Five easy pasta recipes with Vetta High Fibre

How do you cook pasta? For us, it’s generally quick suppers, or large bakes that can be popped into the fridge to be heated up when people get home at various times. A new Australian brand of pasta called Vetta High Fibre is just launching in the UK. It’s huge in Australia and I think it’s going to be really popular here. It tastes and looks the same as other pastas but has loads more fibre, so it’s really good for you. Vetta asked me to share my five favourite pasta recipes using their new high fibre products, so here, without further waffle, are my top five:

Penne ‘mac’ and cheese with bacon and a sourdough parsley crust

Serves 4

You will need:

400g Vetta penne pasta

50g butter

4 rashers smoked streaky bacon

1 heaped tbsp plain flour

400ml milk

150g cheddar cheese, grated

About 60g leftover sourdough bread, whizzed into breadcrumbs

Large handful parsley

Firstly, cook the pasta according to the pack instructions.

Next, for the sauce, melt 50g butter in a saucepan on a low heat and add in the snipped rashers of bacon. Cook gently until golden.

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and put the melted butter back on the heat. Add in the plain flour and stir around until pale and bubbly, then add the milk and whisk until thick and smooth.

Take the sauce off the heat and add in the grated cheddar and the reserved bacon.

When the pasta is cooked, remove from the heat, drain well. Stir in the cheese and bacon sauce.

Spoon into a baking dish and finally sprinkle over the sourdough crumbs and the chopped parsley.

Bake at 180 degrees C for about 20 minutes or until golden and crisp on top.

Spaghetti with crab, chilli and spinach

This is such a quick recipe. I make sure I always have a tin of crab meat in the cupboard. It’s really nice with frozen peas too.

Serves 4

You will need:

400g Vetta spaghetti

1 red chilli, chopped

1 clove garlic

Pinch salt

Good quality rapeseed oil

1 tin white crab meat

Handful of baby spinach

Cook the spaghetti according to the pack instructions.

Meanwhile, either bash the chilli, garlic and salt with a pestle and mortar or whizz in a mini blender, adding a generous amount of oil to make a runny dressing.

Stir the crab into the garlic/chilli oil and season to taste.

Finally, drain the cooked pasta and stir the sauce through, adding the shredded

spinach.

Serve immediately.

Creamy pea and prawn fettuccine

This is our favourite pasta recipe, bar none. It’s yummy with crème fraîche, and you can substitute cooked chicken or even leftover smoked salmon for the prawns. Don’t miss out the lemon, it really lifts the whole dish and makes it extra special.

Serves 4

You will need:

400g Vetta Fettuccine

200g frozen peas

Rapeseed or coconut oil

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

225g frozen cooked prawns, defrosted

100ml double cream

1 lemon, zest only

Handful of fresh parsley

Cook the fettuccine according to the pack instructions. Add the peas about two minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Meanwhile, add the oil and finely chopped garlic to a cold frying pan and heat slowly.

Add in the prawns and cook until sizzling and cooked through.

Pour in the cream and, depending on what consistency you prefer, a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid.

Just before you’re about to serve, add in a large handful of chopped parsley and the lemon zest and stir through.

Finally, drain the pasta and peas and toss them through the sauce. Serve immediately, garnishing with a bit more parsley and lemon zest.

Fettuccine with green pasta sauce and roast chicken

This is such a fresh-tasting pasta, even though it’s mostly made from leftovers and/or freezer ingredients. If you don’t have time to make the green sauce, a couple of tablespoons of good quality pesto will do.

Serves 4

You will need:

400g Vetta fettuccine

Rapeseed oil

Large handful of herbs - I used parsley, mint and basil

2 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper

150g frozen baby broad beans

150g frozen sliced green beans

Leftover roast chicken

Firstly, cook the fettuccine according to the packet instructions. You’ll need to add the vegetables about 4 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

In a food processor or blender, whizz the herbs with a generous glug of rapeseed oil and the garlic until it’s formed a smooth sauce. Season to taste.

Remember to add the vegetables to the pasta so everything is ready at the same time.

When the pasta and vegetables are ready, drain and stir through the green sauce.

Finish with some cooked chicken breast, if liked.

Gooey tomato and mozzarella fusilli

You can’t really underestimate the sheer joy of the gooey mozzarella strings that this recipe provides. It’s really simple, and quick to make (you can even use a jar of tomato pasta sauce if you like) but it’s just such fun to eat:

Serves 4

You will need:

400g Vetta fusilli

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 red onion

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

Pinch of sugar

Chopped basil

Ball of mozzarella

To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan, then add the finely chopped onion. Sprinkle with salt and cook slowly until softened.

Add in the tin of tomatoes, cover and leave to cook for about ten minutes while you cook the pasta. Check for seasoning and add the sugar at the end of the cooking time.

Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions.

Drain the pasta and stir through the tomato sauce. Stir in the cubed mozzarella and a handful of chopped basil. Serve straight away while the mozzarella is melty and gorgeous.

Thanks to Vetta for sending me their yummy pasta!