Pasta

Naturally creamy and slightly bitter in flavour, walnuts are the wrinkly, brain-like fruit of the walnut tree and a versatile storecupboard ingredient in both sweet and savoury cooking. Here, they contrast sweet leeks in a creamy blue cheese sauce for pasta – a quick and comforting dish for a cold winter night

A warming pasta bake, packed with wintry flavours, that’s ideal for a batch cooking

This quick Italian-inspired dish uses a cheat ingredient for a result that tastes like it’s been simmering on the stove for hours

Spaghetti and meatballs is a comfort classic – we’ve given it a fresh twist to perk up your taste buds

The crispy paprika-spiced skins add a lovely kick alongside the autumnal flavours of sage and squash. We just love the way the creamy sauce nestles inside the pasta

Miso adds a delicious umami flavour to this pasta dish. Take care not to overheat the créme fraîche, as its lower fat content makes it prone to splitting

A floral riesling is the perfect wine to use in this creamy pasta sauce made with punchy anchovies

This sauce is inspired by the Sicilian dish caponata, but with the salty and sour elements stirred in at the end. When cooking lentils, don't add acidity and salt too early as it can prevent them from becoming tender – good to remember if you’re substituting them for meat or veg in your favourite recipes

Frozen corn is a handy stand-by... use it in soups or stews or defrost and add to a salad. You can serve this sauce with pasta if you don’t have any gnocchi