Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera

Here is a quick weeknight meal idea - Pasta Primavera - which I adapted from the Alouette Cheese website.

Here's how I made this creamy Pasta Primavera:

Handful of linguine - cook to al dente per package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water. Coat the pasta with 2 tsp olive oil. Set aside.

Sauce - Heat 1 tsp olive oil. Add handful of chopped green onions, 1 finely chopped clove of garlic, handful of chopped baby carrots and handful of chopped tomatoes. Fry on medium heat for 5 mins. Ad reserved pasta water and 1/4 cup vegetable stock. Add 2 to 3 tbsp of Alouette Cheese spread (I had Garlic and Herb flavor on hand). Add salt, pepper to taste and 2 tsp of Italian seasoning mix. Stir well and simmer on low till cheese melts.

Add the cooked pasta. Stir well to coat the pasta with the sauce. Heat for 2 mins. Serve warm.

We had this with a spinach salad for a satisfying super quick weeknight meal.

Linguine with seared cauliflower

Linguine with seared Cauliflower

 I adapted this recipe from Costco magazine. Addition of cauliflower to pasta was unique for me. Also the cauliflower stays nice and crunchy, not mushy.

Here's how I made Linguine with Seared Cauliflower:

1 big handful of linguine - cook per package instructions, drain (reserve 1/4 cup water), toss with 1 tsp olive oil and keep aside

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet, Fry handful of thinly sliced red onions for 5 mins on medium heat. Add 1 cup cauliflower flowerets, increase heat to medium high and fry 5 mins till lightly browned.  Now reduce heat back to medium, add 1 clove garlic (finely chopped), handful of sliced carrots and saute 5 mins. Add 1/4 cup chopped tomato, 1 tbsp basil paste, 1 tbsp chopped walnuts, the reserved pasta water, 1 tbsp soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and take off heat.

Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro. Sprinkle some shredded mozarella cheese and red pepper flakes if desired. Serve warm.

Pasta with Avocado Sauce

This is a very quick recipe, ready in 10 minutes flat and great for all avocado lovers like me. Here's how I make it:

2 handfuls of pasta of your choice (1 handful per person) - Cook per package instructions.

As the pasta is cooking, cut open 1 avocado & scoop out the flesh. Put in a blender or food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste and 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Add some chopped sun dried tomatoes and 2 tbsp. prepared pesto, both these are optional, but I like to add them. Pulse or blend till desired smoothness is achieved. Check and adjust seasonings.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving few tbsp. of the cooking water. Immediately add the avocado sauce to the hot pasta. If required, add the reserved water.

Serve warm with some garlic bread on the side.

One Pot Pasta

A friend had posted this recipe for One Pot Pasta on FB. It instantly caught my eye, what a brilliant idea to cook the pasta in the sauce itself and save oneself the additional step usually required.

Here's how I made it:

6 to 8 oz pasta of your choice (I have used spaghetti)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup julienned sweet onion

2 cloves garlic - minced

1 cup chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup veggies of your choice (I have used frozen peas and carrots)

2 cups vegetable broth

Seasonings - salt, pepper, pinch of sugar, red pepper flakes, dried oregano and dried basil

 Parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat the oil in a large pot. Saute the onions for 5 mins till softened, add the garlic and saute another 2 mins. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, other veggies, broth and the uncooked pasta. Give it all a good stir. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 10 mins till the pasta is cooked, stirring in between. Add seasonings as desired. At this point, the sauce may be little runny. That's okay. See picture below.

Cover and leave for 5 mins. The pasta will absorb the excess sauce and become all the more yummier for it. 

   

Serve warm, topped with parmesan cheese and some garlic bread on the side.

I have served this pasta with simple garlic bread made by toasting up some sliced French bread and spreading with a mix of butter, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and dried parsley.

Picnic Food - Pasta Salad and Fruit Salad

With the Memorial Day weekend just behind us and summer ahead, thought I'd post some of my fave picnic food recipes....starting with this Pasta Salad and simple Fruit Salad I took to a picnic recently.

Here's how I made the Pasta Salad:

1 cup uncooked rotini pasta - cook per package directions
1 to 2 cups chopped veggies - onions, tomatoes, colored peppers, zucchini, mushrooms
Dressing - 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves garlic - minced, 1 tsp black pepper pwd, 1 tsp fennel pwd
1 tsp chopped basil (fresh or dried)
2 tbsp prepared pesto (I used Trader Joe's)
2 tbsp Italian dressing (optional)
2 tbsp parmesan cheese (optional)

Mix the ingredients for the olive oil dressing in a small bowl. Pour over the chopped veggies. Spread the veggies in a glass baking dish. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 20 mins. Sprinkle the chopped basil and stir the veggies around. Bake another 20 mins, stirring in between. As the veggies are roasting, cook the pasta. Drain and mix with the roasted veggies. Add the pesto, Italian dressing and parmesan cheese. Adjust salt/pepper as needed.

