Les Petits Chefs cook the books: Jamie Oliver’s 15 Minute Meals

Yes this term with Les Petits Chefs, we’re cooking the books!   You all know I feel kids don’t need their own cookbooks and that I believe they can cook from any cookbook given the right guidance so after working with a recipe from The Smitten Kitchen and with a Dorie Greenspan recipe, I wanted to see if we could work through some regular cookbooks with the boys this term.  Last week, we worked on a recipe from Supergrains (a big success!) and this week, I couldn’t go past a recipe from Jamie Oliver’s 15 Minute Meals.

I’ve worked extensively with Jamie Oliver recipes in cooking club before – the Food Revolution Cookbook recipes, 30 Minute Meals,  and with my younger students last term, we worked through the Jamie’s Home Cooking Skills website and this term we’re back to the Food Revolution recipes! (yes that’s my school blog where I chronicle the younger guys’ kitchen adventures!).

When I saw the recipe for Chicken Pasta with Herby 6-Veg Ragu, I knew I had to try it.  I love the idea of veggies blitzed in the food processor then mixed with tomato purée so they are less noticeable and, although I knew it was not a 15 minute recipe for those of us in a science lab with 13 boys working on it, it was do-able in the hour. The boys decided after making it that it would most likely take 30 minutes if they made it at home. Which is still pretty amazing. A healthy, pretty meal in under an hour is always a good thing in my book!

It’s a pretty simple recipe, with leeks, carrots, zucchini, celery and roasted red peppers roughly chopped then blitzed in the food processor then sautéed up with some passata (tomato purée sauce). Garlic was chopped for later on…

Veggies – before and after the food processor!

Meanwhile, there was some chicken action… (we actually had some “off” chicken, not sure why, but it was a good lesson for the boys to smell what didn’t smell quite right. Needless to say we didn’t use that batch…)

And, not pictured, some bacon fried up (again, everyone was so excited about this addition!), some rosemary and thyme roughly chopped.  Jamie calls for the sauce to be mixed with the pasta then the bacon and chicken to be scattered on top. Well we put it all together for ease of serving in the mad rush at 3.58pm (the boys need to be out the door at 4pm!).

Result?

Well yes, I will be making this again for Neil and I. I really love the idea of the blitzed veggies (and really, you can use anything you like!) to beef up the sauce (so to speak, not literally!) and it really was easy. I don’t know that I could make it in 15 minutes but it’s definitely a healthy choice for a weeknight meal. Nice one Jamie! And well done Petits Chefs!

Want this quick and easy dinner recipe (and more)? Check out Jamie Oliver’s 15 Minute Meals on Amazon or Amazon Canada. Or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository.

And don’t forget to check in next week to see what book Les Petits Chefs cook from next….

12 thoughts on “Les Petits Chefs cook the books: Jamie Oliver’s 15 Minute Meals”

  1. I love this recipe! I, too, love the idea of the blitzed vegetables as well as using chicken instead of beef. And the bacon IS a great addition! Fabulous, hearty dish I’ll maybe make for son and his friends! And always love seeing your boys cook!

    Reply
  2. I like your term *blitzed veggies* and I like how it makes this dish look so enticing. Good on you to have added the bacon and I’m all in for a pasta dish that uses chicken!

    Reply
  3. This dish was really bitter. I followed it to the letter but was very disappointed. Glad I didn’t make it for friends. Why is that?

    Reply

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