Pasta Soup

Pasta soup is a quick twist on a classic chicken noodle soup which is fully loaded with veggies and chicken. Recently when my friend made this delicious, healthy and nutritious noodle soup, I remembered the delicious soup which I had in Banglore.

Julinned Veggies

I ended up making this dish with pasta instead of noodles. A perfect dish to be enjoyed on a cold winter day. This soup is filled with tons of veggies which are cooked along with required amount of water, spices, sauce of your choice in which the boiled pasta is added and when done, enjoyed warm.
The soup can be made in advance and frozen. When needed thaw the soup and add the cooked pasta and serve. We can add any choice of veggies. This will be liked by kids as well as adults. A perfect party hit. Try this out and let me know...

Ingredients:

1. Pasta- 2 Cups
2. Carrots- 2 nos
3. Beans- a handful
4. Cabbage- 1 Cup
5. Ginger- 2 tbsp
6. Garlic- 2 tbsp
7. Onions- 1no
8. Chili Flakes- 1/2 tbsp
9. Garlic Powder- 1 Tsp
10. Basil- 1 tbsp
11. Oregano- 1 tbsp
12. Paprika Powder- 1 Tsp
13. Turmeric Powder- 1 Tsp
14. Garam Masala Powder- 1 Tsp
15. Red Chili Sauce- 1 tbsp
16. Soy Sauce- 1 tbsp
17. Salt- as required
18. Baked Chicken- 1 Cup (See the notes) ( OPTIONAL)
19. Spring Onions- for garnish

Method:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil on high heat and salt it generously. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and keep this aside.
2. Julienne the vegetables along with ginger and garlic.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the garlic, ginger. Saute for a minute. Add the sliced onion, saute for a minute and add all the veggies. Give them a nice stir on a medium heat.
4. Add the all the spices, chili flakes, garlic powder, Basil, oregano, paprika powder, turmeric powder, garam masala. Mix well.
5. Add around 4 cups of water and let it simmer for 10 minutes on a low flame. Add the red chili sauce, soy sauce along with cooked pasta. Give it a nice stir and switch off the flame.
6. Ladle the pasta into bowls. On top add the baked chicken and chopped spring onions. Enjoy a nice, hot soup on a winter day.

Baked Chicken:

1. Boneless Chicken- 2 Cups
2. Red Chili Powder- 1tbsp
3. Pepper Powder- 1 tbsp
4. Salt- as required
5. Turmeric Powder- 1tsp
6. Oil- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and rub this ingredient onto the chicken.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the marinated chicken on a greased baking tray and bake for about 5- 20 minutes or till cooked.

Spaghetti in White sauce with sauteed Garlicky Chicken n Veggies

This homemade white sauce is the most delicious and the easiest recipe!! The white sauce is also called as Bechamel sauce, although the Italians refer to it as salsa di besciamella. In this, the flour is cooked in the melted butter and the required amount of milk is added for a thick, creamy sauce for the spaghetti. This white sauce can be used in most of the pasta dishes, as a pizza topping and also on toast along with sauteed mushrooms. A perfect for any dish.

We can add any cheese of your choice and also a different variety of veggies. This is a perfect dish for kids lunch box and they will finish off within no time. This dish is so easy to make and takes much less time. By the time the spaghetti gets cooked, we can prepare the sauce and saute the chicken and veggies. Try this recipe and let me know how this turned out...

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti- 1 pack

For sauteeing:

1. Olive Oil- 2 tbsp
2. Boneless Chicken pieces (cubed)- 2 Cups
3. Broccoli- 1 cup
4. Asparagus- 1/2 Cup
5. Bell Peppers- 1 no
6. Garlic- 3 tbsp
7. Tomato- 1no
8. Onion- 1 no

For White sauce:

1. Butter- 1/4 stick
2. All Purpose Flour- 3 tbsp
3. Milk- 1 1/2 Cups
4. Italian Herb Mix- 2 tbsp
5. Red Chili Flakes- 1 tbsp
6. Salt- as required
7. Pepper- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. In a large pot cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, in a pan heat oil, saute the chopped garlic then add the vegetables along with salt and pepper till done. Remove when done.
3. In the remaining oil add the cubed chicken and saute till cooked well. Keep this aside along with the veggies.
4. Heat a large skillet, add butter. Once it starts melting, add the all purpose flour and stir it well till it gets cooked. Add the milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring to a boil, add the salt and pepper. Lower the heat, add the Italian herb mix, red chili flakes and cook for 2- 3 minutes.
5. In the white sauce, add the sauteed chicken and veggies. give it a stir. Add the cooked spaghetti and mix everything together. Enjoy a nice warm spaghetti along with your favorite show on TV.

