Pasta-E-Fagioli Soup

Ingredients and Method:

Butter and Olive Oil
1 garlic, finely chopped
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1.5 tbsp tomato paste
1 15 oz can red kidney beans or cannelini beans (drain them and rinse them in clean water)
2 carrots, cut into pieces
1 stalk celery, cut into pieces
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder or cayenne
1/8 tsp cumin powder (optional)
Dash of Italian seasoning
2 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken broth) and 1 cup of water
1/2 cup elbow macaroni, cooked as per box instructions.
1/8 cup parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley

Prep: Precook the carrots and celery in microwave (about 5 to 8 minutes)

1. Heat butter in a stock pot. When melted, add garlic and roast for a few minutes.
2. Add some olive oil and add the onions. Sautee until translucent.
3. Add tomato paste, mix well and sautee for a few minutes.
4. Add a little water (you can use the water reserved from cooking the vegetables above) and let cook.
5. Add the Italian seasonings, cayenne or chilli powder, drained kidney beans and stir for a minute or two.
6. Add the vegetables. Add the chicken broth and let it come to a boil for a good 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Add the cooked macaroni. Simmer the soup covered for 10 minutes or so. If you want the soup watery, add the 1 cup of water before simmering.
8. Add the parmesan cheese and mix well. 

For other soup recipes visit the masterpage at http://slurpnburp-mithu.blogspot.com/2013/02/soup-recipes.html







 

BBQ Mac N Cheese

Nothing more delicious than BBQ and cheese pasta.....

Ingredients:

1.5 cups wheat or white macaroni
3 chicken tenderloins
1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup Mozarella CHeese
1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Mexican Four cheese blend
About 1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
Store bought Fish Fry Mix (for dredging the chicken)
1 beaten egg
2 small cloves of garlic
1 medium finely chopped red onion (red onion is a MUST!)
Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder
Panko bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs

1. Chicken:
Wash and pat dry chicken. Pound the chicken to flatten the pieces. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasonings. Dip the chicken in egg wash followed by the fish fry. Keep all chicken ready. Heat oil in a stainless steel pan.  Add the chicken and cook on low/medium heat on both sides.  Cook chicken till white in the center. Remove and set aside.

2. In the same pan, heat some butter and olive oil. Add 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic. You may have to add some milk to scrape off the pan.  When garlic turns aromatic, add finely chopped red onions. When onions turn translucent, add the milk and chicken stock and stir. Let come to a bit of a boil. Add salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder and stir.  Add both the cheeses and blend well.  Add the bbq sauce either 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup depending on your taste.  Mix well and add the pasta to the pan.  Toss well.

3. Heat the oven to 350F.  Pour the pasta in a 8 inch circle pan.  Sprinkle some panko crumbs followed by Mexican Four Cheese blend on the pasta.  Bake until cheese melts. Serve hot.

Chicken n Veggies Tettrazini

Traditionally, a tettrazini uses some kind of white meat with a base of onions, carrots, and mushrooms in a butter cream sauce with peas. I made a healthier version using more veggies and skipped the heavy cream using just full fat milk.

Ingredients:

Noodles:
2 cups wide egg noodles

Vegetables:
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced broccoli
1/2 cup finely diced mushrooms
1/4 diced red pepper
1/4 diced green pepper
Salt, Black Pepper, Dried Thyme

Chicken: (Skip this step if you opting for a veggie recipe)
2 small Chicken tenderloins.

Sauce:
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup chicken or veg stock

1/2 cup whole milk

Salt, Black Pepper, Dry Italian seasonings, garlic powder

Optional: Hot sauce or Red pepper flakes 
Shredded Mexican Four cheese

Method:

1. The Noodles:

Add noodles in boiling water.  Add some salt and olive oil to the pot. Noodles should be completely submerged under water. It should take about 8 to 10 minutes. When tender, drain the noodles in a colander (take all the water out). Run cold water on the noodles in the colander.  Drizzle some olive oil and toss. Set aside.

