Gouda Macaroni And Cheese

I have a lot of recipes that have been sitting in my “drafts” folder for over a year now, which I’m hoping to clear out in the coming months.
This is a recipe I first tried out last winter inspired by what I saw here.

Ingredients:
1 cup pasta (pipette/elbow macaroni)
1 Tbsp butter
½ onion, chopped finely (optional- I only used this since I had a small piece in the refrigerator)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped up
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups milk (I only buy 2%, so that’s what I used)
A sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup Gouda cheese, freshly grated (I used this)
½ – ¾ cup breadcrumbs

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with foil and grease with oil/butter.

I had a lot of stale Italian bread and decided turn some of it into bread crumbs. For this, just place bread in a food processor, and pulse a couple of times to get coarse crumbs.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain off excess water and rinse under cold water.

Meanwhile, melt butter in another pan over medium heat. Add garlic, chopped onions, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook till onions soften.

Add the flour and cook till its raw smell disappears. Gradually add milk, chopped rosemary, some more salt and pepper, stirring constantly until blended. Cook on medium heat for a while until the roux thickens Add cheese; stir until melted.

Add cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce, stirring until well blended. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350° F for 12-15 minutes or until bubbly. Serve hot.

>Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)

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I’m not quite sure if this one’s a soup or a pasta dish. All I know is that it made for a very delicious and satisfying meal. It’s great on a cold (or any other) day and works for lunch or dinner.
I found the recipe here and came up with this after tweaking the original a bit.

Ingredients:
(For approximately 3 servings)
¾ cup of any kind of small pasta (I used pipette), cooked till almost al dente

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ can of stewed tomatoes (the one I used had small amounts of onion, celery & green pepper too)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ onion, finely chopped
¾ tsp dried rosemary
Red pepper flakes
Pepper
Salt
Olive oil
1-2 cups water (I used the pasta water)

Method:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add chopped onion and crushed garlic followed by salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and crushed rosemary. Cook until the onions turn soft and translucent.

Add the canned tomatoes, breaking up the large pieces with the back of a big spoon.

Add half the chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes. Blend everything in the saucepan together. Add some water if it’s too thick. I used my handheld immersion blender here but a regular blender is fine too- it’s just that it’s a pain to have to wait for the whole thing to cool a bit, then transfer to the blender and then back again to the saucepan.

Simmer, stirring occasionally. The pureed chickpeas give the soup a very thick and creamy texture. Add the remaining chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes. Adjust salt and pepper as required.

Add the cooked pasta and cook for a minute or two for all the flavors to come together. The longer the soup sits, the thicker it gets. Serve hot.

I’m sending this across to Vaishali for It’s A Vegan World: Italian.

This also goes to Susan for the eighth edition of My Legume Love Affair.

Buon appetito!

Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)

I’m not quite sure if this one’s a soup or a pasta dish. All I know is that it made for a very delicious and satisfying meal. It’s great on a cold (or any other) day and works for lunch or dinner.
I found the recipe here and came up with this after tweaking the original a bit.

Ingredients:
(For approximately 3 servings)
¾ cup of any kind of small pasta (I used pipette), cooked till almost al dente

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ can of stewed tomatoes (the one I used had small amounts of onion, celery & green pepper too)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ onion, finely chopped
¾ tsp dried rosemary
Red pepper flakes
Pepper
Salt
Olive oil
1-2 cups water (I used the pasta water)

Method:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add chopped onion and crushed garlic followed by salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and crushed rosemary. Cook until the onions turn soft and translucent.

Add the canned tomatoes, breaking up the large pieces with the back of a big spoon.

Add half the chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes. Blend everything in the saucepan together. Add some water if it’s too thick. I used my handheld immersion blender here but a regular blender is fine too- it’s just that it’s a pain to have to wait for the whole thing to cool a bit, then transfer to the blender and then back again to the saucepan.

Simmer, stirring occasionally. The pureed chickpeas give the soup a very thick and creamy texture. Add the remaining chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes. Adjust salt and pepper as required.

Add the cooked pasta and cook for a minute or two for all the flavors to come together. The longer the soup sits, the thicker it gets. Serve hot.

I’m sending this across to Vaishali for It’s A Vegan World: Italian.

This also goes to Susan for the eighth edition of My Legume Love Affair.

Buon appetito!