This pasta salad tastes good warm, at room temp or cold.

The Fruit Salad I took along is really simple. I used a dressing of 3 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp lemon juice, poured over fresh cut fruits I had on hand - strawberries, blueberries, oranges, apples, mangoes and watermelon.

Penne in Ricotta Sauce

I got this recipe while browsing thru a bookstore. I was looking for a way to use up some left over ricotta cheese and this recipe fit the bill perfectly.

Here's how I made it:

1 cup whole wheat penne pasta cooked per package directions & drained (reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water)

For the sauce - Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until fragrant, abt 5 mins. Add roughly chopped spinach and chopped sun dried tomatoes. Cook till spinach wilts. Take off heat, add the ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash seasoning (or any other per choice) and about 1/4 cup of the water in which the pasta was cooked. Stir well to make a sauce like consistency. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Pour the ricotta sauce over the pasta. Serve warm with some garlic bread.

Penne Pasta in Squash Sauce

This is adapted from a Rachel Ray cookbook. I absolutely love the sauce, its so unique and healthy and tasty. You can use any kind of pumpkin or squash puree, I have used the frozen cooked squash from the grocery store.

Here's how I made it:

Saute some chopped shallots in olive oil on medium heat for 3-5 mins. Add minced garlic and saute another 2 mins. Add 1/2 cup vegetable stock, 1/2 cup thawed cooked squash and a dash of milk. Simmer for 5 mins to thicken the sauce. Season with salt, pepper, pinch of nutmeg, Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend (or any other seasonings per your choice) and a dash of hot sauce. You can also add some cheese per your choice - today I added a little goat cheese I had on hand. Stir well till cheese melts. Keep on low heat.

In the meanwhile, cook penne pasta per package directions to make about 1 cup of cooked pasta. Drain, reserving some water to thin the sauce if needed. Add the hot pasta to the sauce.

Top with chopped basil and oregano (I used dried).

Enjoy warm with some garlic bread.

This Penne Pasta in Squash Sauce goes to the following events:

PPN # 229 at Ruth's Once Upon A Feast

Fusion Food Pasta at Ramya's Recipe

Spaghetti in Soupy Sauce

I've only recently discovered that some ready-made soups make great sauces for pasta. I'm sure people have been doing this forever...but it was a new discovery for me! I especially like the roasted red pepper and tomato soup for this.

The preparation is really simple and versatile. You can experiment with different soups, veggies, seasonings and pastas.

 Here's how I made the Spaghetti is Soupy Sauce last week.

For the sauce - Saute some onions & garlic in a little olive oil. Add leftover roasted red pepper & tomato soup. Add frozen peas and carrots. Seasonings I used were - salt, pinch of sugar, black pepper pwd, store-bought Italian Herb seasoning mix and some red pepper flakes. Once this simmers, add 1 wedge of Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb cheese. Stir till dissolved and well mixed with the soup.

In the meanwhile, cook the pasta per package directions. Drain (save about 1/2 to 1 cup of the cooking liquid) and return to pot. Immediately add the soupy sauce. If you use up all your sauce and the pasta seems kinda dry, use the saved cooking liquid as required. If the prepared sauce seems too much for the quantity of pasta, save it for later. Remember, the pasta will absorb some of the sauce, so if required, u can add some more sauce later.

Top with some grated parmesan cheese and serve with warm garlic bread.

This Spaghetti in Soupy Sauce goes to the Presto Pasta Night # 201, started by Ruth and hosted by Pia.

Spicy Baked Penne

This recipe is adapted from one of Giada De Laurentiis' cookbooks.

Here's how I make it:

1 cup uncooked penne - cook per package instructions

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped spinach

Seasonings to taste - salt, pepper, red chilli pwd/flakes, pinch of sugar, pinch of nutmeg, any Italian seasoning blend, basil, oregano, parsley

2 tbsp bread crumbs

2 tbsp shredded mozarella cheese

2 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

a little butter

To prepare the sauce, heat the oil and saute the onions until softened. Add the garlic and stir 2 mins. Add the tomatoes and cook another few minutes until they soften slightly. Add the chopped spinach and the desired seasonings. Stir well and cook till spinach wilts.