2. The Vegetables

Heat olive oil in a flat bottom skillet.  Add the onions and garlic.  Sautee till translucent.  Add the rest of the vegetables to the pan, add the seasonings (salt/pepper/thyme) and cook until tender.  Remove from pan and set aside.

3. The Chicken:

Heat butter or oil in the same pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes each side. Set aside. When cool, cut into small bite size pieces.

4. The Sauce:

In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp of butter.  Pour the wine and using a spatula loosen up the chicken dripping left on the pan. Add another 1 tbsp of butter.  When melted, add 1 tbsp all purpose flour. Turn the heat down and using a spatula whisk vigorously.  There should be no lumps in the flour. Add the stock and the milk and mix well. Turn the heat to medium. Add a dash of salt, pepper, italian seasonings, garlic powder, and hot sauce or red pepper flakes. Keep whisking with a spatula. The mixture will reduce and thicken up. Add the cooked noodles and the chicken pieces. Mix well.

5. Putting it all together:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Take an ovenproof dish. Butter the bottom of the pan. Pour the noodles mixture onto the pan. Top the pan with shredded cheese - I used Mexican Four Blend. You can use that or just shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Serve hot!

Eggplant Linguine Limonetta

Linguine is my favorite pasta - so tender and so flavorful.  I wanted to make something with it today and had to use the eggplant but did not want to make the standard Eggplant Parmesan dish. So, instead of using tomato based sauce which is used in the Eggplant Parmesan, I used Lemon Butter and Parsley with the Parmesan cheese.  But the best part was making up the name for this dish. Eh! Why not!

Ingredients and Method:

2 Baby Eggplants
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
4 mushrooms, washed and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
Red pepper flakes
1/3 cup cream of chicken or asparagus (for vegetarian)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Generous portion of grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup White wine
Fresh parsley leaves, washed and chopped
Salt and Black pepper
Linguine pasta (I used about 1/4th of a whole standard box)
2 tbsp Butter for the sauce and some more


Pasta Prep: Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Set aside.

1. EGGPLANT:
Wash the eggplants. Cut and discard the stems. Cut the eggplants into small disc shape. Soak them in water for about 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse pat dry.  Season with olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Toss well. Heat oil in a non stick pan. Place them without overcrowding them and sear them on each side (on medium heat) for about 10 minutes. Do not cover and cook. And def initely do not overbrown them.

2. COOKING THE VEGETABLES:
Prep all the remaining vegetables as written above. Heat butter in a flat bottom stainless steel skillet. Add the vegetables and sautee. Cook until tender. Set aside. The vegetable bits will have stuck to the pan. To loosen them add some wine and using a spatula loosen the stuck bits. Add handful of chopped parsley.  Turn the heat off while you prepare the sauce in the next step.

4. SAUCE:
In a bowl, whisk together, the cream of chicken or asparagus, with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and remainder of the wine.  Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a small stockpot. Add the cream of chicken or cream of asparagus concoction you just made (above) to the pot and keep stirring until its well incorporated. Add worcestershre sauce and red pepper flakes. Add all of this back to the flat bottom pan where you made the vegetables (step 2). Add back the vegetables to the pan and mix well.  Add the linguine to the pan and toss until the sauce is well incorporated with the pasta.

5. Pour the linguine with the sauce you just made at the bottom of a oven safe baking dish. Line the roasted eggplant on the top.  Top it off with freshly grated or grated parmesan cheese (do not use parmesan powder). 

6. FINAL STEP:
Preheat the oven to 350F.  Place the dish in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.  Serve hot!


Note:
1. I also added some mexican four cheese blend on the top as shown in the picture.
2. Zest is basically the shavings of a lemon.  Using a grater, grate the outer part of a lemon. 
3. And no, you cannot substitute LIME for LEMON in this dish.

