BROCCOLI & TOMATO PASTA RECIPE

We love pasta but I seldom cook it.   My son requested  to have pasta this week,   first thing I  check what I have in my pantry and fridge.

Since we have broccoli, macaroni and fresh tomato, decided to whip up my Broccoli & Tomato Pasta for our meal today.

Wonder why I don't make this often since this is the easiest and importantly tasty.   When boiling the pasta, cook until aldente as stated on the package.   Use the water from boiling pasta to cook broccoli and retain some of the water to be added to the pasta if it is too dry.

Prefer spicier pasta, added more chili paste than stated.   In case you don't have chili paste, opt for chili powder.  I know some of you may not have  chili powder so add black pepper instead.

This Broccoli & Tomato Pasta is so versatile, you can add other vegetables, meat or cheese to your liking  Even without any add on, it tastes awesome!

My family also love the following pasta.  Check the recipe by clicking on the title.

Stir Fried Pasta

Penne Arrabiata

Spaghetti In Ccurry Sauce

STIR FRIED PASTA

Once a while we love to eat pasta especially a stir fried ones. We will devour any kind of  pasta  that is long and spicy. While we do have a typical pasta sometimes I mix things up with pasta from different countries. I make sure they have more fiber and other nutrients.

You can always use less chili paste for a  milder version.  Anyway, we like ours to be super spicy, in fact I had used bird's eye chili for this recipe.

This meal is delicious and ready in minutes.  Feel free to substitute any type of meat or vegetables to this dish or skip the meat altogether.

VEGETABLE PASTA

This versatile Vegetable Pasta dish is so healthy and fun to make. It's quick to fix, delicious and always different. just choose the vegetables and any type of pasta (spaghetti, fusilli, fettuccine, penne) you have in stock. For non vegetarian version, you can include chicken, seafood or mince meat to the pasta.

The pleasing  Vegetable Pasta is a great accompaniment to most any lunch or dinner.

PENNE ARRABIATA

When our guest from Sydney visited us last week, they have made a special request that they can't tolerate spicy food. In this case, I had chosen Penne Arrabiata to grace our dining table.

They totally love this dish and even ask for the recipe. You can also add chicken or seafood if you prefer. The star ingredient of this dish is the tomato.  Penne Arrabiata  lands a tangy yet slightly sweet flavor to this pasta.

PASTA WITH SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

For a change, I love to cook this pasta cooked in spicy tomato sauce.  Pasta w/Spicy Tomato Sauce  has slightly tangy and sweet flavor. Besides prawn, that I'd added you can opt for chicken pieces. Throw in some vegetables of your choice, this has became a complete meal by itself..

For chili paste, you can buy a tub from supermarket or make your own using 10-15 dried chili, soak in hot water for a few minutes then drain and blend. If you love spicy food, it is economical to grind a lot more for future use.

In case you are vegetarian, do omit the  prawn/ chicken, replace them with tofu.

SPICY FRESH PASTA W/TOMATO

Never made pasta from scratch, pretty curious how pasta is made. After searching the net for the recipe, I had chosen this Eggless Pasta by Allrecipes with addition of olive oil. It is simple but the hardest part is shaping them without pasta machine. Anyway, managed to get it done. Used a combination of all purpose flour and semolina flour for the dough.

Drying your fresh pasta is the perfect way to preserve it for later use, ensure the pasta is dry enough that it does not stick together when placed in an airtight container. Properly drying your pasta will avoid a sticky pasta disaster, you can hang them on your cabinet door lined with towel or place them on lined  baking sheet.

Sadly unable to snap any photo showing the process since my camera battery went flat but have a look at the dough after 10 minutes of  kneading below. Though not perfectly shaped but it is quite delicious after adding spices and vegetables.


EGGLESS PASTA
Adapted from Allrecipes

1  and 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 C  semolina flour
1/2 C   warm water
2 tsp  olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt



METHOD
Combine both flour, oil  and salt in a mixing bowl.

Gradually add water  to form into soft dough. Knead by hand for 10 minutes. Keep covered for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 4. Roll out each ball  into 1/16 in thick on a floured board using rolling pin or use pasta machine, roll up the dough jelly roll style.  Cut log into small roll. Unroll the dough  into long strands. Make sure to coat them with enough flour.  Drop them in salted boiling water for 2-4 minutes until the pasta begin to  float.   Drain and cook them as per your taste. Hang them on the rack for 1 hour or more for later use Store fresh pasta in a an airtight container up to 4 days in a refrigerator or in a freezer for 1 month.