Tortelloni in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Tortelloni are stuffed pasta prepared by shaping the pasta dough into a circle or a square, and then stuffing it with a filling that is usually made up of ricotta cheese, herbs and leafy vegetables such as spinach. They are usually served either with ragù or with a simple sauce made of melted butter and sage leaves.

As usual, I took the easy way out and made use of the store-bought ones. For those of you interested, this post explains how to make tortelloni from scratch.

This is how I made it.


Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
A pack of tortelloni (I used 8.8 oz. of ricotta & spinach tortelloni)
2- 3 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 shallots, chopped finely
15-20 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (adjust according to requirement/tolerance)
2 tsp of adobo sauce
2 Tbsp ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Lemon juice

Method:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the tortelloni, and cook according to the package instructions. Drain well after reserving a cup of the pasta water and return to the pot.

In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and the chipotle pepper along with the sauce. Cook until the tomatoes are soft.

Add the ricotta cheese to the pan and mix well to make a creamy tomato sauce.

Add the sauce to the cooked tortelloni . Toss to combine. Add the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce if required.

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the tortelloni and garnish with chives. Serve hot.

This goes to Kevin @ Closet Cooking who is guest hosting Ruth’s Presto Pasta Night this week.

I’m also sending this to Archana @ Archana’s Kitchen for her “One Dish Meal” event.

Tortelloni in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Tortelloni are stuffed pasta prepared by shaping the pasta dough into a circle or a square, and then stuffing it with a filling that is usually made up of ricotta cheese, herbs and leafy vegetables such as spinach. They are usually served either with ragù or with a simple sauce made of melted butter and sage leaves.

As usual, I took the easy way out and made use of the store-bought ones. For those of you interested, this post explains how to make tortelloni from scratch.

This is how I made it.


Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
A pack of tortelloni (I used 8.8 oz. of ricotta & spinach tortelloni)
2- 3 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 shallots, chopped finely
15-20 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (adjust according to requirement/tolerance)
2 tsp of adobo sauce
2 Tbsp ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Lemon juice

Method:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the tortelloni, and cook according to the package instructions. Drain well after reserving a cup of the pasta water and return to the pot.

In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and the chipotle pepper along with the sauce. Cook until the tomatoes are soft.

Add the ricotta cheese to the pan and mix well to make a creamy tomato sauce.

Add the sauce to the cooked tortelloni . Toss to combine. Add the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce if required.

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the tortelloni and garnish with chives. Serve hot.

This goes to Kevin @ Closet Cooking who is guest hosting Ruth’s Presto Pasta Night this week.

I’m also sending this to Archana @ Archana’s Kitchen for her “One Dish Meal” event.

A Simple Pasta Dish

I watched Giada make this pasta dish a few weeks ago on one of my favorite Food Network shows. I was home alone then and terribly hungry, and needed to fix a quick meal for myself. This was just perfect! It was incredibly easy and the recipe called for the simplest of ingredients- tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese- ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

Ingredients:
1½ cups uncooked pasta (I only had rigatoni in my pantry.)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 small tomatoes, cubed
3-4 basil leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Method:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions or until al dente. Drain well after reserving a cup of the pasta water and return to the pot.

In a pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes are soft.

Transfer the tomato sauce to the pot with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and shredded mozzarella. Mix well. Add the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce. Serve.

It is amazing how these few, simple ingredients come together so well to produce a dish that is bursting with flavors. This recipe is definitely a keeper!


Other pasta recipes here:
Pinwheel Pasta in a Roasted Vegetable Sauce
Simple Pasta Salad
Pasta with Basil Pesto
Pasta with roasted Bell Pepper-Cherry Tomato sauce
Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter

Ruth, this simple dish is my contribution to Presto Pasta Night.

A Simple Pasta Dish

I watched Giada make this pasta dish a few weeks ago on one of my favorite Food Network shows. I was home alone then and terribly hungry, and needed to fix a quick meal for myself. This was just perfect! It was incredibly easy and the recipe called for the simplest of ingredients- tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese- ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

Ingredients:
1½ cups uncooked pasta (I only had rigatoni in my pantry.)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 small tomatoes, cubed
3-4 basil leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Method:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions or until al dente. Drain well after reserving a cup of the pasta water and return to the pot.

In a pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes are soft.

