'I'm a chef and influencer. Here are my 5 most viral recipes.'

I'm a trained chef, nutritionist, content creator and new(ish) mother, working full time on my brand Into The Sauce where I share delicious, easy to conquer recipes. 

My journey began on Instagram, and around a year ago I delved into the world of TikTok. It's such a different platform being solely video. Unlike Instagram, viewers are almost always listening with sound on (voiceovers and music are a big part) and authenticity is highly important. 

It’s also built on an interest model rather than a social model. This is important, because where Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will show us content based on who we already follow (including people from school or many years ago who often we are now out of touch with and don't share aligned interests such as babies, new partnerships, work, and/or travel), the TikTok algorithm has been developed to show the user the ever-changing categories of content that they have displayed an interest in. 

This is the reason I love it.

It is also the reason it can engulf hours of your time by causing many late night scrolling sessions (also known as doom scrolls).

Watch: Sage is an herb found in different cuisines around the world. Here are 5 benefits you can get from it. Post continues after video.

My doom scrolls have inspired a lot of viral content on my TikTok, and several recipes have gone viral. My favourite - and most popular - recipe of all time has amassed over 5 million views. 

And the views and comments don't lie; these recipes have gained a deserved loyal following from the TikTok community.

Rosé pasta with pancetta and mushrooms

Difficulty level: Easy

Serves: 3-4

@intothesauce Reply to @annaellies My most viral recipe also happens to be my favourite! ❤️‍🔥 #foodtok #pasta ♬ original sound - <3

With over 5 million views on TikTok, this is my number one recipe on both TikTok and Instagram. I get it. It's my favourite too. I make it all the time and it's really my idea of the perfect pasta. Creamy tomato sauce, broccolini (healthy?), buttery mushrooms, salty pancetta and a punch of chilli. 

Like I said, perfect.

Ingredients:

• 100g unsmoked pancetta (or bacon), thinly sliced into 1.5cm pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced, chopped or grated
• 200g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
• 80g double concentrate tomato paste
• ¾ cup cream
• 300g short pasta, such as fusilli, orechiette or rigatoni
• 1 bunch broccolini, sliced in 2cm pieces
• 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
• Parmesan, to serve

Method:

1. Prepare a pot of salted, boiling water for your pasta.

2. Heat a large fry pan over medium heat for the sauce.

3. Fry pancetta (or bacon) in the pan until golden and crispy, then use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove into a bowl (leave the rendered pancetta fat in the pan).

4. Add olive oil and unsalted butter to pan.

5. Once butter has melted, add chilli flakes, shallots and garlic (with a big pinch of salt) and sauté until translucent.

6. Add mushrooms and sauté until brown and softened.

7. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until colour has deepened (about 2 mins).

8. Add cream and stir until combined.

9. Add pancetta and chives to sauce, and continue to simmer on very low.

10. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. In the last two minutes of cooking, add broccolini. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

11. Strain pasta and broccolini, add to the sauce and stir to combine.

12. Loosen the sauce up with some reserved pasta water.

13. Taste and season.

14. Serve with Parmesan and go to heaven.

Pumpkin, burnt butter and sage lasagna

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Serves: 4-6

@intothesauce Burnt butter, sage and pumpkin lasagne is autumn in a dish 🍂 #foodtok #pasta #vegetarian ♬ Viral Transition.Oh My Slow Jamz JPONTHABEAT - JP

This is autumn and winter in a dish. With the nutty addition of burnt butter, this vegetarian lasagne is the ultimate warming food. Just last night I saw a story tag about this with the caption 'death row meal' which speaks for itself!

Ingredients: 

• 1.5g kent pumpkin
• 100g butter
• 1 bunch sage, leaves picked (20 leaves)
• 500g ricotta
• 200ml creme fraiche
•  200g parmesan, grated (Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano)
• 120g baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 30g olive oil
• 3 shallots, finely diced
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped, sliced or grated
• 6 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 375g pack instant lasagne sheets
• 400g fresh mozzarella, sliced

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Slice the pumpkin into large wedges and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

3. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then bake for 30-45 minutes, until golden and tender.

4. Cook butter and sage over medium heat for a few minutes, until the butter is foamy and milk solids have browned.

5. Transfer to a large bowl, and stir through ricotta, creme fraiche, 150g parmesan and baby spinach. Season to taste and set aside.

6. In your burnt butter pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute shallots, garlic and thyme until softened.

7. In a large bowl, mash the cooked pumpkin flesh (scoop out of its skin) until smooth, but still with a little texture remaining, then stir through ¼ cup of water, shallot mix and apple cider vinegar and season to taste.

8. Rub oil on the base of a large oven dish (approx 25x40cm).

9. Assemble your lasagne in the following order of layers: pasta sheets, pumpkin mix, ricotta mix. Repeat until all the sauce and filling has been used. I did 5 layers of pasta, meaning ¼ of the pumpkin and ricotta mix used on each layer. Make sure it fully submerged the pasta sheets in sauce or they won't cook properly.

