5 quick and easy pasta recipes to whip up for dinner – including a delicious spicy meatball dish

PASTA is a family favourite, perfect when finances are stretched.

But for inspiration to take you beyond the usual spag bol or lasagne, check out these delicious recipes from Ed Barrow’s new cookbook, The Monday Pasta Club.

Ed, who posts his budget-friendly meals @themonday pastaclub on Instagram, says: “No other ingredient captivates me like pasta. It’s humble, lurking in the background of so many meals that couldn’t exist without it.

“It can also be transformed into a quick and easy meal using a few key ingredients.”

These recipes serve two generously.

Bump up the ingredients if you are feeding more.

The Monday Pasta Club by Ed Barrow is out on Thursday (£22, Kyle).

• Photography: Ola O. Smit

Hot-smoked salmon, fennel and mascapone rigatoni

ED says: “Fennel and smoked salmon make a wonderful pairing. The subtle aniseed flavour of the fennel, gently cooked down in butter, works perfectly alongside the smokiness of the salmon.”

Takes 15-30 minutes

YOU NEED:

Olive oil, for frying

40g salted butter

1 large banana shallot, finely chopped

½ fennel bulb, very finely chopped

150g rigatoni

1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped

50ml dry white wine

125g mascarpone

2 fillets hot-smoked salmon, broken up into large flakes

Zest 1 lemon

Small handful fresh dill fronds, very finely chopped

Salt and pepper

METHOD: Put a large pan of well-salted water on to boil for the pasta.

Heat a large splash of oil with the butter in a large frying pan over a medium/low heat.

Once hot, add the shallot and fennel and cook down for about ten minutes, stirring regularly until well-softened and translucent.

Add the rigatoni to the pan of boiling water and cook until al dente, using the timing on the packet instructions as your guide.

Meanwhile, add the capers and wine to the sweated-down vegetables.

Turn up the heat to high and let the wine bubble rapidly for a minute or so to evaporate the alcohol.

Add the mascarpone and season well with pepper and a little salt.

Whisk together until combined and then leave to gently simmer over a low heat.

Once the rigatoni is cooked, drain, reserving some of the cooking water.

Add the rigatoni and a small splash of the cooking water to the pan with the sauce.

Add most of the flaked smoked salmon, the lemon zest and a good sprinkling of dill.

Toss over the heat for a minute or two until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta, adding a little more of the reserved water if needed to loosen the sauce.

Divide between two bowls and top with the remaining salmon.

Sausage, kale and chilli rigatoni

ED says: “Rich, meaty pork has a real affinity for the pleasantly tangy flavour of iron-rich kale, while red chilli delivers warmth to make this a truly comforting pasta dish.”

Takes 15-30 minutes

YOU NEED:

Olive oil, for frying

4 good-quality pork sausages, skins removed

1 small white onion, finely diced

150g rigatoni

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tsp dried chilli flakes, plus extra to serve

2 tbsp tomato purée

150g curly kale leaves, stripped from the stem and shredded

75ml double cream

Salt and pepper

METHOD: Put a large pan of well-salted water on to boil for the pasta.

Heat a splash of oil in another large pan over a high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the sausages and use a wooden spoon to break them into bite-size chunks.

Leave the meat to brown well for five minutes without stirring, moving it around the pan.

This will ensure a caramelised crust develops, creating a tastier and more complex flavour.

Once well-browned, remove it using a slotted spoon.

Add the onion to the pan with a good glug of oil.

Turn down heat to medium/low and fry for about five minutes until softened.

Add the rigatoni to the pan of water and cook until al dente, guided by the timing on the packet instructions.

Add the garlic, fresh chilli and dried chilli flakes to the softened onion and cook for a further minute.

Stir in the tomato purée and kale along with a large splash of the pasta cooking water.

Let the kale cook down until it starts to wilt.

Then add the cream and return the sausages to the pan.

Season with salt and pepper.

Allow to gently simmer while the pasta finishes cooking.

Drain the rigatoni, reserving a little of the cooking water.

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss together over the heat for a minute or two, adding a splash of cooking water if needed to loosen the sauce to a consistency that coats the pasta.

Divide between two bowls and top with a pinch of chilli flakes.

Pork and nduja meatballs with bucatini

ED says: “The Italian spicy sausage nduja is the perfect addition to this dish. It brings aromatic flavour as well as a nice warm kick to the meatballs, which are gently simmered in a red wine sauce.”

Takes 30 minutes to an hour

YOU NEED:

Olive oil, for frying

1 white onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

100ml red wine

400g canned chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp granulated sugar

150g bucatini

Small handful fresh basil leaves

Finely grated parmesan, to finish

Salt and pepper

For the meatballs:

200g minced pork

50g nduja

1 tbsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tbsp smoked paprika

40g soft white breadcrumbs

METHOD: First make the meatballs.

Put all the ingredients into a bowl.

