Super quick pasta – basil and chilli – just 3 mins prep

This super quick pasta takes three minutes prep and yet it’s packed full of flavour. Lemon zest, fresh basil and chilli flakes are the stars of this recipe.

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Life is feeling full on at the moment. There seems to be an a just endless list of jobs to sort. Holidays to arrange, birthday parties to organise, food shopping, baby entertaining, clothes washing, it never seems to stop. Yet a year ago I was doing all that (all those tough jobs I just listed!) and doing a full time job. So how can things feel so busy I ask myself? Well, I need to be in bed by about 9.15 to cope with the disturbed nights. But to be honest I think it’s just because I’m really good at taking as much time over a job as I have available. If I have three hours, it will take three hours, but if only 45 minutes I’m still able to get it done in that time. I’m also a master at getting side tracked – ooo, I should be writing a blog post, but the friend I saw today had a lovely top on, let me see if I can find it online! An hour later I haven’t found the top, nor have I written the blog post. I’m trying to be a bit more focused

At JP’s nursery they have a reward chart. Get to the top of the ladder through good behaviour and you get to choose a prize from the golden box. JP gets so excited when he gets to pick a prize and he carries it with him for days afterwards. Perhaps I would respond to similar incentivisation? I’ve created the chart below to help me be more consistent in posting on social media, something I really struggle with. I have found my golden box toy, a new pair of headphones for my phone. They cost about £8, so nothing, but I’m really keen to have them and that’s helping me get social media sorted. Also, I love being able to put a tick in the box each night before I go to bed having done my posting.

When life is this busy you need food that is super simple and takes no time to prepare. You could, as I used to, open a jar of pesto and pile it on some pasta for supper. When it was just me eating, that is what I would do. If we had some salad in the fridge I might have that too, but I was happy with just pasta and pesto. That was until I came up with this super quick pasta recipe. This super quick pasta dish is a similar amount of work to the pesto and pasta meal but rewards you in these ways
– You feel you are eating a proper meal, not just a jar-sauce dish
– A proper meal which involves great, fresh ingredients
– Ingredients which taste flipping amazing!!

This super quick pasta is Dave’s favourite pasta dish. That’s quite an achievement given the amount of pasta he eats. He likes the heat from the chilli flakes, the gutsiness of the kick that the chilli gives the pasta, then the fragrant basil which smells so good before you have even got it in your mouth. Lastly, there’s the lemon zest which adds its tingle and fruity note.

I have added a handful of rocket, toasted pine nuts, chopped olives, and sundried tomatoes – they all work well. This super quick pasta is wonderfully adjustable. So go with whatever takes your fancy. If you prefer a creamy sauce, then a couple of tablespoons of crème fraiche is a great, indulgent alternative.