Tomato Pasta | Penne Pasta Recipes

I love to try different recipes using pasta, have already tried Pasta in white sauce. Though pasta in white sauce is regular in our menu atleast once a month, this tomato pasta satisfies the craving for a spicy indian flavoured pasta and hubby loves all pasta savoury recipes so the experiment continues.....:)

Ingredients:

• Pasta - 1.5 cups
• Onion - 1/2 chopped finely
• Pasta sauce - 1 tbsp
• Tomato Sauce - 1 tbsp
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp
• Cheese - 1 tbsp grated
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp (optional)

To grind:

• Tomato - 1 big sized
• Onion - 1/2
• Red Chillies - 2
• Garlic - 4 flakes

Method:

1. Grind the ingredients under 'to grind' to a fine paste and keep aside.
2. Bring a saucepan of water with salt to boil, then add the pasta and a tsp of oil. Cook for 10mins or until the pasta is soft yet firm enough to bite. Strain water and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan, then add the onions fry until slightly browned. Then add the grinded paste and fry for 5mins until raw smell of tomatoes totally leaves.
4. Then add the tomato, pasta sauce and pepper, mix well, now the sauce is ready. Now add the cooked pasta and mix well until the sauce coats well with the pastas.
5. Sprinkle grated cheese and serve hot.

My Notes:

• Take care while cooking the pasta not to make it mushy. It should be soft but still firm enough to bite.
• You can even use shell or disc type pasta.
• Add a tsp of oil while cooking pasta is to avoid the stickiness.
• You can also skip the pasta sauce and add garam masala to make it indian flavoured.
• Adding olive oil gives a nice flavour to the pastas but if you can use normal cooking oil also.

Pasta is my favourite for breakfast. It easy to whip up and filling for the morning dose.Though I have tried different pastas penne pasta is my personal favourite. I have tried few readymade pastas in maggi to and have adapted few recipes from them :)

Pasta in white sauce

I can never forget the first time I tried this. I saw this recipe at the back of the pasta wrapper but it was a baking recipe. I was about to start baking and the current went off so went ahead with this recipe and now this has been regular in our weekend menu whenever pasta is in stock.I have made a tomato based pasta but still this is hubbys favourite.

Pasta in white sauce Recipe:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• Pasta - 1 cup
• Carrot - 1 chopped lengthwise
• Onion - 1 chopped finely
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp
• Seasoning - 1 tsp (optional) - I used the seasoning sachet that comes with pizza
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp

For the white sauce:

• Cornflour -2 tsp
• Maida - 2 tsp
• Cheese - 1 tbsp
• Milk - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Cook pasta in water until soft yet firm enough to bite. Add a tsp of oil and salt while cooking pasta.
2. In a mixing bowl, first mix little milk with cornflour and maida so that there is no lumps , keep aside.
3. In a pan heat olive oil, add onions saute until lightly browned then add carrots and saute until it shrinks and raw smell leaves. Then add the milk-maida-cornflour mixture with remaining milk and mix well.
4. Add the cheese at this stage and allow it to melt.
5. It will start thickening at this stage - Add cooked pasta, required salt, pepper powder,seasoning, chilli flakes. Keep in low flame and cook for 3mins mixing well continuosly. Switch off and serve hot.

My Notes:

• Adding seasoning enhances the flavour if you have just ignore that and go ahead with pepper and chilli flakes, it will still taste good.
• Serve immediately as the white sauce thickens faster when kept for a longer time. If it becomes dry, add little more, heat it and then serve.
• You can include any veggies of your choice.
• Adding cream also makes it more rich and tasty.

The first time I made this, I added cooked peas and carrot. So adding veggies is totally your choice. You can add sweet corn too. Its easy and messfree as there is no grinding part :)

This is easy for breakfast and am sure kids will like it as the combination of milk, cheese and pasta can never go wrong. So what are you waiting for?! Try it out and see

For the spicy lovers, my version of spicy tomato pasta is coming up soon, so stay tuned.