Transfer the tomato sauce to the pot with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and shredded mozzarella. Mix well. Add the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce. Serve.

It is amazing how these few, simple ingredients come together so well to produce a dish that is bursting with flavors. This recipe is definitely a keeper!


Other pasta recipes here:
Pinwheel Pasta in a Roasted Vegetable Sauce
Simple Pasta Salad
Pasta with Basil Pesto
Pasta with roasted Bell Pepper-Cherry Tomato sauce
Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter

Ruth, this simple dish is my contribution to Presto Pasta Night.

Pinwheel Pasta in a Roasted Vegetable Sauce

On a recent visit to our local Farmers’ market, I came across a store selling a wide assortment of pasta. I’ve never seen so many different varieties, colors and flavors of pasta in one place before! I spent a good deal of time in that particular store alone trying to pick out something I’d never used before and finally settled on this pretty looking pinwheel pasta.

After coming back home, this was pushed to the back of my pantry and was forgotten about until a couple of days back.
I then decided to use it along with whatever vegetables I had on hand to make this tasty dish.

Ingredients:
Rotelle/Pinwheel pasta
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 big onion, peeled and sliced
½ red bell pepper, chopped
20-25 grape tomatoes, halved
4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red chilli flakes
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried rosemary
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)
A handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a baking sheet, toss the carrots, onions, peppers, grape tomatoes and garlic with olive oil, salt, pepper, red chilli flakes and dried herbs. Roast until tender for about 35-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions or until al dente. Reserve some pasta water to make the sauce and drain off the rest.

Once the roasted veggies have cooled down a bit, blend adding a little bit of the pasta water at a time, to get a sauce-like consistency. (You could skip this step and leave the roasted veggies alone too.)

In a large bowl, pour the roasted vegetable sauce over the pasta and toss to coat.

Stir in the chopped fresh basil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top.

I’m sending this over to dear Ruth for Presto Pasta Nights.

Other pasta recipes here:
Simple Pasta Salad
Pasta with Basil Pesto
Pasta with roasted Bell Pepper-Cherry Tomato sauce
Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter

Pinwheel Pasta in a Roasted Vegetable Sauce

On a recent visit to our local Farmers’ market, I came across a store selling a wide assortment of pasta. I’ve never seen so many different varieties, colors and flavors of pasta in one place before! I spent a good deal of time in that particular store alone trying to pick out something I’d never used before and finally settled on this pretty looking pinwheel pasta.

After coming back home, this was pushed to the back of my pantry and was forgotten about until a couple of days back.
I then decided to use it along with whatever vegetables I had on hand to make this tasty dish.

Ingredients:
Rotelle/Pinwheel pasta
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 big onion, peeled and sliced
½ red bell pepper, chopped
20-25 grape tomatoes, halved
4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red chilli flakes
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried rosemary
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)
A handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a baking sheet, toss the carrots, onions, peppers, grape tomatoes and garlic with olive oil, salt, pepper, red chilli flakes and dried herbs. Roast until tender for about 35-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions or until al dente. Reserve some pasta water to make the sauce and drain off the rest.

Once the roasted veggies have cooled down a bit, blend adding a little bit of the pasta water at a time, to get a sauce-like consistency. (You could skip this step and leave the roasted veggies alone too.)

In a large bowl, pour the roasted vegetable sauce over the pasta and toss to coat.

Stir in the chopped fresh basil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top.

I’m sending this over to dear Ruth for Presto Pasta Nights.

Other pasta recipes here:
Simple Pasta Salad
Pasta with Basil Pesto
Pasta with roasted Bell Pepper-Cherry Tomato sauce
Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter

Simple Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked Pipette pasta
1 ½ – 2 Tbsp mayonnaise (I used Hellmann’s light mayo)
1 Tbsp sweet relish
½ cup cucumber, diced
½ onion, finely chopped
¼ cup chopped scallions (I used only the green part)
Salt & pepper to taste.

Method:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions or until al dente.(8-12 minutes in this case) Drain and rinse with cold water till completely cool.

While the pasta’s cooking and cooling, get the other ingredients ready.

In a large serving bowl, add the pasta and the remaining ingredients. Mix till well combined.

Chill and serve.

The picture is being sent for the latest round of CLICK, a theme-based monthly food photography event started by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi.

This is also being sent to Ruth who hosts the weekly event, Presto Pasta Nights.