A balanced meal is one that contains one portion of proteins, one of vegetables and one of carbohydrates, which includes pasta. If you bear this in mind, you’ll soon see that the possibilities are infinite, especially if you think about pasta recipes where pasta isn’t the star of the show.
How about some fusilli to accompany some homemade meatballs? Or some pappardelle al pesto with stuffed chicken breasts? Here are some ideas for delicious pasta sides:
Homemade meatballs in sauce with fusilli
We’ve all got that magic meatball recipe passed down from generation to generation, right? So, take note: 500 g of mince, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, milk, salt and flour. Moisten the breadcrumbs in the milk and mix together with the meat and eggs. Season to taste and set aside. Make some meatballs with your hands, coat in flour and fry in olive oil. Put the meatballs aside while you make the sauce: gently fry your favourite vegetables (we recommend onion and carrot) and finish off with a dash of white wine (about half a glass should do it). Once ready, blend to make a smooth sauce. Add the meatballs, cover with a little water and cook over a low heat. Add salt if necessary. Accompany with some cooked, strained fusilli drizzled in olive oil. They go wonderfully with the sauce!
Chicken breasts stuffed with pappardelle al pesto
Make a cut in one side of the chicken breasts with a sharp knife so that they open out like a book. Add salt and pepper and gently fry on both sides in olive oil. For the stuffing, we suggest fried wild asparagus and fresh cheese, although you’re free to use courgette, spinach, kale, etc. Once stuffed, pin closed with some toothpicks and finish off in the oven. Check out this tip for how to make sure chicken breasts don’t dry out and go over how to make pesto in this recipe. Remove the toothpicks and serve with a portion of pappardelle and the pesto sauce on top.
Marinated brochettes with macaroni and cherry tomatoes
In this post on top barbecue recipes we shared some ideas on marinating white and red meat to give it an extra-juicy, aromatic touch, although it does call for some planning. We love to serve these marinated brochettes with some warm pasta as a refreshing side. Simply fry the cooked, strained macaroni with some garlic and a tiny bit of chilli pepper in olive oil. Add some cherry tomatoes cut in half and finish off with some chopped coriander.
