I say this three ingredient easy cheesy pasta is for kids, but it’s very tasty so perfectly suitable for adults too. The pasta has a rich cheese sauce made directly in the saucepan you have cooked your pasta in, meaning less washing up … always a bonus in my house.

What are the three ingredients?

Well, obviously pasta and cheese are two of them – I won’t be able to make an easy cheesy pasta without those! But the third is butter (butter happens to be Ioan’s most favourite thing in the world).

How easy?

Cook your pasta according to the pack instructions. Drain your pasta but immediately chuck it back into the same saucepan it was cooked in, so the cooking water does not completely drain. Stir in a big knob of butter. Stir in a handful of grated cheese. Voila: your three ingredient easy cheesy pasta is ready.

What pasta should you use?

I have a lot of pasta in my cupboard. Even pre-lockdown, when pasta panic buying was unheard of, I had multiple bags of pasta in my cupboard. With this recipe, you can use any pasta shape to make your easy cheesy pasta. I usually let Ioan choose which shape he wants, which also motivates him to eat his dinner. I have some cute toy shaped pasta which Ioan really likes right now.

Fancier options

Although this is devoured by Ioan with gusto, and really does taste yummy, if you would prefer something a little more sophisticated (but actually not that different!) try this Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper pasta).