3 delicious pasta recipes - from spicy Assassin’s spaghetti to our easiest ever lasagne and bolognese

We’re big fans of a bowl of pasta here at woman&home, but even our favourite midweek meals can start to feel a little repetitive. So we’ve been busy in the Test Kitchen cooking up three recipes that take familiar pasta dishes and give them a seriously delicious twist. “We wanted to create recipes that feel familiar enough for a weeknight, but with something a little unexpected about them,” says Food Director Jen Bedloe.

First up is Assassin’s spaghetti, and the name certainly caught our attention. Hailing from Puglia, spaghetti all’assassina is said to have been created in 1967 by chef Enzo Francavilla. Legend has it that his hungry diners jokingly called him an ‘assassin’ after tasting the fiery, improvised dish. Inspired by the viral Italian dish, we have cooked the spaghetti directly in a rich tomato sauce, letting it sizzle and caramelise in the pan, similar to a risotto. “It’s the charred edges that really make this one,” says Food Writer Nicola Roberts. “You get this lovely contrast between the glossy, rich tomato sauce and those crisp, caramelised pieces of spaghetti.”

Lasagne soup is our answer to those days when you’re craving all the comforting flavours of lasagne but can’t face the layering. It’s essentially your favourite beef and tomato filling transformed into a warming bowl, with pieces of fresh lasagne sheet cooked right in the sauce. A dollop of creamy burrata, fresh basil and lemon zest takes it from simple supper to something extra special.

Our bolognese shells are for anyone who loves a slow-cooked ragu but doesn’t love the time or washing up that usually comes with it. We’ve used frozen soffritto to cut down on prep, then cooked the pasta straight in the rich, meaty sauce. It takes a little time to bubble away, but there’s just one pot to wash at the end. “The beef and pork make this bolognese wonderfully rich, while the milk gives the sauce a silky finish,” says Food Assistant Johanna Mentel.

Assassin's spaghetti with cheesy breadcrumbs

• Serves 4
• Prep 10 mins
• Cook 20 mins
• Per serving: 611 cals, 20g fat, 5g sat fat, 85g carbs

Ingredients

• 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
• 75g fresh breadcrumbs
• 50g parmesan
• 100g good quality tomato puree
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1tsp chilli flakes, or more to taste
• 1 small bunch basil, leaves picked
• 400g spaghetti
• You will need: A deep frying pan, equal or wider than the spaghetti length

Method

1. Heat the frying pan over a high heat with half of the oil. Fry the breadcrumbs for 4-5 mins until golden, then grate over the parmesan. Keep stirring for 1-2 mins, breaking it up until you have a crisp even crumb. Transfer to a plate to cool, then wipe the pan.
2. Put the tomato puree into a warmed heatproof jug, pour over 1 litre boiling water and 1 tsp fine salt.
3. Put the pan back over the heat and add the remaining oil, garlic, chilli, and half of the basil leaves. Sizzle for 1 min then lay the spaghetti in the pan and pour 1 ladleful of the hot tomato mixture over the spaghetti. Leave to bubble and sizzle until it starts to deeply caramelise, then lift and turn the spaghetti over in sections and caramelise the other side.
4. Gradually add the remaining tomato mixture, agitating and turning the spaghetti as it cooks, allowing it to caramelise before adding more. After about 12 mins the pasta will have absorbed most of the liquid leaving it coated in a glossy sauce.
5. Give the pasta a good stir to spread the flavour packed charred pieces evenly throughout, then divide between plates. Sprinkle over the parmesan breadcrumbs and remaining basil leaves. Drizzle over a little more oil, if liked.

Lasagne soup

• Serves 4
• Prep 5 mins
• Cook 35 mins
• Per serving: 568 cals, 26g fat, 11g sat fat, 48g carbs

Ingredients

• 1tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 onion, diced
• 350g 12% fat beef mince
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 70g tomato puree
• 400g tin cherry tomatoes
• 2tsp dried oregano
• 350ml chicken stock
• 300g fresh egg lasagne sheets, cut into irregular shapes
• 150g ball burrata, torn into pieces
• Zest ½ lemon
• Small bunch basil, leaves picked

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent. Add the mince, breaking it up as it cooks until browned.
2. Stir the garlic into the mince and cook for 2 mins. Add the tomato puree and dried oregano and cook for 2 mins.
3. Add the tinned tomatoes, along with half a tin of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the stock and bring back to the boil, then add the lasagne pieces. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 mins, until the pasta is cooked. Spoon into bowls and top with some burrata, basil leaves, lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil.

Bolognese shells

• Serves 6
• Prep 5 mins
• Cook 1 hr 20 mins
• Per serving: 630 cals, 21g fat, 7g sat fat, 69g carbs

Ingredients

• 2tbsp olive oil
• 250g frozen soffritto
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 500g 12% fat beef mince
• 250g pork mince
• 70g tomato puree
• Pinch grated nutmeg
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 200ml whole milk
• 1 x 28g stock pot (we used Knorr White Wine Stock Pot)
• 350g tomato passata
• 500g dried conchiglie pasta
• 500ml chicken stock
• Small bunch curly parsley, finely chopped to serve
• Grated parmesan, to serve

Method

1. Heat half the oil in a lidded, heavy based pot. Add the soffritto mix and a pinch of salt, cook for 10 mins on medium heat to soften, adding the garlic for the final min. Remove from the pot and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pot. Turn the heat to high and fry the beef and pork mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until well browned. Lower the heat, add the tomato puree and stir for 2-3 mins until the colour turns from bright to dark red.
3. Return the soffritto to the pan with the nutmeg, bay leaves, rosemary sprig, milk, stock pot, passata and 500ml just-boiled water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to low, put the lid on, slightly ajar, and cook for 40 mins.
4. Remove the herbs, then stir in the pasta and an additional 350ml of just-boiled water. Cover and simmer gently for a further 20 mins, until the pasta is cooked. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t catch, and if the sauce looks dry or the pasta is not submerged, add 100-200ml water.
5. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan and curly parsley.

Pots and pans to try

9 top tips for pasta cooking

1. Salt the water generously – Pasta absorbs water as it cooks, so seasoning the cooking water is one of the easiest ways to build flavour from the start.
2. Save some pasta water – That cloudy, starchy water is brilliant for loosening sauces and helping them cling to the pasta. Add a splash before draining, rather than rinsing the pasta.
3. Cook it just shy of al dente – Pasta continues cooking slightly when it’s tossed with a hot sauce, so draining it a minute or two early can give you the perfect texture.
4. Finish pasta in the sauce – Rather than spooning sauce over cooked pasta, toss the two together in the pan for the final minute or two. The pasta absorbs more flavour and the sauce coats it properly.
5. Use the right shape for your sauce – Long, thin pasta works well with lighter sauces, while ridged or tubular shapes are ideal for chunky, meaty sauces. Shells are particularly good at catching sauce.
6. Don’t overcrowd the pan – Use a large enough saucepan so the pasta has plenty of room to move around. This helps it cook evenly and reduces sticking.
7. Try a little lemon zest – A small amount can lift rich, creamy or tomato-based sauces without making the dish taste obviously lemony.
8. Grate cheese over the pasta while it’s hot – Parmesan or pecorino melts more easily and combines with the sauce for a smoother finish.
9. Don’t rinse your pasta – Unless you’re making a cold pasta salad, rinsing washes away the starch that helps sauce cling to the pasta.