Introduction: RECIPE | DILL CHEESE PASTA FOR ONE

About: Recipes and tips for eating clean and living green

Next to spaghetti, macaroni is my favourite pasta. It's got a great texture and it reminds me of my childhood. I recall when my mom would boil me macaroni in a soup broth with vegetables and seafood. It was quick to make for a family of five. Macaroni was the hero when my mom would run out of ideas or if her kids and husband kept complaining that they bored of her meals (oh my poor mom!)

This Dill Cheese Pasta for One is kind of like a quick and less fatty version of mac and cheese. It's got a hint of cheese with the delicious taste of dill and butter. It's a very simple, light, non-saucy pasta so to speak. And it's one of my favourites when I feel like something savoury but I don't want to spend 30 minutes cooking it. This recipe takes less than 15 minutes to whip up from start to finish. For this recipe you're free to use whole-grain pasta. I had a lot of white pasta left in my pantry that I need to use up. I use Barilla Pasta, I'm sure everyone and their grandmother has heard of this brand. I use it because: A) tastes good, great texture B) they aim to lower energy and water consumption in their business practices C) packaging is recyclable! You can find their products at most Canadian grocers. This recipe also involves dairy cheese and dairy butter with fresh dill and salt but you can make this 100% plant-based by using dairy-free cheese and dairy-free butter. I've been toying with the idea of trying plant-based butters but the only brand that I've found is by Earth Balance and unfortunately they use Palm Oil. So I continue to use dairy butter if I absolutely need to or coconut oil for baking. If any of you have found a plant-based butter that doesn't use Palm Oil, please let me know and many thanks in advance! I avoid Palm Oil at all costs as the Oil Palm industry is known for deforestation, climate change and animal cruelty. Palm Oil can also be found in vegetable oil so please check the back of your ingredients the next time you purchase it. As a substitute for vegetable oil, I use avocado oil by Chosen Foods. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this quick and yummy pasta dish! If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please take a picture of it and tag @christieathome on Instagram and it may be featured. If you're not on Instagram, please share it (recipe link) with your family and friends.

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by any companies listed in this post.

Step 1: INGREDIENTS

SERVES 1 | PREP TIME 5 MINS | COOK TIME 15 MINS

  • 1.5 cups of elbow macaroni pasta
  • 3-4 tsp of fresh dill chopped
  • 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tbsp of unsalted butter
  • 1/4 tsp of salt

Step 2: INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a small pot filled with water, boil your macaroni according to package instructions. About 10-11 minutes. Strain and set aside.
  2. In the same pot set on low heat, melt your butter. Add half of your chopped dill to the butter. Then quickly add in the macaroni. Stir to mix.
  3. Next add in the salt, remaining chopped dill and lastly the cheese. Stir to mix for 1 minute max. Remove off heat. Serve and enjoy!