Add the cooked pasta to this sauce while it is hot.

If you are in a hurry, like on a busy weeknight, this can be served as is, topped with some shredded cheese.

If you have more time on hand or want to make it extra special, tip the pasta with the sauce into a lightly buttered casserole. Top with a mix of the bread crumbs and cheeses. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 15 to 20 mins. until cheeses start bubbling and bread crumbs brown lightly.

Serve warm. Leftovers can be easily re-heated in the microwave and enjoyed. 

This Spicy Baked Penne goes to Ruth's Presto Pasta Night # 192.

Any kind of pasta dish usually goes down well with my daughter. For this reason, I keep the heat level fairly low in this dish. This makes it an ideal entry for the Kids Delight Holiday Special event at Spicing Your Life.

Penne Pasta in Lighter Alfredo Sauce

I usually avoided alfredo sauce due to its calorie count. Thats until I came across a Smarter Alfredo Sauce Recipe on the Kraft Foods website. I have adapted that to our taste to come up with this lighter version of alfredo sauce.

Here's how I make this pasta:

2 - 3 cups of cooked whole wheat/whole grain penne rigate

For the sauce -

2 cups vegetable broth
4 tsp plain flour
2 wedges Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb cheese (each wedge had 35 calories)
1 cup veggies - I use chopped broccoli and carrots
Seasonings to taste - salt, pinch of sugar, Mrs. Dash seasoning blend, garlic pwd, fresh/dried basil, fresh/dried oregano, black pepper pwd, pinch of nutmeg or all spice pwd mix (use any or all of these)

Heat the broth on medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to mix it in. Add the cheese wedges. Continue whisking for about 5 mins till it breaks down and dissolves to form a sauce. It will be a pretty thin consistency at this time. Add the seasonings as desired. Add the veggies, mix well. Cook another 5 mins till veggies are semi-cooked. The sauce will have thickened considerably by now. Add the cooked pasta, mix again.

This is how it looks right after adding the pasta. Take it off heat, cover and let it sit for about 20 mins to allow the sauce to develop a creamy consistency and coat the pasta well.

This pasta reheats well so you can make it in advance. Serve with some garlic bread for a complete, satisfying meal.

This Penne Pasta in Lighter Alfredo Sauce goes to the Presto Pasta Night # 187 event at Teczcape. This event was started by Ruth.

If I have leftovers of this pasta from the previous night's dinner, I usually reheat it and pack it in a hot lunchbox for my daughter...it always does well & is polished off by her. Hence sending this to the Kids Lunchbox event at Taste Buds also.

Pasta with Loaded Pasta Sauce

This home-made pasta sauce is loaded with veggies and herbs, then blended, making it an ideal way to sneak in many of the daily nutrients required for kids/picky eaters or any one else for that matter.

Here's how I make it:

1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 small clove garlic - minced
1 tbsp chopped green bell pepper
1 tbsp chopped red bell pepper
2 large roma tomatoes - chopped
2 tbsp grated carrot
1/4 cup chopped spinach
handful of chopped basil leaves or 1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/8 tsp sugar or to taste
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper or to taste
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning blend
1 cup cooked pasta

The quantity I have given above is just enough for a child's lunchbox, but can be easily multiplied for a family meal. Increase cooking time as needed and add/subtract the veggies as desired.

Heat the oil and saute the onions until softened. Add the garlic and bell peppers. Saute another 2 - 3 mins. Add the carrots, saute 2 - 3 mins. Add the tomatoes & spinach, cook 5 mins. Add the basil leaves, oregano, salt, sugar, pepper and seasoning. Mix well and take off heat. Cool slightly and blend either smooth or you can leave it slightly chunky.

Cook the paste per package instructions, drain and mix the prepared loaded sauce with the hot paste. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy immediately or pack in a hot thermos style lunch box.

This Pasta with Loaded Pasta Sauce goes to the Kids Lunch Box Treats event at Taste Buds.

This Pasta with Loaded Pasta Sauce also goes to the Presto Pasta Night # 184 event at Cook, Eat. Play, Repeat. This event was started by Ruth.

