Wondering what to do with all that pasta? Give these 3 easy-bake pasta recipes a try in COVID-19 self-isolation

Pasta is one of those items every kitchen always seems to have in stock. The unleavened, doughy foodstuff is considered the easiest food to make, yet now that many of us are in quarantine, it might be time to push your limits on what you can do with the staple.

Sure, spaghetti bolognese and the like are fun and all, but there is usually always leftovers. So, here are three different ways you can use up leftover pasta to try something else. The measurements I’ll be giving here are not set in stone as I don’t want to exclude anyone from trying these out because they think they might not have enough of any of the ingredients. Never hesitate to experiment, as long as you don't burn yourself (or the pasta) in the process.

Fake lasagna

For lasagna, you usually need to have those wide, thin sheets of pasta, but these are not always in stock. That said, why not try making a fake version?

Ingredients
400 grams minced meat of your choice
2 onions
2 carrots
500 milliliters tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
500-600 milliliters milk
salt, pepper and other spices, to taste
grated cheese as topping

Instructions

After cooking your pasta, prepare a bechamel sauce, which you can make by adding some flour into melted butter and heating it until the flour changes color slightly, before slowly pouring milk over it. Continue whisking and adding the milk until the mixture starts to thicken. You want the consistency to be pourable, essentially, so don't keep it too long.

Then with whatever meat you have lying around (or pea protein, zucchinis or eggplants, for that matter), some onions and carrots or other veggies you might want to add, make a nice filling by frying them all together. When that’s all mixed well, add some tomato sauce or tomato paste dissolved in water and mix together.

With your three main elements now ready, you can start layering as best as you can. I usually start off with a layer of the bechamel sauce, followed by pasta and topped with the meat, then follow with a layer of bechamel and repeat. This order is not required, of course. I have had the meaty version prepared with the pasta directly, as my leftover pasta began to dry out which worked just as well (perhaps even better!). The last layer should be bechamel topped off with some grated cheese. After that, simply pop in the oven, and then, it's time to dig in!

Keep-it-simple baked pasta

In lieu of lasagna, you may want oven-baked goodness with less of the hassle. I usually make this one when I just can’t be bothered with anything that takes longer than five minutes.

Ingredients
4 eggs
400 milliliters milk
salt, pepper and other spices to taste
grated cheese, as topping (optional)
parsley (optional)

Instructions

You literally toss the pasta in a baking tin of your choice, take a bowl and add eggs. Pour the milk into the bowl and add the spices of your choice. I keep it simple with some salt and black pepper. If you want to add something green, chopped parsley works well. Now whisk the eggs, milk, spices and greens a bit so that it is well mixed and pour over your pasta. The pasta should be more or less covered in this mixture. If you think it looks a bit dry, you can always just add a little more milk. As a final but optional choice, you can add grated cheese after 20 minutes in the oven. Why wait for at least 20 minutes? Because you don't want your cheese to burn. The egg/milk ratio can vary depending on how much you have at hand. If it seems a bit too plain for your taste, you can toss in pieces of meat as well. My husband loves it when I incorporate some sausage into the mix!

Creamy mushroom pasta

This one is my absolute favorite to be perfectly honest. Mushrooms just have a special place in my kitchen. Like in the other recipes, I need to mention here that the amounts are not set in stone. I usually make this with however much I have in stock. Sometimes I forego the onion completely, even.

Ingredients
2 onions
500 grams leek
500 grams mushrooms
200 milliliters heavy cream
salt, pepper and other spices, to taste
grated cheese, as topping (optional)

Instructions

Take a big pot or pan of your choice and fry some chopped onions until their color changes. Add your chopped leeks and cook until they shrink a little. Toss in the mushrooms and pour heavy cream on top once the mixture starts to juice up. After a few minutes, add your spices and turn off the heat. Now you can simply toss in your pasta and give it a good stir. Pour this into a baking tin and place in the oven. As in previous recipes, you can top this dish off with some grated cheese after 20 minutes in the oven and just let it melt to perfection. Everything tastes better with a bit of cheese, except if you are lactose intolerant, so pay heed!

Note: I bake all of these dishes at 170-180 degrees Celsius (340-355 Fahrenheit), but ovens are all unique: Mine likes to be heated up a bit more while my mother’s likes to burn everything to a crisp at the same temperature. Always keep an eye on your dish and remove earlier than recommend so as not to burn the dish.