Some nights call for a dinner you can get onto the table without a long list of ingredients or a sink full of washing up. Faster Pasta fits that job perfectly.
This simple family pasta combines bacon, onion, red capsicum, garlic and cheddar cheese with spaghetti. The bacon gives the dish plenty of savoury flavour, while the capsicum and onion add a little sweetness. Finish it with grated cheddar while the pasta is still hot so the cheese melts through the spaghetti.
It is a useful recipe to keep on hand when you need to make dinner from ingredients already sitting in the fridge.
Faster Pasta is also easy to adjust around what you have available. A lonely piece of capsicum, a few bacon rashers and the end of a block of cheese can all find a home here. That makes it particularly handy towards the end of the week, when you want to use fresh food before the next grocery shop.
Why Faster Pasta Works for Busy Family Dinners
There are only a handful of ingredients in the main pasta mixture, and most are everyday fridge and pantry staples.
The bacon cooks quickly. The onion and capsicum can go into the same frying pan, and the cooked spaghetti is tossed through at the end. There is no separate sauce to prepare.
If quick pasta dinners are popular at your place, our Creamy Bacon Carbonara is another easy option. It combines bacon, pasta, Parmesan and a creamy egg mixture for a filling family meal.
A Handy Recipe for Using What You Have
One of the easiest ways to keep grocery costs under control is to use food before it ends up forgotten at the back of the fridge.
Faster Pasta gives you some room to do that.
The bacon, onion, capsicum and cheese form the base of the dish. Before adding extra ingredients, check what needs using in your fridge. A small amount of suitable leftover vegetables can often be served alongside the pasta rather than preparing another full dish.
Keeping meals simple can also make it easier to see what food you already have. Check the fridge before shopping, plan a few dinners around ingredients that need using first, and store leftovers promptly so they can become lunch the following day.
If stretching the weekly food budget is a priority, have a look at our 20 Cheap and Easy Dinner Ideas You Can Cook Tonight for more family dinner inspiration.
What to Serve with Faster Pasta
Faster Pasta is filling enough to serve on its own, particularly when you need dinner quickly.
For a larger meal, serve it with steamed vegetables or a simple salad. Broccoli, green beans, peas or zucchini are easy choices and can help use vegetables already in the fridge.
You can also put a little extra grated cheese on the table for anyone who wants more.
Tips for Making Faster Pasta
Cut the bacon, onion and capsicum into small pieces so they cook quickly and distribute evenly through the spaghetti.
Cook the onion until it has softened before adding the bacon and capsicum. Give the bacon enough time in
More Budget-Friendly Family Dinners
If you’re trying to keep grocery costs down, you’ll also love our Frugal Meal Ideas collection, packed with easy dinners that feed the family without costing a fortune.
What’s your favourite ingredient to throw into a quick pasta dinner? Let us know in the comments below.
Faster Pasta – Super Fast Way to Use Up Leftovers
A quick bacon, capsicum and homemade pasta dinner that’s handy for using up leftovers and getting dinner on the table fast.
4
servings5
minutes12
minutes380
kcal17
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- Faster Pasta
250 g bacon rashers, finely chopped
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 red capsicum, finely chopped
15 ml olive oil
5 g butter
60 g cheddar cheese, grated
Homemade spaghetti, prepared as below
- Homemade Spaghetti
250 g plain flour, sifted
1 free-range egg
Water, as required to make 110 ml when combined with the egg
Directions
- Homemade Spaghetti
- Measure the flour and add it to the automatic pasta maker.
- Crack the egg into a measuring jug.
- Add enough water to bring the total egg and water mixture to 110 ml.
- Pour the egg and water mixture into the pasta maker.
- Select the two-cup setting.
- Fit the spaghetti attachment and allow the machine to extrude the pasta.
- Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 5 minutes.
- Drain the spaghetti and set aside.
- Faster Pasta
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan.
- Add the garlic and onion and cook until softened.
- Add the bacon and capsicum and cook until the bacon is cooked and lightly caramelised.
- Add the butter and stir until melted.
- Add the cooked spaghetti and toss to combine.
- Stir through the cheddar cheese while the pasta is hot.
- Divide between four plates and serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- These quantities were developed for an automatic pasta maker with a two-cup setting. Pasta makers vary, so always follow the manufacturer’s recommended flour, liquid and programme settings. If using a manual machine, prepare and roll the dough according to the manufacturer’s instructions before cutting it into spaghetti.
- If using a manual pasta machine, prepare and roll the dough according to the manufacturer’s instructions before cutting it into spaghetti.
- Serve the pasta immediately for the best texture.
- This recipe is not suitable for freezing.
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