SPICY FRESH  PASTA W/TOMATO
Makes       4 servings

4 C  cooked pasta
1 Onion chopped
3 cloves garlic mince
3 green chili sliced
1 tsp chili flake
4  tomato chopped
1/4 C basil leaves chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
2 TB olive oil
Diced tomato for garnish
Extra basil leaves for garnish

METHOD

Heat the oil in a pan, fry onion until translucent. add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in green chili, tomato  and chili flake, fry until tomato turns soft.

Pour in pasta, salt, sugar and basil leaves, stir until well combined.

Remove from heat,  garnish with diced tomato and basil, serve hot.

Linking to Monthly Mingle - Fresh Pasta

STIR FRIED PASTA WITH VEGGIES

My children love spicy pasta whether they are penne, linguine, macaroni or spaghetti. This meal is delicious and ready in matter of minutes. You can add whatever veggies you have and omit the chili powder for non-spicy version. Feel free to add chicken, meat or seafood if your prefer.

STIR FRIED PASTA WITH VEGGIES
 Yield     :      3-4 servings

200g uncooked pasta
1 Onion chopped
2 carrot julienned
3 C mixed veggie (babycorn, mushroom, french bean, brocolli, bell pepper)
2 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic crushed
3 medium tomato chopped
2 tsp chili powder/black pepper
salt  and sugar  to taste

METHOD

Bring a large pot of water to boil with salt and  a tsp of oil, cook pasta until aldente according to the package, drain.

Heat the oil, fry garlic until fragrant, add onion , fry for a minute.

Add in tomato and salt, cook until tomato turns soft,  add the chili powder/black pepper and a tablespoon of water, stir for a minute.

Pour in carrot,   the rest of the vegetables, cook until soft about 3-5 minutes..

Add in cooked pasta, sugar and more salt if required. Stir until pasta is coated with spices.

Serve hot.

Linking to  Pasta Dishes

Linking to Finally Spring

PASTA UPMA

Upma is a common breakfast dish or an evening tiffin in most South Indian homes. You can use rava, vermicelli or even bread for making this tasty upma. For added taste, some add vegetables like beans, carrots, potatoes or cauliflower and garnished with cashew nut, peanut or coconut..

It is fast to cook and taste yummy. Adding lemon juice is optional and it is really healthy and an excellent dish to start your day.

PASTA UPMA

100g pasta boiled until aldente
1 onion chopped
2 green chili sliced
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp bengal gram
1 sprig curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
3 T tomato sauce
2 T cooking oil
lemon juice (optional)

METHOD

* Heat the oil, splutter mustard seed, add urad dal, bengal gram, curry leaves, onion and green chili, cook until fragrant.

* Add in 1/4 cup water, salt and tomato sauce and bring to boil.

* Pour in the cooked pasta and stir well. Remove from heat.

* Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE PASTA PUDDING

I have created this recipe out of the leftover spaghetti rather than dump them into a freezer. It is so easy to prepare, I used whatever ingredients available in my pantry.

Simply serve this pudding as dessert after you main meal or as a midnight snack or for breakfast. At the time of serving, you can add fresh fruit if you like.

For your information, the pasta unlike the bread does not absorb so much liquid thus I have added extra flour to make it thicker and obtain the right consistency.

Here is the recipe in case you want to try, do let me know how it turns out. I just love this yummy pudding, definitely will prepare it again.


INGREDIENTS

270g boiled pasta cut into shorter strand
1 C water
1 C evaporated milk
1 T heaped unsweetened cocoa powder
8 T sugar
2 T corn flour
2 T all purpose flour
2 slices bread cut into small
1/2 C raisin
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon salt

METHOD

* Preheat oven @ 180 C and grease 7 inches pan.

* In a mixing bowl, combine water, milk, cocoa, sugar, both flour, vanilla essence and salt. Whisk until well mixed.

* Add in pasta and bread, leave for 15 minutes.

* Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

* Serve hot or cold.

MY TRICK

* If the top turns brown quickly, cover with aluminium foil and continue baking until fully done.