Penne Pasta with Pan Roasted Veggies

This recipe is adapted from the Cooks Country magazine. Here's how I make it:

1.5 cups uncooked penne paste - Cook per package directions
2 tbsp olive oil
1 to 2 cups chopped assorted veggies - onions, mushrooms, red/orange/yellow colored sweet peppers, broccoli (add or subtract per choice)
1 cup pomodoro sauce or chopped tomatoes
Seasonings - Salt, Pepper, Mrs. Dash seasoning mix, Balsamic Vinegar.
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the chopped veggies and saute about 5 - 7 mins. on medium heat till cooked but slightly crunchy. Add the Pomodoro Sauce or chopped tomatoes and seasonings. Stir to mix. Add the cooked pasta. Check and adjust seasonings. Take off heat. Top with shredded parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately. This dish tastes best when its hot/warm. It makes for a good weeknight meal since its quick and healthy.

This Penne Pasta with Pan Roasted Veggies dish goes to the Presto Pasta Night #178 event at Amy's Very Culinary. This event was started by Ruth.

Pomodoro Sauce

This sauce can be used for Pizza, Pasta etc. The original recipe is from Parade magazine. Here's now I make it:

8 Roma tomatoes - chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tsp dried basil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients and cook on medium heat for atleast 40 mins.

Here the sauce is cooking down. If you love garlic and basil, you will love the wonderful aroma that fills your kitchen while this is cooking. Stir occassionally.

For using as a pasta sauce, you can leave it a bit juicy.

Today I made it for my pizza, hence I cooked it for about 1 hour till all the juice had evaporated.

This makes about 1.5 cups of the cooked down sauce.

This Pomodoro Sauce goes to the Healing Foods - Tomato event at Seduce Your Tastebuds. This event was started by Siri.

Here is a picture of my pizza. I used Trader Joe's Wheat Pizza dough. For toppings, I used onions, mushrooms, colored bell peppers and brocolli.

 

Green Butterfly Pasta

This recipe is from an old edition of Tarla Dalal's monthly cooking magazine.

Here's how I made it:

1/2 lb. farfalle/bow-tie pasta - cooked per directions on box

1 cup spinach puree

1 spring onion - finely chopped with the green part

1 small garlic clove - finely chopped

1/2 cup shredded chedder cheese

1/2 cup milk

1 tbsp butter

Salt & pepper to taste

For the spinach puree, if using frozen spinach, thaw it then blend. If using fresh spinach, blanch it in salted boiling water for a minute, drain & refresh in cold water, drain & then blend till smooth.
Heat the butter, saute the spring onion & garlic for 2 - 3 mins. Add the spinach puree, milk, cheese, salt & pepper. Mix well. Simmer for a couple of mins, stirring continuously. Add the cooked pasta, toss together and serve.

I was so glad I tried this, my daughter loved it. I'll definitely be making it again. It was a bit bland for my dad's typical Indian palate though.

This Green Butterfly Pasta goes to Aquadaze's Presto Pasta Night # 106 event.

This event was started by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

This kid-friendly dish also goes to Srivalli's Monthly Mingle 31 - Kids Lunches.

This event is the brain child of Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey?

Roasted veggies & pasta

I got this recipe from a co-worker. She is a very, very enthusiastic cook and has a vast collection of cookbooks. When she realized I also had similar interests, she started lending me a few of those at a time. This recipe if from a cookbook published by the Moosewood restaurant. The use of fennel seeds and the combination of veggies was what attracted me to this dish.

Here's how I made it.

1 cup chopped onions
2 cups chopped peppers - I used a combination of green, red, yellow and orange ones (See note)
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/8th cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic - minced
1.5 tsp ground fennel
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup uncooked small-shaped pasta (I used star-shaped pasta, orzo is also a good choice)

Preheat oven to 400F.
Place the chopped veggies in a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, fennel pwd, salt, pepper and pour over the veggies. Toss to coat well.
Spread the veggies in a single layer on a nonreactive baking sheet. Roast for 15 mins. Remove from the oven, stir in the basil and return to the oven. Roast another 10 mins, stir and continue to roast for about 5 more mins.
While the veggies are roasting, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water till al dente.
Drain the pasta and mix with the veggies to serve.

We had this as a light Sunday lunch, but I think it would make a great side to a larger meal... perhaps a non-traditional dish for a traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas meal, especially if you have some vegetarian friends or family members at your table. Hence it is off to the Monthly Mingle - Sensational Sides event at Ruth's Kitchen. This event is the brain child of Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey?

Note - The original recipe also calls for zucchinis & mushrooms, but I did not have these on hand, so I replaced them with extra peppers. I would highly recommend using these as they take the dish up a whole new level. Hubby did the grocery shopping this weekend & despite having my list of items, he just bought a lot of colored peppers as they were on sale!