Tuna Pasta Bake

This recipe is from Best Recipes, but I have altered it to be low sodium.

Ingredients:

• 300 g pasta
• 40 g butter
• 2 tbs plain flour
• 2 tsps garlic
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tsp vegetable stock powder
• pepper
• 2 cups of Nimbin low sodium cheese
• 425 g can of tuna in springwater, no added sodium
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 zucchini, grated
• ricecrumbs or polenta
• Optional: 1/2 can of no added salt corn kernals, mushroom or any other veges

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Cook pasta according to directions
3. Melt butter in a saucepan and add garlic.  Cook for a minute.
4. Stir in flour and cook, stirring for one minute 
5. Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk
6. Heat until mixture simmers and thickens. Remove from heat, stir in stock powder and pepper and then 1½ cups of cheese.
7. Combine cheese sauce, tuna, drained pasta and mushrooms and place in a large casserole dish
8. Sprinkle with ricecrumbs or polenta and remaining ½ cup cheese
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top
   

Pasta a la Greg

Sorry my ingredients are a bit wishy washy - I just grab "enough".  Serves 6 or more.

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 small zucchini - cut lengthways, then slice
• 1 capsicum sliced - prefer red, green will do
• 1/2 a bag mushrooms - sliced
• 700g mince
• 700ml jar passata - I use Cirio which is low-sodium and cheap near me
• tablespoon minced garlic
• "mixed herbs" - I use the Hoyts mixed herbs - could just be oregano if you're short.  Probably around a teaspoon to a tablespoon - I just shake it until I'm happy
• red wine - around a glass
• some olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat frying pan to be fairly high.  Drop a little bit of oil on it and fry the zucchini and capsicum.  You want to keep the heat high, you're looking to just char them a little.  Take the veges from the pan and set aside.
2. Add a little more oil and drop the mushrooms on.  Drop the temperature to low after a minute or so.  Fry until they shrink a bit and some moisture comes out - eg almost cooked.  Set the mushrooms aside (I normally just drop them on the zucchini and capsicum and cover it with a lid).
3. Bring the pan back up to high temperature - drop the mince on the pan and sear it on both sides, then break it up and lower the temperature.  Stir the mince until its no longer red.
4. Drop the garlic and mixed herbs onto the mince and stir to mix - bring up the temperature to high.
5. Add the red-wine, mix it around under high-heat.  Wine should be boiling.  Add the passata and stir fast it until the mix starts to bubble.  Drop the temperature at that point.
6. Simmer.  Add the veges back and mix well.  If you like less well done veges add them later during the simmering.  Total simmering time should be at least 10 minutes.  I usually put the pasta on when the passata sauce mix starts bubbling, so the sauce is done when the pasta is ready (or the other way round ;-)

Chicken Balls with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

Chicken Balls

• 2 quantities of Chicken Bites   
• 2 tbsps olive oil

Tomato Sauce

• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 cans no added salt tomatoes
• 140g no added salt tomato paste
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 tspn sugar
• 1/2 cup red wine

Directions:

1. Follow steps 1 to 3 of Chicken Bites
2. Form mince mixture into balls, about 1 tbsp each
3. Heat oil in a fry pan and brown chicken balls all over.  Drain on kitchen paper.
4. Add onion and garlic to fry pan and sauté until onion is softened.
5. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, pepper, sugar and wine.  Bring to the boil.  Add chicken balls and simmer for 45 minutes.
6. Serve chicken balls and sauce over pasta.

Creamy Salmon Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs of olive oil
  
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 185 gram tin low salt salmon
• 200 mls cream
• 1 avocado, mashed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add the salmon and cook for two minutes.
2. Reduce heat to low and add the cream and avocado. Stir through and cook for five minutes. Add lemon juice and pepper. Stir through. Serve with pasta.

Creamy vegetable pasta.

This recipe is from allrecipes.com but I have changed it to be low salt and with more vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 225g of cooked pasta
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1 cup zucchini + carrot (or other vegetables of your choice)
  
• 2 tablespoons butter (no added salt)
  
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 2 cups of skim milk
• 2/3 cup of no added salt cottage or ricotta chese
• ground black pepper
  

Directions:

1. Place vegetables in a steamer and cook until tender but firm.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stir until blended. Cook for 15 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in ricotta or cottage cheese and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Stir in steamed vegetables and cooked pasta