Budget pasta recipes
Pasta is a great thrifty way to bulk up meals. Try our favourite budget pasta dishes to help with both empty stomachs… and wallets.
Try our creamy fettucine alfredo, a spicy sausage and chilli ragu, vegan squash macaroni cheese and lots more.
For all our thrifty recipes, check out the full budget recipes collection here. Plus, two low-cost superheroes team up in our sausage pasta recipes.
Showing 1-16 of 104 recipes
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Tomato pasta recipes
Pasta pomodoro
Pasta pomodoro is the original – and best – tomato pasta. This recipe is quick and easy but uses a few tricks to really amp up the flavour.
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Italian pasta recipes
Classic pasta puttanesca
One of the most famous classic pasta dishes of all time, pasta puttanesca includes anchovies, garlic, capers, olives and tomatoes.
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Budget pasta recipes
Bigoli in salsa (caramelised onion and anchovy pasta)
Bigoli in salsa is a classic Venetian dish: thick pasta strands with a rich sauce of caramelised onions and anchovies. Simple yet luxurious.
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30-minute meal recipes
Umami bomb spaghetti
Ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta, this speedy umami bomb spaghetti is packed with olives, anchovies, capers, parmesan and parsley for a joyful tapenade-like flavour.
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Weekly pasta recipes
Creamy sweetcorn and Tajín pasta
Tajín is a Mexican seasoning that combines lime and chilli, and when paired with sweetcorn it makes a wonderful sauce for pasta.
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Leftover lunch recipes
Leftover pasta frittata
Leftover spaghetti is the carb hero of this robust omelette. This versatile frittata is the perfect vehicle for any leftover pasta and veg.
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Weekly pasta recipes
Brothy tortelloni with beans
Cooking filled pasta in a garlic and chilli-spiked broth with creamy beans and robust cavolo nero is seriously satisfying for a-15 minute meal.
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Easy orzo recipes
Pea green orzotto
This beautiful, bright green orzo has the fresh flavours of sweet peas, fragrant basil and a wonderful oozy texture thanks to the mozzarella. It’s spring in a bowl!
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30-minute meal recipes
Walnut and four-herb pesto pasta
Use our fabulous, freeze-ahead green sauce to make this delicious walnut pesto pasta. A great quick pasta recipe to have up your sleeve.
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Weekly pasta recipes
Tuna puttanesca ragù
Whizzing up olives and capers to form a sort of mince and gently simmering them like you would a ragù creates something far deeper and richer than the usual puttanesca.
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Macaroni cheese recipes
Green mac and cheese with bacon crumb
The cavolo nero leaves in green mac and cheese are whizzed while the stems are quick pickled, to provide brightness against the cheese sauce.
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Easy student recipes
Spaghetti aglio e olio
This easy spaghetti aglio e olio requires just 15 minutes and 5 ingredients. We love it for an easy midweek meal.
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Easy dinner party mains
Orzo carbonara
It won’t please any Italians, but stirring carbonara through orzo instead of the more usual spaghetti creates an unparalleled creaminess.
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30-minute meal recipes
Bucatini cacio e pepe
This cacio e pepe recipe is given extra richness and tang thanks to a little beurre blanc in the sauce. Comfort food at its finest.
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'Nduja recipes
Speedy tagliatelle with ‘nduja, mascarpone and spinach
This easy low-energy, speedy tagliatelle scores high for its sustainability credentials, because it uses little energy: your hob is only turned on for less than 5 minutes total.
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Budget recipes
Speedy anchovy and broccoli pasta
This sustainable and budget-friendly, low-energy pasta is made by capturing the residual heat of boiling pasta water to warm the sauce, meaning your hob is only turned on for less than 5 minutes total.
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