The silky pepper and Parmesan sauce is made with a little of the pasta cooking water, which makes the pepper and cheese stick to the spaghetti.
Brighten up a fillet of salmon with a sticky soy glaze. For four salmon fillets, mix together 4tbsp soy sauce and 2tbsp runny honey.
These make the best snack or starter, with just a hint of spice in the flour coating. Serve with a spicy tomato dip.
Most of us have a bag of frozen peas in the freezer, so you can rustle up this tasty soup in around 10 minutes.
Most barbecue sauces you buy are a little sweet, but you can still make some fab wings with very little.
A bruschetta, usually served as a snack or starter, is so quintessentially Italian because of its simplicity.
Making your own tomato sauce for pasta is so simple, it's not worth buying. Sweat down a large, finely chopped onion in olive oil until soft.
There's no harm in buying a jar of teriyaki sauce to make a great chicken dinner.
Season well, add a good pinch of dried chilli flakes and dried oregano. Bring to the boil, simmer for five minutes, then blend with a stick blender until you have a chunky purée.
Smoked salmon trimmings are good value too, so you have a bit of luxury for less.