I absolutely love pasta and rice based meals as they are really filling and you can have a wide range of different sauces etc to go with it. Most of the time I make a pasta sauce from scratch using fresh herbs and vegetables; although on some occasions I really cant be bothered doing that so I usually opt for a quick fix meal which doesn't take ages to prepare and make. One brand which I have started using recently is the Homepride Pasta Bake, which is really tasty and the best thing is the fact that it is really easy and quick to make. Homepride Pasta bake is really cheap to buy considering it serves up to four people and a jar of the Pasta Bake sauce will only set you back £1.39 for a 500g jar from Tesco's. The Homepride Pasta bake is available in a few different flavours as well so you have a little bit of choice.
The Homepride Pasta Bake is really easy to find in most supermarkets; you will most probably find it in the rice and pasta aisles next to the pasta sauces such as Dolmio and Ragu. The Homepride Pasta Bake is supplied in a clear glass jar which has a blue coloured label on it. The label boasts the Homepride logo on the front of it and the name of the product which is pasta bake. There is also a picture of a casserole dish full of the prepared pasta bake which sort of gives you an idea of what the product is going to resemble once you have cooked it fully. As I have previously stated in my review, the pasta bake is available in a few different flavours, and the flavour of the pasta bake is printed on the front of the jar on the label. As the jar is see through you can see the colour of the pasta bake sauce inside it and each different flavour has a slightly differently coloured sauce so it is easy to tell the difference between most of them with the exception of the creamy ones as they are all a light yellow creamy colour.
On the back of the jar you will find all the technical information about the product such as the nutritional values and the ingredients used to make the pasta bake sauce. The instruction on how to make the pasta bake are also printed on the back of the packet. I really like the way the cooking instructions are laid out as they are numbered; so it is like a step by step guide on how to make the pasta. I find that this pasta is really quick and easy to make; most people will find that this is a quick and easy dish to make as all you are basically doing is throwing all the ingredients in to an ovenproof dish and the oven does the rest. The most inexperienced cook amongst us could make this dish easily without burning the house down; if my husband can manage to cook this unaided and not burning it then everyone else can as my husband is practically useless in the kitchen unless it comes to doing the dishes lol.
To cook the pasta bake you first of all have to pre heat the oven to 200 degrees or 180 degrees for a fan assisted oven or alternatively at gas mark 6. Whilst your oven is pre heating you should first of all measure out 7oz (200g) of dried pasta; I prefer to use the pasta twists when I am making the Pasta Bake for some reason although you could use any shape of pasta you like really it just depends on your own personal preferences. Once your pasta is measured out add it to an oven proof dish and then pour the contents of the jar of Homepride Pasta Bake over the top of the dried pasta. Once you have done this you should then half fill the empty jar of pasta bake with water, put the lid back on and shake it then add the water to the dish containing the rest of the pasta bake sauce and dried pasta shapes. Once you have all your ingredients in the dish give it a mix so as all the dried pasta is covered in sauce. Then all you have to do is place the oven proof container into the oven and let it cook for 25 minutes.
Whilst the pasta bake is cooking in the oven you should then grate 3.5oz (100g) of cheese. You could use any type of cheese you like for the pasta bake, I personally prefer to use Cathedral City Mature Cheddar as it has a full on flavour which compliments the taste of the pasta bake perfectly. Although you could use a milder cheese if you prefer. Once the pasta bake has been in the oven for 25 minutes remove it and give it another stir with a fork or spoon and then sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of it and place back in the oven to cook for another twenty minutes. After the twenty minutes are up you should remove the pasta and then serve.
Depending on the flavoured variety of Homepride Pasta Bake which you choose to make; the colour of the sauce will differ. Some flavours also have a stronger taste than others, and others have some added ingredients in them such as ham or herbs etc. Even when the pasta bake is cooking it fills the kitchen with the gorgeous aroma from the sauce you choose; the aroma from the pasta bake cooking always makes my mouth water and I always feel really hungry as it truly does smell delicious. There are 11 different varieties of pasta bake to choose from and the different flavours are as follows ~
Creamy Tomato and Herb ~this variety has a really light reddish coloured sauce which has some little green flecks of herbs sprinkled through it. The sauce has a delicate tomato aroma and you can also detect the subtle scent of garlic as well. Once cooked the pasta is really soft and delicate and not at all rubbery and it is coated in a gorgeous creamy orange coloured sauce which has a melted cheese layer upon it. The pasta bake has a really creamy tomato flavour which is slightly similar to that of cream of tomato soup, and it also has quite a prominent garlic and onion taste as well. I can also detect a slight spicy flavour from that of pepper although it isn't too obtrusive or spicy and complimented my the strong mature cheddar this really is a gorgeous creamy full flavoured meal.