Pasta Payasam / Macroni Kheer | Pasta Recipes

I still remember the first time I tasted this payasam...It was in one of our relatives home when we went there for dinner. I was a kind of puzzled to see pasta/macroni being served as a dessert but it was so tasty that I wanted to recreate it. All these days to me pasta means savoury now I have found an alternate tasty option too :)

Pasta Payasam Recipe :

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• Macroni - 1 cup (I used Bambinos disc shaped macroni)
• Milk - 2.5 cups
• Sugar - 2 to 3 tbsp (adjust according to you taste)
• Condensed milk - 1 tbsp
• Cardamom powder - a pinch (optional)
• Cashews - 2 tsp broken
• Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Boil about 1.5 cups of water an add the macroni and cook it until slightly soft. Drain water completely and keep the macroni aside.



2. In a non stick pan add ghee and fry the cashews until golden brown, set aside.



3. In the same pan, boil milk, add sugar and allow it to dissolve completely. Now add the half cooked macroni and simmer it. Allow the macroni to get cooked in milk till soft and slightly mushy but still firm enough to hold its shape.



4. Add condensed milk and cardomom powder and give a quick stir. When the milk starts thickening, add the ghee fried cashews and switch off.



5. Allow it to cool down then refrigerate for 30mins and serve chilled.

I have always had the confusion whether macroni and pasta are same?! After a quick googling found that macroni is a type of pasta which gets its name by the shape of it like shell, disc etc.And other pasta includes Spagetti, Lasagna noodles, Rigatoni, Penne etc

I have shell type pasta in a easy milk creamy way.....I like both savoury and sweet versions of pasta and my personal favourite is always penne so that means recipes with penne pasta will be coming up soon :)

My Notes:

• See to it that while cooking macroni in water it should only be half cooked so that it doesnt smash up while cooking in milk. The key taste to this dessert is cooking the pasta in milk so that the pasta blends well with the milk.



• You can even add raisins and other nuts of your choice for garnishing.You can also add coconut to this payasam to make it even more rich and tasty.



• I have used disc type pasta here, you can even use penne or shell type pasta too.



• Dont thicken the milk too much, it should be slightly thick but when you pour it should still be in running consistency.

I have always been on hunt for trying out new recipes in pasta and this was a very interesting dessert to the usual savoury pastas. Not to tell about the taste, the pasta cooked in simmed milk and the smell of condensed milk combination is just awesome!!

This payasam/kheer is sure a different alternative to our usual semiya and javarisi payasam. What are you waiting for?! Try this yummy payasam to impress your guests :)

Macroni in Milk Peppery Sauce in 15mins!!

A month ago happened to taste this macroni at office, they served it as a evening snack. So the next day when the cook came to serve the snacks.....I asked him the recipe and this is the 1st time I am remembering a recipe without jotting down and it came out as it should. Thats just becos its so simple, with less ingredients and it takes only 15mins (this is the main hightlight for me to try this) altogether...hmm my kind of recipe it is! Isnt that very quick....Hmm come lets get on to the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Macroni - 1 packet [I used Bambino shell type]
• Milk - 1 cup
• Pepper - 3 tsp
• Onion - 1 Sliced lengthwise
• Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Green Chilli - 1 finely chopped

Method :

1. Add 2 cups of water, let it boil now add the macroni cook for 5 mins in medium flame.Strain water and keep aside.


2. Heat oil, add ginger garlic paste, onions.....saute till onions turn light brown, then add green chillies saute.Add the cooked macroni, milk and mix well till all is combined and should look creamy...this will take another 5 mins.


3. Sprinkle pepper, stir for 5more minutes....hmm ur peppery milk macroni is ready to serve.

So did I keep up the promise.....?! Yes its done in 15mins...Try it out for urself and see!!

NOTE : The milk tends to get absorbed soon so serve it straight from the stove.

And I am sending this to Creative saga's Pasta event