Tag: pasta

Asparagus Lemon Orzo

I’m posting after forever! I’ve been very busy with school and I post more often on my Instagram channel now. Here’s a barcode for that! Follow me if you want! 😊💜

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So today I’m gonna share a super fast and easy pasta recipe. This can be eaten cold, but the butter in it taste best when warm 😉. It is also completely vegan! I make this when I don’t have much time or I have loads of asparagus to finish.

A bowl of deliciousness 🤤

Servings: 2, Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • Dry Orzo pasta 3 oz
  • Asparagus 1 lb
  • Vegan butter 1 tbsp
  • Lemon juice 2-3 tbsp
  • Olive oil 2 tbsp
  • Nutritional yeast (optional) 1 tbsp
  • Garlic powder 1 tbsp
  • Onion powder 1 tbsp
  • Pepper 1/2 tsp
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  2. Trim the asparagus from the bottom to remove the woody and chewy parts.
  3. Arrange asparagus on a baking tray, then sprinkle oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix well and bake for 10 minutes
  4. Remove to a chopping board and dice into bite size pieces
  5. In the meantime, boil the orzo pasta according to package directions. In heavily salted water
  6. Drain the pasta. Mix in butter, asparagus, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and more salt if needed. That’s it!

Tips

  • I trim off the ends of asparagus, but you can peel the outer layers to make the parts tender. It’s still too chewy for me, but I’ve seen friends being fine with it
  • When I say heavily salt the water, I mean HEAVILY! Ideally the pasta should absorb enough salt so we don’t need to add more at the end
  • The nutritional yeast is optional, but it gives a nice umami and cheese flavor to the pasta
  • You can skip the butter if you plan to serve this cold. It tastes good that way too.
  • The lemon juice measurement is entirely according to taste. I dislike extremely sour things, so I add half a teaspoon extra to my husband’s bowl!

This is a recipe that makes me enjoy asparagus, which doesn’t happen often. 😅 It is also super easy to make and very delicious! I hope you’ll make this one, and as always let me know what you thought in the comments. 😊

Pasta in White Sauce

I know that’s a super vague title. I first ate pasta as a teenager at a fancy restaurant in India. Back then, there wasn’t much distinction amongst pasta dishes, except to call them white, red and pink. White sauce was always passed off as Alfredo. Then I moved to the US, met new people, and ate new food. I quickly realized what I always thought was Alfredo was actually a Mornay. 🥲

Now, I add my pasta to a Bechamel sauce. I love the creaminess and the taste of it, and this is what I grew up eating (without the cheese). It is so fascinating how dishes get taken from around the world, and modified to suit the local palate. I’ve seen this happen to virtually every cuisine in India. Here in the US, spices in dishes are toned down to match the palate here. I’ve been asked many times what I think of restaurants adapting Indian food to match what people will eat. I always give the same answer. It doesn’t matter what you cook, it should taste good… 😊 Of course, I wouldn’t call it authentic, but that doesn’t make the dish any less Indian.

So here’s my recipe for a Bechamel, with a bunch of veggies and pasta in it!

Add that cheese on top!!! At least this way, I feel less guilty and still eat cheese… 😅

Servings: 2, Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • Garlic cloves 2-4
  • Yellow onion 1/2
  • Mushrooms 5-6
  • Cabbage 1/4 head
  • Dry pasta 4 oz
  • Oil 2 tbsp
  • Butter 2 tbsp
  • All purpose flour 3 tbsp
  • Milk ( I used oat milk) 2 cups
  • Salt 1 tsp
  • Ground black pepper 1 tsp
  • Italian seasoning 2 tsp

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the garlic cloves. Dice the onion, and slice the mushrooms and cabbage!
  2. In the meantime, boil water in a kettle. Then add the water to a pan and salt it generously. Cook the pasta till it’s done to your liking, then drain. Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water.
  3. Return the pan to the stove and heat 1 tbsp oil in it. Add the garlic and onion. Sauté till fragrant, then add the mushrooms and cabbage. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
  4. Remove the veggies to a plate, then add the remaining oil and butter to the same pan.
  5. Add the flour, then cook till the flour is turns light brown. Slowly add in the milk, and stir vigorously. Make sure there’s no lumps!
  6. Add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to the sauce. Mix well.
  7. Add the veggies and cooked pasta in the sauce and combine well. At this point, taste and add more salt if needed.
  8. Serve up a portion, sprinkle some cheese if you want. Enjoy!

