Vegetarian Baked Ziti

January 29, 2012 — Chelvi S

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz pasta such as Penne, Rotini etc.
  • 1 teaspoon cooking oil
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1, 10 oz pack frozen mixed vegetables
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 ¾ cups pasta sauce
  • ¼ cup low fat ricotta cheese
  • About 1 cup or more mozzarella cheese
  • Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Method:

  • Cook pasta and drain.  Set aside
  • Add pasta saucepan and ricotta cheese to a saucepan and cook on medium heat until ricotta cheese is melted and sauce start bubbling.
  • Set aside
  • Pre heat oven to 400F
  • Add oil to a skillet and when hot add onion and sauté until soft
  • Add garlic and sauté for another minute or two
  • Now add cumin and fry until fragrant.
  • Thaw vegetables and add to the skillet and cook until all the water is absorbed and the vegetables are soft.  Add chili powder
  • Now add the cooked sauce to the vegetables and mix well.
  • Add cooked pasta to the vegetables and mix thoroughly
  • Transfer to a oven proof dish and sprinkle generously with mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake for about 15-20 minutes or the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly
  • Let cool and when serving sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese
  • Serves: about 2 – 3 as a main dish
Posted in Main Dishes, Pasta Dishes. Tags: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment »

Pasta with Broccoli and White Beans

May 17, 2011 — Chelvi S

For this recipe, fresh broccoli should be used.  Frozen might become too soft when sauted

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz pasta (Rotini, Penne etc)
  • ½ lb fresh broccoli florets (after thick stems removed)
  • 5 sundried tomato halves chopped into small pieces
  • 1 (15.5 oz) can northern white beans
  • 16 whole black olives
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese + extra for sprinkling
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil

Method

  • Cook pasta and drain and set aside
  • Add oil to a heavy saucepan/skillet and once it’s hot add chopped dried tomatoes and sauté for about a minute
  • Add broccoli florets and sauté for about 4 minutes on medium-high flame
  • Meanwhile wash and drain the beans thoroughly (I wash the beans to remove any chemicals added as preservative)
  • Add washed beans to the saucepan and cook on medium-low flame for another 3 minutes
  • Add pasta, black olives, salt, pepper and the cheese and mix well while on low flame
  • Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with extra cheese
  • Serves 2
Posted in Pasta Dishes, Quick Dishes. Leave a Comment »

Pasta with Roasted Mixed Veggies

April 5, 2011 — Chelvi S

Ingredients

  • 4 oz pasta (Rotini, Rigatoni etc)
  • 4 oz asparagus
  • 4 oz bell pepper
  • 6 oz portabella mushrooms
  • 1 medium sweet potato
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 -2  tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup pasta sauce (I used the basil and tomato sauce)
  • ¼ teaspoon dried basil
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil for sprinkling
  • Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Method

  • Cook pasta and drain.  Set aside
  • Preheat oven to 350F

  • Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces.  Cut bell pepper into thin strips.
  • Quarter mushrooms
  • Peel and cube sweet potatoes into ½ inch cubes
  • Add cut vegetables to a cookie sheet/tray and add olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well

  • Bake for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are roasted but a bit crunchy
  • Add cooked pasta, roasted vegetables, pasta sauce to a saucepan and mix well on low flame
  • Add parmesan cheese and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil
  • Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts
  • Optional:  Black olives can also be added to this pasta dish
  • Serves 2
Posted in Pasta Dishes. 2 Comments »

Pasta with Sundried tomato & Pine nut sauce

January 26, 2011 — Chelvi S

Ingredients

  • 4 oz pasta (Rotini, penne etc)
  • ¼ cup + 2 teaspoons pine nuts
  • 12 halves of sun dried tomatoes
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ teaspoon pesto sauce (basil pesto)
  • 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 3 oz baby spinach
  • ¼ cup whole black olives

Method

  • Lightly toast pine nuts
  • Cook pasta and drain and set aside

  • Add ¼ cup pine nuts, 10 halves of sun dried tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, water, pesto sauce, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to blender and puree until smooth.  Transfer to a dish and set aside
  • Chop the rest of the sun dried tomatoes into very small pieces
  • Add olive oil to a skillet and add cherry tomatoes and sauté for about 15 – 20 seconds (make sure the tomatoes do not get over cooked and become mushy)
  • Add pasta sauce, cooked pasta and spinach to the skillet and continue to cook on very low flame until spinach is wilted.
  • Add black olives, chopped sun dried tomatoes and mix well
  • Sprinkle rest of the pine nuts on the top.
  • Serve warm (It’s best served immediately)
  • Serves 2
Posted in Main Dishes, Pasta Dishes, Uncategorized. Leave a Comment »

Black Beans & Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells

January 18, 2011 — Chelvi S

Ingredients

  • 4 oz pasta shells
  • 14 oz can black beans
  • 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
  • 6 oz chopped tomatoes
  • 3 – 4 cloves garlic chopped into small pieces
  • 1 teaspoons oil
  • 1 – 1 ¼ cups pasta sauce
  • Mozzarella cheese

Method

  • Cook pasta and drain and set aside
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 F
  • In a skillet add oil and sauté garlic until browned
  • Add chopped tomatoes and cook until they are soft
  • Squeeze excess water from spinach and drain and wash the black beans (I wash them to remove any chemical or preservative added)
  • Add black beans and spinach to skillet and cook for about 5 minutes
  • Mash the beans lightly with the back of the spoon
  • Add pasta sauce to a baking dish and spread it evenly
  • Stuff the shells with the vegetable mix and arrange them on the baking dish
  • Sprinkle with cheese and bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or the cheese is melted and lightly browned
Posted in Main Dishes, Pasta Dishes. 1 Comment »

