If life's taught me anything, it's that you can make anything into a decent meal with a jar of pesto. It may sound odd, but pesto on toast makes you feel like you’re having a proper meal far more than Nutella out of a jar that has been in the microwave does, and call me weird, but a few spoonfuls of pesto and one of those mini tins of tuna mixed into a microwave rice pouch is basically what TV supper dreams are made of. I promise you that it is far more delicious than it sounds.
It took me until I arrived in university halls to figure out how to make a pasta bake. That was stupid, really, because people who don’t even know how to cook can make a delicious pasta bake. Boil the pasta, mix in the sauce and some cheese, squash it into something oven proof, top with more cheese and grill to make the cheese on the top all nice and bubbly. I’ve officially stolen the idea of sprinkling breadcrumbs over the top to create an extra crispy topping from a Tom Kerridge casserole. Trust me, just a sprinkling of fresh bread crumbs from a packet, or a hunk of stale bread that you’ve attacked with a food processor will elevate any pasta bake no end.
This recipe serves two, but there is nothing stopping you halving or doubling it until you're heart's content (and everyone's fed!)
Ingredients
250g Pasta Shapes
3 tbsp Pesto
2 Slices Ham, sliced into strips
2 Balls Mozzarella, torn into small pieces
Large Handful Fresh Breadcrumbs
Freshly Ground Salt and Pepper
Method
Cook the pasta in a very large saucepan with salted water as per the packets instructions. It should take about 20 minutes.
Turn your grill on high. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan, mixing in the pesto, the sliced ham and half the cheese until the cheese goes gooey and stringy. Pour the pasta mix into a large baking dish.
Top with the remaining cheese, a good few grinds of salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Pop under the grill for 4-6 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden and the cheese is bubbling.
If you’re the sort who likes to make things from scratch, you can easily make your own pesto in a pestle and mortar or a food processor. A basic recipe would be to grind together or whizz up a very large handful of basil with a small handful of grated parmesan, a small handful of pine nuts, some salt and a good glug of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, adding more cheese or salt to taste. Adding parsley will make it a bit more herby.
Like this? Then you might also be interested in:
How To Make A Lasagne In 20 Minutes Flat When You Forgot Your Mates Were Coming Over
How To Stick To Healthy Eating When You're Out Without Ordering A Side Salad Or Tap Water
Follow Rachel on Twitter @MakingMeWonder
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.