10. Top the final layer of pasta sheets with sliced mozzarella followed by remaining 50g Parmesan.

11. Cover with foil and bake at 180°C for 50 minutes, until pasta is cooked through and lasagne is bubbling at the sides. If the baking dish is quite full and you think it might bubble over, put a foil lined tray underneath it in the oven to catch any drippings.

12. To finish, remove the foil and change the oven to the grill setting on high heat.

13. Grill for 5-10 minutes, until the top is your perfect level of golden brown. Make sure you don't walk away from the grill (or if you do set timers for 30 seconds-1 minute) as it can burn quickly.

14. Remove from oven and let it settle for at least 10 mins (20 minutes is ideal), then serve!

Chilli prawn rosé pasta

Difficulty level: Easy

Serves: 3-4

@intothesauce Attention rose pasta lovers: this is the chilli prawn edition ❤️‍🔥 #foodtok #pasta ♬ original sound - Michal

We know everyone loves a rosé pasta sauce. Make it really simple to cook and throw some king prawns into the equation and it's bound to be a favourite. I make this all the time for my husband and friends and it never, ever fails.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 large shallots, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 red chilli, seeds removed, halved lengthways and sliced (I go for bird's-eye cos I like it hot)
• 350ml tomato passata
• 150ml creme fraiche
• 300g pasta (I recommend fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti or spirals)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200g peeled and deveined King prawn meat, cut into 2cm pieces
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Method:

1. Prepare a pot of salted, boiling water for your pasta.

2. Melt butter over medium heat and sauté shallots, garlic and chilli until shallots are softened and translucent.

3. Add tomato passata and simmer on low until half the liquid remains (5-10 minutes).

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente, reserving one cup of pasta water.

5. In another fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add prawns and sizzle until just cooked (1-2 minutes).

6. Add prawns and creme fraiche to tomato sauce, stir until combined, taste and season.

7. Drain pasta directly into the sauce, adding reserved pasta water, bit by bit, to loosen the sauce until it’s silky and smooth.

8. Toss through parsley and serve topped with more fresh parsley.

Buttery tomato pasta

Difficulty level: Easy

Serves: 3-4

@intothesauce Less a recipe than a life hack 🍝❤️‍🔥 #foodtok #sauce ♬ Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear

I think the reason this buttery tomato pasta has been so popular is that it includes shallots and garlic but neither require chopping (the most hated part of cooking). They go in whole or halved, simmer in the sauce, and then the sauce is blended until it’s silky smooth. It's a very beautiful pasta inspired by the famous Marcella Hazan recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 100g butter
• 1 parmesan rind
• 2 shallots, peeled and halved
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 sprig basil, leaves picked
• 350g dried pasta
• 2 x 125g balls of fresh mozzarella, to serve

Method:

1. For the tomato sauce, add tomatoes, butter, parmesan rind, shallots, and garlic to a saucepan.

2. Simmer on very low with the lid slightly ajar for 45 mins - 1 hour, until sauce has thickened slightly and is glossy and flavourful.

3. Remove parmesan rind and use an immersion blender to blend until very smooth. Taste and season.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente in plenty of salted boiling water.

5. Add pasta and basil leaves to sauce, stir to incorporate.

6. Serve topped with fresh mozzarella or parmesan.

Caramelised white chocolate, oat and spelt shortbread cookies

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Serves: 4-6 (or 1 if you are me)

@intothesauce Reply to @kateistheantspants ♬ original sound - thekardashiansdaily

These biscuits are absolutely stunning. I don't know if I'll ever write another cookie recipe because I don't think any could top them. The spelt makes them nutty, the white chocolate caramelises in the oven, and the best part about them is you can make a double batch and keep half in the freezer to bake in the oven on a rainy day, or just before you have guests coming over.

Ingredients:

• 250g salted butter, softened (or 250g unsalted butter + ½ tsp kosher salt)
• 100g caster sugar
• 50g light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 120g plain flour
• 120g spelt or rye flour 
• 110g rolled oats
• 120g roughly chopped white chocolate

Method:

1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or using an electric hand beater), cream butter, sugars and vanilla extract until very pale and fluffy.

2. Add flours and beat on low until just combined.

3. Add rolled oats and white chocolate and beat on low until just combined.

4. Remove bowl and fold through any remaining dry bits using a large spatula.

5. Cut two large pieces of gladwrap (or baking paper).

6. Divide dough in half and place each half on individual gladwrap pieces.

7. With your hands, gently shape dough into a log, wash your hands, then fold over plastic.

8. Use your hands to roll out the dough inside the plastic wrap until it becomes a cylinder log. Press in the top and bottom to flatten the ends.

9. Freeze or refrigerate for at least 45 minutes until firm.

10. Using a sharp knife, slice logs into 1cm pieces and place on a lined baking tray, 3cm apart. If the rounds fall apart while slicing, just gently press the pieces back together - they will come out fine.

11. To bake, preheat oven to 150°c.

12. Bake for 10-15 minutes (mine typically take 13) until golden brown around the edges.

Feature Image: Instagram @intothesauce.