Seven days of pasta!

What student doesn’t love a bowl of warm comforting pasta? Whether it’s been lovingly tended to on the stove all evening, quickly whipped up as a pre-lecture lunch, or gratefully reheated as a carb-filled hungover breakfast, pasta is there for you every day of the week…or if not, this article is here to actualise that. 

After much thought, I have assigned a pasta dish to each day of the week, so that when in a pinch for dinner options, you can reach toward your cupboard staple, for something delicious! 

Monday: Tortellini 

Of course it would be fitting for Monday’s pasta to be lasagne, and I am doing Garfield a great disservice, but until any student can confidently come forward and say they make lasagne at university, it’s not happening. 

Therefore tortellini, possibly the most low effort pasta, is the choice for Monday. With an array of different filling options, you can mix this one up, and added with a simple tomato sauce, tortellini is a flavoursome meal, getting plenty of bang for your buck!

Now admittedly, opening a packet of tortellini and chucking it in a pot of boiling water is the very baseline of cooking, but that’s what you deserve after a gruelling Monday.  

Tuesday: Mac ‘n’ cheese 

With Tuesday still being painfully early in the week, it requires a treat of a pasta, a comfort food classic like mac ‘n’cheese. It is easy to make at home, and customisable – so why not get creative with it?  

The creamy base is incredibly simple. To start off, all  you need to do is add an equal measure of plain flour to melted butter to a saucepan. Then you add milk to the pan whilst whisking continually, forming a béchamel sauce. At that point, you’re free to go! Add as much cheese as your stomach can take, and season well, at this point feel free to throw in other toppings – I personally love a bit of bacon, red onion, and garlic.

To take things to the next level, pop your mac ‘n’ cheese in the oven with a generous coating of breadcrumbs and an extra sprinkle of cheese, for a crispy golden topping.  

Wednesday: Orzo 

There’s something so appealing about pasta shaped like rice, it’s one of life’s novelties, made all the more exciting by the range of things you can do with it! Orzo can be a hearty meal, when cooked within rich sauces amongst ingredients such as sausage or mushroom, or can serve as a light side, when accompanied with lightly sautéed veg, or a fresh tomato sauce.

This pasta also works well in soups too, if by Wednesday, the freshers’ flu you caught over the weekend has kicked in. 

Thursday: ‘Scrappy’ pasta 

While the title here is probably not very enticing, we all have scraps in the fridge that need eating, so why not make pasta? Everyone can appreciate a tasty meal that comes with the good feeling of not having wasted that half an onion you swore you’d use. This dish feels apt for Thursday, and if you’re well organised and do your food shop on the weekend, then you might be stuck wondering how to use up those once fresh veggies, and God knows there isn’t time for that sort of experimentalism on the weekend, when the pub’s calling!

So, lightly fry any leftover veg and/or protein in some olive oil, adding some minced garlic and seasoning to taste. To this, you can add chopped tinned tomatoes, either squashed down with a spoon, or blended for a smoother sauce. Let this simmer, and check for seasoning, then stir in to a pasta of your choice! 

Friday: Aglio e olio 

As fancy as the Italian name makes this dish sound, this is the easiest meal to construct of all. Spaghetti works best here, but any kind of pasta is fine, because you’ve made it to Friday! There is no need to waste any more brain power on deciding what pasta shape to use.  

All that is needed to whip this up is a glug of olive oil, as much finely chopped garlic as your breath can handle, and a healthy helping of pasta. While the pasta is boiling, fry your garlic – starting from cold oil so as not to burn it – and of course you can make additions here too.

In under ten minutes, you’ll have a deliciously filling, super simple dinner ready to scarf down, before whatever exciting Friday night plans lie ahead. 

Saturday: Spaghetti carbonara 

For Saturday, we move on to a student classic: the carbonara. Using just eggs, parmesan, pancetta, and spaghetti, you get a richly flavoured, moreish dish. Similarly to Friday’s pasta, the carbonara doesn’t take long to prepare, and is not too heavy – the perfect pre-socialising snack. 

While frying pancetta, pop the spaghetti on to boil, and spend the meantime combining two eggs with a handful of parmesan, seasoned with black pepper. Once your pasta is cooked, and the pancetta is suitably crispy, turn off the heat, add the pasta to the frying pan, with a splash of pasta water, then stir in the egg mix until a glossy sauce forms. 

Sunday: Bolognese 

Finishing with a staple pasta dish, the humble Bolognese is perfect for batch cooking for the next week ahead, or to be chucked in the freezer and get forgotten about for a month.

This is a dish to let sit on the stove for a while, to facilitate a cosy night in, after a hectic week at university, and the time spent will be so rewarding. 

Dice and gently fry some onion, carrot and, celery, later adding garlic, mince, and then tomato paste. Once the mince has browned, add blended tinned tomatoes, and season well. To take things up a notch, you could blend some fresh basil into the sauce, add a splash of wine, or balsamic vinegar. Leave the sauce on the stove to simmer for as long as you can bear not digging in for, then serve up with your pasta of choice, and a generous grating of cheese on top.