For those nights where you just cant be bothered to cook (Homepride Pasta Bake)

Member Name: soutram

Product:	Homepride Pasta Bake
Date:	31/07/09 (126 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick and easy to make and has a delicious taste

Disadvantages: none

Having a young baby in the house can sometimes make mealtimes a nightmare, there are days when you just don't seem to have the time to cook a proper meal and end up just throwing a ready meal in the microwave. It got to the point where all we seemed to be eating was ready meals and I got sick of it so I started to have a look around for something that would be quick and easy to cook but was also reasonably good for us.

When looking at the jar section in my local supermarket I came across Homepride Pasta Bakes, it said on the front of the jar, no need to boil pasta and no artificial colours or flavors. The picture on the front made it look like it would be quite a nice meal so I picked up a jar and cooked it that night.

I chose the Creamy Tomato and Bacon flavor sauce, there are other flavors' (tomato and herb, cheese and bacon, tuna and tomato & pepperoni), the jars come in two sizes a 500g jar which cost £1.37 and a new family size jar which is 720g which cost £2.18.

The first time I cooked this meal I followed the instructions which tell you pour the sauce into a shallow oven proof dish, then fill the empty jar to the top of the label with cold water and stir into the sauce, add the pasta (coating it all with the sauce), bake uncovered for 30 mins, after 30 mins stir and sprinkle cheese then pop back in the oven for a further 20 mins.

I found that when I cooked the pasta this way some of it came out a bit hard so the next time I made this meal I pre-cooked the pasta then put it in the oven, this not only made the cooking time quicker it also ensured all the pasta was soft. I now also add my own bacon towards the end, I just place a few slices on top of the pasta before I add the cheese.

So far I have tried the tomato and bacon, tomato and herb and the cheese and bacon, all three are delicious, they are very creamy and full of flavor, I have to say that the tomato and bacon is our favorite though.

Me and my partner now always make sure we have a couple of jars of this in the cupboards, it's a quick and extremely tasty meal which is great for those nights where you just cant be bothered to spend ages in the kitchen.

Summary: A great pasta sauce, ideal for those nights where you just have no time to cook a big meal