Spaghetti with Meat Balls

Spaghetti with meatballs make a perfect weekend dinner. We first tasted this when we went to IKEA. We ate the Swedish veggie balls and my daughter insisted me to make the meatballs and so here it is on my blog. This one is completely different from the Swedish veggie balls. I made the meatballs using chicken.

Fried meatballs

The Ground meat is shaped in balls and shallow fried till done. The fried meatballs are simmered in easy Italian tomato sauce and mixed with cooked spaghetti and enjoyed. This will be enjoyed by all at a get-together. Mostly the kids.

Fried meatballs in sauce

This is an easy and a simple dish if you make the sauce and meatballs in advance. This classic recipe makes a big batch and is an amazing dish which will be more appreciated by the guests.

Ingredients:
For the Meat Balls:

1. Ground Chicken- 2 Cups
2. Bread Crumbs- 3 tbsp
3. Oregano- 1 tsp
4. Ginger (grated)- 2 Tsp
5. Egg- 1 no
6. Salt- as required
7. Pepper Powder- 1 Tsp
8. Oil- 1/2 Cup (for frying)

Method:

1. Drop all the ingredients except oil in a food processor and blend well till everything gets incorporated.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Meanwhile, roll the meat mixture into equal small balls and keep this aside. If you feel the meat mixture is moist, add little more breadcrumbs.
3. Drop the small balls one by one in medium heat oil and fry till it turns golden brown from all the sides.

For the sauce:

1. Tomatoes- 3 nos
2. Dried Basil- 1 tbsp
3. Grated Garlic- 2 tbsp
4. Olive Oil- 1 tbsp
5. Salt- as required
6. Red Chili Flakes- 2 Tsp
7. Oregano- 1 tsp
8. Fresh Chopped Parsley- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Blend the tomatoes along with garlic in a food processor till done.
2. Heat a large pot with olive oil, add the crushed tomato mixture along with dried basil, parsley, red chili flake, and salt.
3. Let it cook on slow flame for about 10- 15 minutes.
4. Add the lightly fried meatballs in the sauce and let it cook well for another 10 minutes till the sauce is simmered until thickened.
5. Switch off the flame and the sauce is ready.

For Spaghetti:

1. Spaghetti- 1 pound
2. Salt- as required
3. Olive Oil- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Place a large pot of water to boil. Add the spaghetti along with salt and olive oil and cook to al dente.
2. Drain the spaghetti and add cold water so that it will stop cooking.
3. Assembling:
4.  Place the Spaghetti in a plate and pour the meatballs along with sauce in the middle and enjoy a scrumptious plate.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Pepper and Chicken Sausage

One of the best things to have a food blog is that I get a chance to try different varieties of dishes so that I can feed my blog. This is one of the recipes which I was thinking to make for so long, as I was not sure about broiling. One day I tried and this is the result.

Broiled Bell Pepper

Pasta is one of the most preferred dinners on any day in my house. My kids, even the small one, love the pasta made in any sauce. They love Mac and Cheese a lot. So I make sure that they get all the healthy nutrients by adding lots of veggies. By adding different varieties of cheese and herbs, we can make the pasta more delicious and flavorful.

In this recipe, I broiled the bell peppers till it becomes soft and the skin came out easily. We can also roast these bell peppers on the stove top. These freshly roasted peppers will give the pasta a nice smoky taste. I have mixed both penne and fusilli pasta. We can also add cooked chicken pieces instead of sausage. As my kids love to eat the small round discs of sausage I add them a lot. This recipe takes less time to prepare and can be enjoyed by all.

Here I have added the chopped garlic at first so that the garlic flavor is infused in the oil and the pasta will be full of flavor. Hope you all like this. Try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Whole Wheat Penne & Fusilli Pasta ( cooked and drained)- 2 Cups
2. Red Peppers- 3 nos
3. Chicken Sausage ( sliced)- 1 Cup
4. Onions (chopped)- ½ Cup
5. Garlic (chopped)- 3 tbsp
6. Olive Oil- 2 tbsp
7. Tomatoes (chopped)- 3 nos
8. Dried Oregano- 2 tbsp
9. Dried Basil- 1 tbsp
10. Salt- as required
11. Black Pepper Powder- 2 Tsp

Method:

1. Broil the red peppers in the oven, high for about 10 minutes, rotating in between. When done keep this aside and remove the charred skin when cooled. Slice into pieces.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the garlic. Let it simmer for some time, till the flavors are infused in the oil. Add the chopped onions and stir till becomes translucent.
3. Add the sliced sausage, stir till it becomes brown. Add the chopped tomatoes, mix and close with a lid and let this simmer for 5- 10 minutes. By this time the tomatoes will become mushy and everything gets blended well.
4. Add the dried oregano and dried basil. Mix, add sliced red peppers, salt, and pepper. At last, add the cooked penne pasta, stir to combine and close with a lid. Allow the pasta to cook in the pepper sauce for about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Once in a while we can have a bowl of warm,cheesy, creamy, goodness. My daughter is a big fan of mac and cheese. Whenever we go out to restaurants, she will have her favorite pasta. I thought if she loves it a lot, then why not try make it at home and here it is. A simple but a creamy rich dish.

You can vary the pasta, by adding boiled veggies, corn, prawns, chicken or anything of your choice. But I made it plain as this is the classical mac and cheese recipe. The addition of ground mustard will give an additional kick to the dish.

Kids will love this amazing cheesy flavorful pasta. Whatever the occasion is, this mac n cheese will always spell comfort.

Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator and can be had anytime by reheating in the oven. If you feel the mac n cheese is dry just add some more milk and heat it on stove top.

If you have an extra time, just bake the mac n cheese in a preheated oven by covering it with a lid or a foil in a casserole dish at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle bread crumbs and few drops of butter on top and bake for about 10 minutes till the top is golden brown.

Ingredients:

1. Elbow Pasta- 2- 3 cups
2. Butter- 2 tbsp
3. Milk- 2 Cups
4. Flour- 2 tbsp
5. Cheddar Cheese- ½ Cups
6. Parmesan cheese- ¼ cup
7. Italian Herbs- 1 tbsp
8. Mustard Powder- ¼ tsp
9. Chilli flakes- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Boil the pasta with required amount of water, salt and little oil and when it gets cooked drain and keep it aside.
2. Heat butter in a pan, add flour on low heat. Whisk thoroughly till the flour gets cooked. Add milk and whisk until there are no lumps.
3. Heat for about 5- 10 minutes. Add the cheddar cheese and parmesan. Stir well till the cheese gets melted and the sauce becomes creamy.
4. In the above made cheese sauce add the cooked pasta and mix to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce.
5. In this add the mustard powder,italian herbs and chilli flakes, mix and enjoy hot and creamy mac and cheese.

Chili con Carne / Chili Pepper with Meat

Chili con Carne is a traditional meal of Latin America, with red beans and small pieces of meat. I have made it in Indian style as we wont get most of the ingredients in India.

I learnt this recipe from my bro who is a perfect cook in these type of dishes. He made this dish one day when we were at his house and it was during hot summer afternoon, the dish was really spicy that my husband was sweating all along while eating this. But the taste was yummy. This time I thought of preparing this recipe as I never made it and it came out perfect. But this time I made it less spicy for my Husband :-)

Ingredients:

1. Pasta(Spagetti)-  500gms
2. Minced Mutton / Kheema- 250gms
3. Kidney beans / Rajma- 1cup
4. Green chillies- 3-4nos (as per your spice level)
5. Tomatoes- 3nos
6. Potatoes- 1nos
7. Carrot- 1nos
8. Green peas- 1cup
9. Cumin powder- 1tsp
10. Salt- as per taste
11. Onions- 1no
12. Ginger- 1tbsp
13. Garlic- 1tbsp
14. Coriander powder- 1tbsp
15. Red chilly powder- 2tbsp
16. Turmeric powder- 1tsp
17. Garam masala powder- 2tsp
18. Olive oil- 1tbsp

Method:

1. Cook the pasta, drain it and keep it aside.
2. Take minced meat, chopped onions, ginger- garlic paste, chopped green chillies, Coriander powder, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and little salt in a pressure cooker and cook till the meat is cooked well.
3. Soak kidney beans for 3-4 hrs and then cook in cooker till soft.
4. Cook carrots, potatoes and green peas well.
5. Keep the tomatoes in boiled water for 5 minutes and close with lid. Take out the tomatoes peel the skin and remove the seeds and puree the tomatoes.
6. Now heat a pan add oil, when it is hot add the cooked meat mixture, kidney beans and vegetables and mix well.
7. Add the tomato puree,cumin powder and required amount of salt to the above mixture and stir well. Cook till all the water gets evaporated.The gravy must be thick.
8. Top the pasta with the above made chili con carne and serve.

Note:

1. It can be served with tacos, bread, tortilla chips and also rice.
2. We can also add sweet corn, capsicum along with vegetables.