Tips

  • I always use shell pasta, because it’s shape is perfect for the sauce to cling. This just makes the pasta extra special!
  • I added mushrooms, cabbage and onion here. However, you can use any vegetable that needs to be finished. Make sure you do not overcook the veggies. Cooking time will also depend on the size you cut your veggies. Eg: If you’re using small diced zucchini, only cook it for about 2 minutes. It can get soggy super fast!!
  • You can also add a bit of grated nutmeg and some paprika to the sauce. This will add depth of flavor.
  • Make sure you reserve a bit of the pasta water. This is the best way to make the sauce thinner.

While I was writing this, I was watching Friends (again). It was that one episode where Ben likes a Barbie. Ross’s reaction to this has not aged well. I can’t believe I was okay with this when I was younger. 😞

There was a lot of reminiscing and just random stuff in this post, but make this pasta!! If you don’t want pasta, just make the sauce. It’s great for dipping, salad dressing etc.. As always, let me know how it goes!!

Tomatillo Pasta Sauce

I’ve gotten into looking up weekly deals and coupons recently. There were some really good deals on Buitoni pasta, and I got amazing cheese tortellini. Since my dairy issue turned out to be something else, I’ve been enjoying eating a little dairy. I’m a little relieved I don’t need to give up cheese entirely. However, I still think it’s better to find vegan alternatives whenever possible!

I also bought some tomatillos after eating a tomatillo pasta sauce at someone’s house. It was tangy and delicious. Then I forgot about them and they sat in my fridge for a long time! Once I realized I still had them, I had to try a one pan roasted vegetable pasta sauce! This recipe is vegan and you can add any pasta you like to it. I added the Buitoni pasta, but really anything will work here. The recipe is also super easy and it comes together so fast! All you need to do is chop up some veggies. Your appliances will do the rest!

Servings: 2, Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • Tomatillos 3 medium
  • Carrot 1 medium
  • Jalapeño 1/2 pepper
  • Garlic 6 cloves
  • Pasta of choice 9 oz (I used Buitoni cheese tortellini)
  • Olive oil 2 tsp
  • Salt 1/2 tsp
  • Pepper 1 tsp
  • Cheese of choice (use vegan if you want!) 2 tbsp
  • Chopped parsley 1 tbsp (optional for garnishing)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
  2. Remove outer skin on tomatillos and cut into quarters. Roughly chop the carrot into about 1/2 inch pieces. Snip of the hard ends of the garlic cloves, but DO NOT peel them.
  3. Arrange all the veggies on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and roast for 20-25 minutes till soft
  4. While the veggies roast, boil the pasta according to package directions. Once done, drain all but 1/2 cup of the pasta water. The veggies and pasta should be done cooking around the same time.
  5. Peel the roasted garlic cloves. The flesh should pop out if you squeeze the end of the clove.
  6. Combine the roasted veggies in the blender along with the pasta water and blend into a smooth paste.
  7. In a bowl, add the pasta. Top with the sauce, cheese and parsley. Enjoy while it’s still hot!
Vibrant and silky deliciousness!

Tips

  • I cannot stress this enough: please do not peel the garlic cloves. If you so, they will loose all the moisture and become unusable. The skin protects the moisture inside the cloves and prevents hardening
  • Using store bought stuffed pasta like the one I used can elevate this dish to an entirely new level. While this would taste amazing with any pasta you like, I highly recommend using a filled pasta. It is very easy to make your own ravioli with wonton wrappers! Let me know in the comments if you’d like a post on that…
  • While tomatillos are available throughout the year, they’re best eaten from June through November. If you cannot find tomatillos, use cherry tomatoes instead. Half a package of cherry tomatoes should yield the same amount of sauce. Roast them whole!
  • Tomatillos have a outer skin which protects them inside the fridge. I forgot I had them for about three weeks, but they were fine when I used them. So it’s very important to store them with the skin on.

This easy recipe makes for a great weekend meal. It is also high in fiber and nutrients, and has an amazing color! It’s also a good way to finish that leftover carrot you couldn’t find a use for. So I hope you make this and as always let me know how it goes!