Season well with salt and pepper then mix with your hands until well-combined.

Divide into eight small balls, weighing roughly 30g each. Place in the refrigerator while you make the sauce.

Add a good glug of oil to a large lidded pan and place over a medium heat.

Add the onion and fry for five minutes until softened, before adding the garlic and frying for a further minute.

Pour in the wine, followed by the chopped tomatoes, vinegar and sugar.

Season with salt and pepper then turn down the heat to low.

Put the lid on the pan and leave to gently simmer while you fry the meatballs.

Put a large pan of well-salted water on to boil for the pasta.

Drizzle a good amount of oil into a large frying pan and place over a medium-high heat.

Once the pan is hot, add meatballs and fry for three minutes without disturbing, to gain a golden caramelisation on the meat before turning and browning the other sides.

Once cooked, add the meatballs to the sauce along with any cooking juices.

Cover the pan with the lid and simmer for 15 minutes over a medium–low heat until the meatballs are cooked through, turning them occasionally.

Add the bucatini to the pan of boiling water and cook until al dente, using the timing on the packet instructions as your guide.

Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce, along with the torn basil.

Gently stir until everything is combined.

Divide between two bowls and top with parmesan.

Tuna, chilli and samphire spaghetti

ED says: “The salty tang of fresh samphire is perfect here. But when it is out of season, you can use asparagus or a dark, leafy green such as spinach.”

Takes 10-15 minutes

YOU NEED:

150g spaghetti

Olive oil, for frying

1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

90g samphire

1 can high-quality tuna in brine

1 lemon, zested then halved for squeezing

Salt and pepper

METHOD: Put the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling, well-salted water.

Cook until al dente, using the timing on the packet instructions as your guide.

Meanwhile, make the sauce.

Pour a generous glug of oil into a large frying pan.

Add the chilli and garlic then place the pan over a low heat.

Let them gently fry for about five minutes, ensuring the garlic does not burn.

For the final three minutes of the spaghetti’s cooking time, add the samphire to the boiling water and continue to cook until both are al dente.

Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water.

Add the spaghetti and samphire to the pan with the chilli and garlic, along with a small splash of the cooking water, the drained tuna and a good squeeze of lemon juice.

Season with salt and pepper.

Toss gently over the heat for two minutes or so until everything is well-combined.

Taste to check the seasoning then divide between two bowls and garnish with lemon zest.

Roasted leek and gorgonzola cannellonni

ED says: “Blue cheese with sweet roasted leeks make a winning combination in this baked pasta dish. Filled tubes of pasta baked in thick cheesy bechamel finished with a super-crispy panko and thyme topping.”

Takes at least an hour

YOU NEED:

2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 banana shallots, thinly sliced

Olive oil, for roasting

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried parsley

30g salted butter

30g plain flour

300ml whole milk

Freshly grated nutmeg

50g finely grated parmesan

100g baby spinach leaves

75g gorgonzola

100g full-fat cream cheese

Small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Zest 1 lemon

10 cannelloni tubes

75g panko breadcrumbs

Leaves from a few fresh thyme sprigs

Salt and pepper

METHOD: Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Put the leeks, garlic and shallots in a small deep-sided ovenproof dish.

Season with salt and pepper then drizzle over a generous glug of oil.

Sprinkle over the dried thyme and parsley and mix everything together.

Place in the centre of the oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel sauce.

Add the butter to a medium pan and place over a medium heat.

Once melted, add the flour.

Whisk together then cook for two minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.

Slowly add the milk in stages, whisking as you go to avoid lumps.

Bring to a simmer until it thickens to the consistency of thick pouring cream.

Season with salt and pepper, add a little grated nutmeg and the parmesan.

Whisk until the cheese has melted then turn off the heat and set aside.

Once leek and shallot mixture has cooked for 30 minutes, remove from oven.

Mix to break up the leeks and combine everything.

Set aside to cool.

Wilt the spinach in another pan with a little splash of oil and season with salt and pepper.

After a couple of minutes and once cooked down, remove from the pan and remove any of the excess moisture.

To do this, squeeze it through a clean tea towel.

Remove from the towel and finely chop then transfer to a large bowl.

Once the leek and shallot mixture has cooled, add it to the bowl, with half the gorgonzola, cream cheese, chopped parsley and lemon zest.

Season generously with salt and pepper then mix together well.

Fill a disposable piping bag with this mixture.

Turn up the oven temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Pour just under half the bechamel sauce into an ovenproof dish.

Cut the end off the piping bag and fill each cannelloni tube.

Place them side by side in the dish, on top of the bechamel to make a single layer that covers the base of the dish.

Then pour the remaining bechamel evenly over the cannelloni.

Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and thyme leaves and finally dot the remaining gorgonzola over the top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown, the bechamel is bubbling and the breadcrumbs are crispy.

Leave to rest for five minutes before serving.