* Make sure the raisin is not seen on top otherwise it gets burnt and dried out.

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SPAGHETTI IN TANGY SOUP

Trying to avoid rice so whipped up a dish made of spaghetti, it's soupy type added with seafood and mushroom. Other leafy vegetables could be added. Adjust the taste to your liking.

INGREDIENTS

400g spaghetti boiled until aldente
200g prawn peel and devein
200g squid cut into ring
15 button mushroom sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tomato chopped
6 shallots sliced
3 cloves garlic sliced
2 thick slices ginger
5 bird's eye chili (optional)
1 stalk lemon grass bruised
1 tablespoon tamarind mix with 1/2 cup wated to obtain juice
5 small limes squeezed to get the juice
4 stalk coriander leaves including the roots reserved some for garnish
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons sweet soya sauce
3 red chillies for garnish
4-5 cups water
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil, add onion and fry until light brown. Add garlic, ginger, lemon grass and tomato, cook until tomato turns soft. Add chili powder and some water, fry until fragrant.

2. Pour in the prawn and squid, cook until color changes.

3. Add 4-5 cups water, mushroom and tamarind juice, bring to boil.

4. Now add salt, sugar, soya sauce, coriander leaves including the roots and bird's eye chili, simmer for a few minutes.

5. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Check for salt.

6. Place spaghetti into a bowl, pour the soup and garnish with coriander leaves and red chillies.



LOVELY BLOG AWARD

This award was given by Priya of Priyas Recipes for celebrating her 200th post. Thanks my dear for sharing this with me, hope you have successful journey in blogging and keep up the good work.Wish to share this award with all bloggers. Please display this in your blog.



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SPAGHETTI IN CURRY SAUCE

Unlike all spaghetti dishes use tomato based sauce but this one is different. The vegetable used is carrot but bean sprout could be added if you like. Instead of seafood you can substitute with chicken or meat, omit them for vegetarian version,the choice is yours.

INGREDIENTS

400g spaghetti boil until aldente
400g prawn peel and devein
200g carrot cubed
400g sweet potato mashed
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons curry powder
4 cloves garlic chopped
6 shallots sliced
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
2 lemon grass bruised
3 hard tofu cubed and fried
4 red chili sliced
4-6 cups water
coriander leaves
small limes
oil

METHOD

1. Heat the oil, fry onion until light brown. Add in ginger, garlic and lemon grass, fry until fragrant.

2. Now add chili powder, curry powder and little water, fry for a few minutes then add the prawn, stir until the color changes.

3. Pour 4 cups water, carrot and mashed sweet potato and cook until boiling.

4. Check the salt, add more water if it is very thick, remove from heat.

5. Place the spaghetti in an individual bowl, pour the sauce, garnish with fried tofu, red chili and coriander leaves. Squeeze the lime if you prefer sour taste.

FRIED SPAGHETTI

Actually my son requested fried yellow mee but not in hand so decided to cook the fried spaghetti. The recipe is quite similar to fried noodle but this time using minced meat and diced potato for the ingredients. Let have a look what you need for this dish:


INGREDIENTS

400g spaghetti (boil until aldente)
350g minced meat
2 tablespoons chilli paste
1 big onion sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon ginger paste
4 tomatoes chopped
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tablespoon sweet soya sauce
3 potatoes boil and dice
300g bean sprout remove tail
2 eggs beat lightly
4 tablespoons oil
salt to taste
2 green chillies sliced
2 red chillies sliced


METHOD


1. Heat the oil, fry onion till light brown, add ginger, garlic and tomato, cook until tomato turns soft.

2. Add chilli paste and little water, cook until fragrant.

3. Now add mince meat, salt, tomato sauce, soya sauce and water, stir until slightly dry.

4. Push ingredients to the side of the pan, pour the eggs in the middle and let eggs cook.

5. Mix in the potato, green/red chillies, bean sprout and salt, stirring after each addition.

6. Remove from heat.

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SPAGHETTI W/TOMATO SAUCE

Bored taking rice daily so prepared this  Spaghetti w/Tomato Sauce for our lunch with little twist by adding chili powder, tomato sauce and also chili sauce, received compliments from my family. You can use other vegetable and substitute
prawn with chicken or meat. The thickness of the sauce is up to you so adjust accordingly.