 175g (6oz) pasta shapes
1 onion, chopped
1 courgette, chopped
175g (6oz) baby corn, halved
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 x 275g jar tomato pasta sauce
100g (4oz) cooked ham, cut into pieces
175g (6oz) Double Gloucester cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or oregano, plus a few sprigs to garnish
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
300g (10oz) natural Greek-style yoghurt
1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/400 °F/Gas 6. Lightly grease a large baking dish or individual baking dishes with a teaspoon of the butter.
2. Cook the pasta shapes in plenty of boiling, lightly salted water until just tender, about 8 - 10 minutes, or according to pack instructions.
3. At the same time, melt the butter in a large saucepan and sauté the onion, courgette and baby corn for 5 minutes.
4. Thoroughly drain the pasta and add to the vegetables. Stir in the tomatoes and the pasta sauce. Add the ham, then cut half the cheese into small cubes and stir through the pasta mixture with the chopped fresh herbs. Season to taste, then transfer to the prepared dish and level the top.
5. Beat the eggs and yoghurt together. Grate the remaining cheese and stir it into the egg mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the pasta. Bake for 20-25 minutes until set and golden brown. Serve, garnished with fresh herb sprigs.
Serves 4
Cook's Tips: Try Red Leicester or mature Cheddar cheese instead of Double Gloucester. You could use low fat natural yoghurt instead of Greek-style if you want to keep the calories and fat to a minimum.
Cheesy Pasta Salad - The cheesy lunch box extravaganza
Packed lunches needn 't always be dull sandwiches. This tasty pasta salad can be easily transported in an airtight tub and eaten with a small spoon or fork. Toddlers will love this dish too as it can also be eaten easily with fingers.
Preparation time - 15 minutes and cooking time - 10 minutes
To serve four, you will need :
225g / 8oz pasta shapes
75g / 3oz Cheshire cheese
75g / 3oz Red Leicester cheese
50g / 2oz baby corn
50g / 2oz cucumber
50g / 2oz cherry tomatoes
50g / 2oz frozen peas, thawed
100g / 4oz fromage frais
tbsp tomato ketchup
Freshly ground black pepper
Just follow these simple instructions
1. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water for 10 minutes or as directed on the packet. Drain and refresh under running cold water. Drain again
2. Place the pasta in a large bowl and crumble the cheese into the bowl
3. Cut the red cheese into small dice and add to the bowl
4. Slice the baby corn thickly, cut the cucumber into dice (for very young children you may wish to peel the cucumber and remove the seeds as these are less digestible) and halve the cherry tomatoes
5. Add to the bowl with the peas and toss together to combine
6. Mix together the yogurt, ketchup and season with a little pepper if liked, drizzle over the salad and toss to combine
Cook 's Tip: You can vary the vegetable you add to the pasta to suit your child 's likes and dislikes. Try cherry tomatoes or blanched green beans or carrots. You could also add a little chopped ham or chicken to the salad.
For more cheesy recipes take a look at MoreThanJustCheese
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