Baked Shell Pasta

On a cool chilly night nothing is more comforting as hot and yummy food and to add to it my baked pasta shells are healthy and comfortable dish that you can enjoy in less than 30 mins while you sit with a cozy blanket wrapped around you enjoying a good movie and glass of wine on the side.



Ingredients:

1 cup large shell shaped pasta
1/2 cup marinara sauce
2 tbsp part skim grated mozzarella cheese
1 tsp chopped coriander or basil leaves
garlic salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp corn


Method:

Pre- heat the oven to 400 degree F. Boil the pasta shells with salt till they are al dente. Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add 2 tbsp marinara sauce to the shells along with corn, garlic salt and pepper. Now take a baking dish and add 2-3 table spoons of shell mixture to the bottom of the dish. Now add some of the remaining marinara sauce over the shell mixture. Add grated mozarella cheese and chopped coriander or basil leaves. Repeat the layering process with shell mixture followed by marinara sauce, mozarella cheese and basil leaves. Cover the top with the remaining mozarella cheese. Bake it in the oven for 15 mins till you get a golden brown color to the top layer of the cheese. Serve hot.

Tip:
Add some bread crumbs along with the mozarella cheese to get a crusty baked topping over the shell pasta. Yummmmmmmmm

Curry Pasta

Curry pasta as the name suggests is made with curry powder which embarks the yellow color to the pasta and adds a unique flavor to the recipe. Curry powder has the heat in it as well which makes the pasta slightly spicy as well, so if you are in the mood for having something spicy or you want to make a quick and easy dinner which has all the nutrition in it and yet tastes awesome this recipe is just right for you and it would be ready to served under 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups boiled rotini pasta ( whole wheat)
1/2 cup corn ( fresh or frozen)
2 table spoons marinara sauce
1 tsp curry powder
3-4 basil leaves
1/2 cup green peas
Garlic Salt and pepper to taste
1 table spoon grated parmesan cheese (optional)


Method:

Boil and drain the pasta as per the instructions on the pasta box. Whole grain pasta takes roughly around 7-8 mins to cook till it is al dente. If you want it to be more cooked you can boil the pasta for another minute or so. Please season the water with enough salt before adding pasta to the boiling water as it helps in seasoning the pasta itself. Add corn and peas to the boiling water as well and drain along with the pasta.

Take the boiled pasta along with corn and peas in a bowl and add marinara sauce, curry powder, salt and pepper (to taste) to the bowl and mix all the ingredients well. Adjust the seasoning as required. Add basil leaves to the pasta, sprinkle grated parmesan cheese to the pasta if required and serve hot.

Whole wheat Rotini Pasta with Pesto and Mozzarella Cheese

Pasta is one of my favorite comfort foods and to add to it, if it is made from whole wheat or whole grain; I really don’t feel guilty eating a big bowl of pasta. Whole wheat pasta has all the nutrition and health benefits and it’s no longer considered an ingredient which is eaten by people who are on a diet. Rotini pasta has the twisted shape to it and it blends really well with the various pasta sauces.

Pesto has the goodness of basil leaves and is blended with pine nuts, garlic and olive oil to a smooth paste, which is then mixed with the pasta to make a delicious pasta salad or it could be eaten as a stand alone as well.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat rotini pasta
2 table spoons pesto sauce
2 table spoons marinara sauce
½ cup corn kernels (frozen/ fresh)
½ cup pasta water
2 table spoons mozzarella cheese (cut into dices)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 table spoon chopped coriander leaves


Method:

• Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the rotini pasta to the pot, season with salt. Boil the pasta till its al dente and it roughly takes about 8-10 mins for the pasta to cook. Retain ½ cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and transfer to a mixing bowl.
• Add the marinara and pesto sauce to the pan; add corn to the bowl as well. Add salt and pepper to taste along with the mozzarella cheese. Mix all the ingredients well. Now add pasta water to the bowl little by little mixing all the ingredients well so that we have a thick sauce which is well coated throughout the pasta.
• Add chopped coriander leaves to the pasta bowl for garnish and serve warm or you could also chill the pasta in the fridge and serve chilled.


I am sending this recipe to Easy Crafts from Simple Indian Food WYF series is "Salad/Starters/Soups".