Cheese and Bacon ~ this variety of the pasta has a really light creamy white coloured sauce which has some little pink bacon pieces mixed through it. There aren't very many small bacon pieces in this sauce but you can dice up some of your own bacon to add to it if you find there isn't enough of it through the sauce. The sauce has more of a creamy smell rather than a cheese smell which I was expecting it to have considering it is cheese and bacon flavoured. You can very slightly smell the aroma of smoked bacon through the pasta bake sauce as well which seems to compliment the smell of the creaminess nicely. Once the pasta is cooked it has a really creamy appearance as well as a layer of melted cheese across the surface of it. The pasta has a really nice texture and is really soft and delicate, it also has a really creamy cheese taste to it which I think is most probably from the additional mature cheddar which sprinkled on top of it. You can also detect the smoked bacon pieces which adds a nice taste to it; as well as a slightly spicy tang to it which tastes like pepper, although the peppery taste isn't strong or overpowering. I like this flavour although it isn't one of the best in the range. (3/5)
Tomato and Bacon ~ this variety of the pasta bake has a similar colour to that of the Creamy Tomato and Herb variety although it has some little bacon pieces mixed in with it instead of little green herbs. The sauce has quite a strong tomato odour which smells really similar to that of Dolmio tomato sauce for Bolognese. The bacon smell isn't really evident in this pasta bake as it seems to be somewhat overpowered and masked the aroma from the tomato sauce. Once the pasta bake is fully cooked it has a really creamy read appearance as well as a thick layer of melted cheese across the top of it. The pasta again has a really nice soft texture and isn't stall rubbery or elastic in texture. I think that this version tastes almost identical to the Tomato and Herb variety although it does have a slightly stronger tomato taste and a stronger garlic and onion taste as well. I think it is quite hard to detect the taste of the bacon pieces in this sauce as well s they are somewhat overpowered by the stronger flavoured ingredients in the sauce. (3/5)
Creamy Carbonara ~ this variety of the pasta bake has a really light off white coloured sauce which has some little mushroom and bacon pieces mixed through it. The sauce has quite a strong creamy garlic aroma which smells like you would expect Carbonara to smell like. Once the pasta bake is fully cooked it again has a really nice soft texture which isn't at all rubbery or elastic, and the pasta is well coated in a nice thick Carbonara sauce which is complimented by a lovely thick layer of cheese. The flavours in this pasta are really well combined and tasty and I think this is one of the main reasons this variety is my favourite out of them all. The creamy taste is complimented by a slight hint of garlic, smoked bacon and mushroom as well as the strong cheddar flavour from the melted cheese. (5/5)
The other flavours which are available in the Homepride Pasta Bake variety are as follows ~ Tomato and Mild Chilli Reed Pepper and Tomato Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne Tuna Bake Spicy Tomato and Pepperoni
All of the Pasta Bake flavoured pasta dishes are great as a main meal on their own or you could have them as a part of a main meal alongside meat and vegetables if you like. You could also jazz up the pasta bake by adding some of your own ingredients such as some more diced ham, onions, mushrooms, chicken etc and this in turn would make the meal more filling and it would probably serve more than four people as a part of a main meal. Mostly all of the Pasta Bake Sauces contain milk, egg and sulphites which may pose a problem for some allergy suffers although you can check the ingredients on the back of the jar before purchasing just to make sure you aren't allergic to any of the ingredients in the pasta bakes.
Per 100g of pasta bake contains the following ~ 102 calories, 7.7g fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 1g of salt. This is for the Tomato and Herb pasta bake and all the others have different nutritional values.
For more information on home pride or any of their other products including pasta bake please have a look at their website which is www.homepride.co.uk
Pasta Bake is a really filling, tasty meal which is great as a part of a main meal or simply on its own. It is available in a wide range of different flavours and a jar of the pasta bake sauce costs approximately £1.39 from Tesco's and other supermarkets such as ASDA and Morrison's. You can also sometimes get it on a special offer where as you get two jars for £2 or buy one get one free etc so it is a good idea to keep your eyes peeled in the supermarket for these offers and take advantage of them as the pasta bake has quite a long shelf life so you can buy it in bulk and store it in your cupboard until you need to use it. The best thing about the long shelf life is the fact that you dint need to worry about using it up quickly in case it goes out of date as you have about 12 months or so to use it up.
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