Quick & Healthy Recipe | Pasta with a Mouthwatering Feta Cheese & Tomato Sauce

Are you Looking for a Quick, Easy, Healthy and Mouthwatering Feta Cheese Pasta and Tomato Sauce Recipe? You can make this one in less than 30 mins and it tastes great with fresh tomatoes, asparagus, feta cheese, garlic & onions. You can even add Chicken if you'd like!

I can assure you, it tastes great, and if you add cheese in moderation, or substitute the cheese for creamy avocado slices, you can make this a healthy alternative to a heavy, fatty meal...and lets be honest, eating healthily is the best prevention from getting chronic conditions later on in life. Additionally, one of the main requests I received whilst working as a Pharmacist was how to eat healthier & keep the weight down. Most times this was because the person was preparing to get married, some of the times it was because the patient had medical conditions that could be improved by losing weight & getting fit. All in all, whether you are hoping it may help you to get in shape for that special day, or whether you just love pasta (like me), try out this recipe - its a surefire hit you will be making again & again!!

I recently came across Feta cheese in a local supermarket and decided to try an old pasta recipe that I love to cook. It takes less than 30 mins to prepare and is the best tasting feta cheese & pasta dish you can have quite possibly tasted. With a few tweaks here and there you can personalise this dish to your taste, but I will give you the basic recipe below.

In addition to the ingredients I have listed below, you can also add fresh grilled vegetables (refer to the tips sections in the blue boxes) and chicken which will make this the perfect evening dinner, or you can add a green salad, making it a great, light lunch!

1 medium onion

3 cloves of garlic

Any Pasta Sauce (1 bottle)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Small tin of Sweetcorn

1 large fresh tomato

1 tbsp Tomato paste

Cheddar Cheese (Mature cheddar gives the best taste)

Feta Cheese

1 packet pasta

It is possible to use any pasta sauce and make it taste absolutely great providing you add the following three essential ingredients:

• Fresh Tomatoes - chop & deseed a fresh tomato and mix it into the sauce
• 1 tsp mayonnaise - this will give the sauce a creamy, rich texture and a mouthwatering taste!
• Seasoning - a pinch of turmeric, red pepper flakes & black pepper will work wonders and make the sauce taste homemade and well seasoned
  

If you really want to tease your taste buds, then try making your own pasta. From scratch. Trust me - there is nothing like it! It will transform a great tasting pasta dish into the ultimate pasta dish...

First thing you can do is ensure you have water in a pot on the stove, bring it to the boil, add one tsp salt and a tsp of oil (to stop the pasta from sticking to the pot and each other).

Next add your chosen type of pasta, and mix into the salted water. I prefer to use different types, but for this recipe either penne or pasta twists work exceptionally well.

Now, whilst the pasta is boiling, you can go ahead and start on your sauce. First chop the onion as fine as possible and add to a frying pan that contains one to two tsp oil. Saute the onions until they become soft and slightly browned.

Peel the garlic cloves, crush them into the onions, and lightly fry. At this stage you can add ANY pasta sauce (whether you want a mushroom one, a basil one or a meaty one, you can add any pasta sauce).

Keep on high heat until it is bubbling nicely, then add the tsp of tomato paste, the sweetcorn & the seasoning. I tend to like slightly spicy foods, so I add barbeque seasoning or pepper based seasoning mixtures at this stage (a little will go along way, you want a slightly sweet taste to the sauce to balance out the saltiness of the feta).

Once all the ingredients are in, you can lower the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for around 15 mins. If you want a creamier sauce, then as the Secret to a Great Pasta sauce box above suggests, you can add mayonnaise (one tsp should do it) and mix it in well. Do not take the sauce of the heat until it has thickened up, no-one likes watery pasta sauce!

This is a great tip and can come in handy when incorporating vegetables into every picky eaters food :) When you mix the feta cheese into the pasta, you can add roasted or grilled vegetables like carrot sticks, broccoli & asparagus to increase the nutritional value of the recipe. When they taste that, they wont turn down vegetables again!

You can add grilled strips of boneless chicken into the pasta & feta to improve the protein content of the pasta dish & overall taste.

| Tip: Marinate chicken strips in garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper for an hour before grilling |

By this point, the pasta should be boiled and ready to strain. Once the water is drained, you can return the pasta to the pot, add a little salt & pepper (to taste), and then crumble feta cheese onto the pasta. I didnt specify the amount as it is really down to individual taste: I love the saltiness of the feta with the sauce so I tend to add quite a bit.

Mix the crumbled feta, salt & pepper together with the pasta, and cover (to allow the steam to 'melt' the feta). You will notice that the feta wont really melt as such just become a little soft, which is ideal (you want flat chunks of feta that are relatively soft).

At this point, you can also add grated cheddar, the mature variety works best but you can use any type. I know others who have used alternative cheeses, but I find that cheddar and feta are a great combination. The stronger the cheddar is, the more character I feel it adds to the dish, the richness of the flavour is delicious! Mature cheddar can however be very salty so beware!

Last but not least, plate out the pasta, add the pasta sauce on top, sprinkle some feta crumbles and some grated cheddar cheese onto the sauce & enjoy :) You can also serve with a green, olive based, salad on the side for a healthier alternative.

This recipe is so simple & light, its ideal for any occasion, you can put it in a container and take it to work for lunch, you can have it as part of your evening meal, it even fits in with a lunch party! It really is one that you will come back to and make again and again..

2. Carbohydrates, Proteins & Fats | Why do we Need them in our Daily Diet?

We always hear about ‘a healthy balanced diet’…but what exactly does that mean? Terms like ‘carbohydrates’, ‘proteins’ and ‘fats’ are used by our Doctors, Pharmacists and other health professionals when they are telling us what types of food are best for us but what roles do these nutrients play in our bodies?..And why do we need to have them in our daily diet?

This article explains it all...

..then you can take a look at some of my other articles below that touch on healthy eating, and easy lifestyle changes you can make to boost your welness journey!

1. Carbohydrates, Proteins & Fats | Why do we Need them in our Daily Diet?

We always hear about ‘a healthy balanced diet’…but what exactly does that mean?

Terms like ‘carbohydrates’, ‘proteins’ and ‘fats’ are used by our Doctors, Pharmacists and other health professionals when they are telling us what types of food are best for us but what roles do these nutrients play in our bodies?..And why do we need to have them in our daily diet?

2. Health Benefits of Juicing & Why You Need to Try It

The whole of the dieting and nutrition world has been buzzing about the health benefits of juicing for a hot minute now, but really what is it and how could it help you live a healthier life?

This article covers four health benefits of juicing, how juicing provides a nutrient, vitamin and mineral rich, low calorie punch of energy and why it is a great way to get the nutritional benefits from fruits or vegetables you may not normally eat (like beets or spinach).