Pasta with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Wilted Spinach

November 28, 2010 — Chelvi S

Ingredients

  • 4 oz pasta (Rigatoni, Rotini etc)
  • 12 oz sweet potatoes cubed
  • 8 oz button mushrooms quartered
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 oz baby spinach
  • 2 tablespoons goat cheese crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts lightly roasted
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Extra goat cheese for sprinkling
  • Extra salt and pepper to taste

Method

  • Cook pasta and drain (I usually add a little bit of salt when cooking pasta)
  • Pre-heat oven to 450 F
  • Add cubed sweet potatoes and quartered mushrooms to a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper
  • Add olive oil and mix with hand thoroughly
  • Roast for about 45 minutes
  • In a saucepan or skillet add pasta, roasted vegetables and baby spinach
  • mix pasta and veggies in a very low flame until the spinach is wilted
  • Add goat cheese, pine nuts and mix well
  • Sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil
  • Top with crumbled goat cheese (optional)
  • Serves 2
Posted in Main Dishes, Pasta Dishes. 1 Comment »

Quick & Easy Pasta Dish

August 8, 2010 — Chelvi S

Ingredients

  • 4 oz pasta (penne)
  • 2 large portabella mushrooms
  • 6 oz button mushrooms
  • 1 small red bell pepper
  • Oil spray
  • ¾ cups black olives
  • 3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 2 teaspoons sun dried tomatoes
  • ¼ cup dried porcini mushroom
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons pecorino – romano cheese
  • 2 teaspoons parmesan cheese

Method

  • Cook pasta and drain and keep aside
  • Slice portabella mushrooms lengthwise into ½ inch and then chop them into about 1 inch cubes
  • Slit button mushrooms and slice them into thick pieces
  • slice bell pepper into thin stripes
  • Spray a little bit of oil on a cookie sheet and spread the mushrooms and bell pepper on the cookie sheet.  Then spray oil again and mix well with hands
  • Broil at 450 F for about 10 – 15 minutes
  • Meanwhile wash porcini mushrooms thoroughly (they tend to have soil particles in them) and then soak in a very little bit water for about 10 minutes
  • chop sun dried tomatoes into very small pieces
  • In a skillet and olive oil and add chopped garlic and sauté for a minute or lightly golden
  • Add sun dried tomato and porcini mushrooms and fry for a  about 2 minutes
  • Add pasta, mushroom, bell pepper and olives to the skillet and mix well while keeping in a very low flame
  • Add basil, pecorino cheese and mix well
  • Sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and top with parmesan cheese
  • Serves 2 main dishes

Normally I use whole black olives.  They taste better and firm.  Pitted olive oil tends to be a bit mushy and not as tasty as the whole olives.



Posted in Main Dishes, Others, Pasta Dishes. 1 Comment »

Spicy Pasta with Escarole

July 18, 2010 — Chelvi S

Ingredients

  • 4 oz pasta (rotini, penne etc)
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 7 – 8 cloves garlic sliced thinly
  • 5 oz escarole
  • 1 cup baby bella mushrooms sliced
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 cup canned small white beans drained
  • 3 teaspoons goat cheese
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted
  • Salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil for sprinkling

Method

  • Cook pasta and drain
  • In a skillet add oil and once its heated add garlic and sauté until light brown
  • Discard the thick stem of escarole leaves and tear them into small pieces
  • Add escarole to skillet and sauté until lightly wilted
  • Now add sliced mushrooms and sauté until mushroom is cooked
  • Add crushed red pepper, salt and white beans and cook for about 4 – 5 minutes
  • Add pasta, goat cheese and mix well (keep on low flame)
  • Mix in pine nuts
  • If needed sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil
Posted in Main Dishes, Pasta Dishes, Quick Dishes. Leave a Comment »

Pasta with Black Beans and Red Pepper

June 29, 2010 — Chelvi S

Ingredients

  • 4 oz pasta (Rotini)
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 4 oz red/orange bell pepper sliced thinly
  • 1 cup chopped button mushrooms
  • 1, 15 oz can black beans
  • 1, 15 oz can chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons pecorino romano cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Method

  • Cook pasta and drain
  • In a skillet add oil and stir fry bell pepper for about 4 – 4 minutes
  • Add mushrooms and fry until mushroom is soft
  • Add tomatoes, black bean salt and pepper and cook until the sauce from tomatoes thickens
  • Add pasta and cheese and mix well and heat on a low flame
  • Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with parmesan cheese
  • Tear basil leaves and sprinkle on the top (since I didn’t have basil when I made this time, I omitted it)
Posted in Main Dishes, Pasta Dishes. Leave a Comment »

Pasta with Mixed Mushrooms

May 6, 2010 — Chelvi S

This is a very easy to do pasta dish and does not require many ingredients too.

Ingredients

  • 4 oz penne pasta
  • 8 oz mixed mushrooms (portabella, button, oyster) chopped
  • 1 oz dried porcini mushroom
  • ½ cup whole black olives
  • 1 small red onion chopped
  • 2 – 3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon dried sweet basil
  • 2 – 3 teaspoon shredded parmesan cheese
  • Extra virgin olive oil to sprinkle
  • Salt to taste

Method

  • Cook pasta and drain
  • Wash porcini mushrooms thoroughly and soak in a little bit of water
  • In a skillet sauté onion until transparent
  • Add garlic and sauté until onion becomes golden brown
  • Add mixed mushrooms, salt and sauté until all the water is absorbed, about 7 – 8 minutes
  • Add porcini mushroom and sauté for another two or three minutes
  • Add basil, black olives and cooked pasta and mix well
  • Sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese
Posted in Main Dishes, Pasta Dishes, Quick Dishes. Leave a Comment »
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