You could call these scrumptious and authentic Italian pasta dishes a "double whammy of convenience," as their main ingredient is cheap to buy and they are super-quick to prepare.

This recipe serves four people and is for Breakfast Pasta.

If only you had known this cheap dinner recipe - a cost-effective, runny-eggy delight - during your college years!

Bring out the taste of the pasta by boiling a deep pan of water and throwing in a handful of salt.

Throw 400g/14oz of pasta into the pan and check its cooking time.

- When your pasta has 5 mins left to cook, melt 50g (a medium knob) of butter in a frying pan (use a medium heat so it does not burn)

Put the drained item in a large mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter.

Divide the slippery mixture into 4 serving dishes and place a fried egg on top of each.

This recipe serves four and makes pasta fagioli (bean pasta).

This vegetarian broth-like winner is a great bargain, as it requires no expensive ingredients. Now that the weather is beginning to turn, it also makes a great winter warmer.

Chop a little bacon from the fridge and throw it in now if you do love your meat.

Once the garlic has browned, add four plum tomatoes from a 400g/14oz can.

Break the toms into bits with a spoon after a couple of minutes and give it a good stir; they should be softer.

Add two 400g/14oz cans of white cannellini beans (in water) to the mix. After adding a good pinch of salt, crank up the heat to medium/high so that everything can simmer lightly.

Cook the beans for a few minutes before adding 320g/11.2oz of your preferred short pasta.

If, however, it becomes creamy before the pasta is cooked (test it to see), just pour in a cup of boiling water and keep stirring.

Done and dusted in only 4 steps, the last of our cheap dinner recipes requires a mere 6 ingredients.

Heat a large, deep pan on a high-heat stovetop, and bring a couple of kettles of water to a boil in it.

Add 2 handfuls of salt and then drop in 400g/14oz of penne pasta and stir. Set a timer as per your pasta packet's instructions if you can; penne typically takes 8-10 minutes.

Melt 25g (0.8oz) of butter in a frying pan. After melting, add 100g/3.5oz of pancetta (belly) bacon or chopped bacon bits. After melting, add 100g/3.5oz of pancetta (belly) bacon or chopped bacon bits.

Pour a quarter litre (250ml/8.5fl oz) of full-fat single cream over the bacon once it is brown. Gently mix, then heat on the same medium heat stovetop for 2 minutes.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the frying pan with 50g/1.75oz of grated Parmesan cheese. After mixing this all together for a minute or two, serve.