and quarter the potatoes. Younger children can snap the beans into short lengths while you prepare the potatoes.
• Cook the vegetables and pasta. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the potatoes and boil for 3 mins. Remove from the heat and ask the child to tip in the pasta and give it a stir. Put the pan back on the heat, boil the pasta for 5 mins, add the beans and cook for a final 3 mins.
• Mix everything together. Drain everything well and tip into a bowl. Spoon most of the pesto into the pasta and stir everything together to coat. Bring the large bowl of pasta to the table and serve with extra parmesan, more basil and remaining pesto, if you like.

Steps:

• Add the cubed potatoes and cabbage/spinach to a pot of boiling salted water. Boil for 5 minutes then add the pasta and boil for 12 more minutes.
• In the meantime, melt the butter then add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Drain the potatoes and pasta, then into a large bowl start adding layers of potato+cabbage/spinach+pasta, and cheddar and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Finally, pour the melted butter over the dish. Serve while hot.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 cups water to a boil and remove from heat. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the pasta in a single layer in dish. Top with one-third the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon oregano, half the potatoes, all the onion, and 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Distributing evenly, layer with remaining pasta, another one-third tomatoes, and remaining oregano and potatoes; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with remaining tomatoes.
• Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Carefully pour hot water into dish until it comes up to the top layer of potatoes. Tightly cover dish with foil and bake until liquid is absorbed and pasta and potatoes are tender, about 1 hour. Remove foil and top with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until browned, 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.