SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL NESTS

SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 55 MINS SERVES 4 PREP 20 MINS COOK 40 MINS

MAKES 8

PREP 20 MINS

COOK 40 MINS

◆ 300g spaghetti

◆ 1 tbsp olive oil

◆ 1 onion, chopped finely

◆ 3 garlic cloves, crushed

◆ 400g tomato puree

◆ 2 tbsp tomato paste

◆ 1 tbsp red-wine vinegar

◆ 500g turkey or chicken mince

◆ ½ cup dried breadcrumbs

◆ / cup chopped basil, plus

13

extra leaves to serve

◆ 3 eggs

◆ 1 cup grated parmesan, plus ½ cup extra

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease eight 1-cup Texas muffin pan recesses.

2 In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti following packet instructions. Drain.

3 Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat half the oil on medium. Saute onion and garlic 4-5 mins. Spoon half into a large bowl. Set aside to cool.

4 Stir puree, half the tomato paste and the vinegar into onion in frying pan. Bring to boil. Simmer 2 mins. Season.

5 Add mince, breadcrumbs, basil, 1 egg and remaining paste to cooled onion mixture. Season and mix well. Shape level tbsps of mixture into balls. 6 In a jug, whisk remaining eggs with parmesan and mix into pasta. Season. Divide among muffin holes, shaping into nests. Leave an indent in centre of each nest.

7 Spoon 1 tbsp sauce into each nest and push 3 meatballs into each nest. Spoon remaining sauce over, sprinkle with the extra parmesan.

8 Bake 20-25 mins until golden. Cool in pan 2 mins, then remove. Top with extra basil and serve with salad, if liked.

◆ 750g pumpkin, seeded, peeled, chopped into 3cm pieces

◆ 3 rashers rindless bacon, chopped roughly

◆ 1 tbsp olive oil

◆ 375g penne pasta

◆ 6 eggs

◆ 600ml carton cream

◆ 60g baby spinach leaves

◆ ¼ cup grated parmesan

◆ 60g rocket leaves, to serve

1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.

2 Place pumpkin on tray, drizzle with olive oil and season to taste. Bake 15-20 mins until golden and tender. Add bacon to pumpkin tray for last 10 mins of cooking.

3 In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook pasta following packet instructions. Drain. 4 In a large bowl, lightly whisk together eggs and cream. Add pasta, pumpkin, bacon and spinach, tossing to combine. Season to taste.

5 Transfer mixture to a 12-cup baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake 30-35 mins until bubbling and golden. Serve with rocket leaves.

◆ 1 ½ cups macaroni

◆ 500g frozen cauliflower florets

◆ ½ cup chopped ham

◆ 2 green onions, chopped, plus extra to serve

◆ ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

◆ 1 red chilli, seeded, chopped finely (optional)

SAUCE

◆ 60g butter

◆ ¼ cup flour

◆ 2 ½ cups milk, warmed

◆ ½ cup grated tasty cheese

◆ 2 tsp thyme leaves

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Place an 8-cup ovenproof dish on a tray.

2 Cook pasta following packet instructions, adding cauliflower 5 mins before end of cooking. Drain, return pasta and cauliflower to pan, set aside.

3 SAUCE Melt butter on high. Add flour, cook 1 min, stirring. Remove from heat. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Return to heat and cook until sauce boils. Simmer 3 mins. Add cheese and thyme. Season.

4 Mix sauce into pasta mixture. Stir in ham and onions. Spoon into dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and chilli over.

5 Bake 15-20 mins. Sprinkle with extra green onion to serve.