A food blogger has revealed how you can make a healthy yet cheap dinner for the whole family that requires very little preparation, making it perfect for busy days.
If you've spent all day working, it's likely the last thing you want to do at dinner time is spend ages in the kitchen preparing a meal. Thankfully, inventions such as the slow cooker mean you can have something cooking all day, so there's minimal preparation required when it comes to eating it.
They're also cheaper to run than ovens, which is ideal for anyone trying to be more careful with money. This recipe for cheesy pesto pasta, created by chef behind Bored of Lunch on social media, also comes in at just £1.75 per portion.
The Express reports that Nate, who is the brains behind the Bored of Lunch TikTok and Instagram accounts, also has a hugely successful book with the same title.
He says that this recipe is perfect if you're working from home, as you can start preparing it during the day and it'll be ready when dinnertime rolls around.
"If you like pesto, chicken and cheesy pasta then you're going to love this slow cooker version," said Nate in a video to his 613.9K followers on TikTok.
"It's one of those recipes that if I'm working from home I will throw it on at lunchtime and then at tea time dinner is sorted."
The recipe couldn't be simpler to follow. Nate said: "Throw it in the slow cooker for a few hours and then toss in your dried pasta with some stock.
"Cook it on high for 40 minutes and then stir in your Philadelphia cheese, top with some more pesto, mozzarella and look at that - 576 calories a bowl and £1.75 per portion."
Over 3,800 people have liked this recipe on TikTok, with the comments full of hungry fans desperate to try it out themselves.
One person said: "I am soooooo trying this as it gives me and my mum lunch for the next day."
The recipe was posted on Instagram as well, where it received the same kind of praise, with one commenter saying: "We're having this for tea tonight!"
And another person said: "Another easy one for midweek."
How to make Bored of Lunch's pesto and mozzarella chicken pasta
Nate shared the ingredients and recipe for his dish on TikTok and Instagram.
Ingredients
- Three to four chicken breasts
- Four tablespoons of pesto and extra for topping
- Garlic (as much as you like) though Nate recommends three to four cloves
- Juice of a lemon
- Salt and pepper
- 100g of light Mozzarella
- 350g of dry pasta
- 500ml of stock
- One to two tablespoons of Philadelphia light
- Top with fresh basil leaves (optional)
To begin, cook the chicken, pesto, garlic, lemon and seasoning on high for two hours or low for four to five hours.
Next, add in the dry pasta and stock, cook on high for 40 minutes and then stir in Philadelphia light.
Top with more pesto and mozzarella, and then either melt in the slow cooker or remove the lid and pop the pot under the grill for eight minutes until the cheese is crisp.
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