Pasta Spanaki Olio

Method and Ingredients:

1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup crushed tomatotes
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
1 clove of garlic
8 to 10 basil leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
Handful of black olives, chopped coarsely
Feta cheese
Dash of Parmesan cheese
Dash of Salt/Black Pepper

1. Heat olive oil. Add chopped garlic and sautee. Add onions and sautee.  When onions are translucent, add spinach.
2.  Add chicken stock and crushed tomatoes.  Mix well and let cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the basil leaves, dash of parmesan cheese, chopped olives, salt, and black pepper and let cook for another 5 minutes stirring intermittently.  Keep the sauce a little watery but not too watery. Allow the water to evaporate in the pan. 
4.  Add feta cheese.  Serve over pasta. 

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs in Homemade Pasta Sauce

Not a big meatball eater, so cooking meatballs equals challenge! - Thank  God I had Avanti on skype kind of telling me what to do. By the way, I never knew making pasta sauce at home was so easy and it tastes way better than the store bought ones. And I didnt even use fresh tomatoes. I really was itching to make something different like Ginger Sesame Meatballs or Tandoori Paneer Meatballs but I wanted to start with the basic today and build some confidence in the future meatball escapades. I looked at several recipes online for the tomato sauce and meatballs. Finally ended up looking at the back of my pasta sauce bottle for ingredients, asked my cousin Avanti for tips of meatball prep, and made the pasta like my cousin Karishma does. I tagged the dish as an appetizer as well, because, one could make bite size ones with toothpicks on them and serve with pasta sauce as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, finely chopped

 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large carrots, finely chopped

4 cups crushed tomatoes

Couple handfuls of fresh basil, chopped

White cooking wine, 1 cup

Salt/Black pepper/Pinch of sugar

Italian seasonings

Shredded parmesan cheese

Meatballs:

2 chicken breasts, cubed and chopped (about 4 cups cubed)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves

Breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup

1 egg

Parmesan cheese, 3/4 cup

Dash of oregano and Italian seasonings

Season with salt and black pepper

Whole wheat pasta, cooked according to package directions and drained in a colander

Method:

Sauce:

1. Heat oil. Add the garlic, onions, and carrots.  Let cook for 10 minutes on low flame until translucent and tender.

2. Add the tomatoes and mix well.  Let simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.  Keep sauteeing as the water evaporates. I actually added a little bit of water and some wine.  Add basil and Italian seasonings. Cover and let simmer for another 30 minutes.  The sugar helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes, but add it sparingly. I would also add some red chilli flakes if you like it a bit spicy.

3. Add parmesan cheese (a little over 1/4 cup) and stir vigorously. Let cook for another few minutes. Set aside.

Meatballs:

1. Start out by sauteeing the cut onions in some oil. Add some oregano, salt, black pepper, Italian seasonings, red pepper flakes, and garlic. After sauteeing for about 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat, set aside.

2. My hubby does not like preminced store bought meat. So I mince my chicken breast at home in a food pro. After washing, patting dry, seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper, and cutting the chicken in big cubes, process the chicken meat in a food processor on pulse setting one or two times. Do not overpulse as you want a rough texture to the balls.

3. Add the sauteed onions to the food processor. Run the food processor once. Now add the parmesan cheese and the breadcrumbs and process the meat slowly.  Remember to not overprocess the meat to a mush.  If you are not sure if you should add more breadcrumbs, test it out - try to make a meatball on your had out of the meat, if it starts sticking then you need more breadcrumbs to hold the meat together. Do not add too much at once.

4. Once you have reached the right consistency, make equal sizes meat balls (I got about 20).  Heat oil in a flat bottom skillet. Place them one by one on the skillet and let brown on medium heat. Flip and sear the other side. (Total time: 10 minutes) 

5. Once the meatballs are seared, place them in a oiled oven safe pan.  Pour the sauce you made earlier over the top. Cover tightly with foil and put in the oven.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes and check for doneness. Bake more if you think the meat appears raw. Keep checking once in a while to make sure the oven temperature is okay and that meatballs are not burning at the bottom.

Pasta:

You can either serve the pasta as is with the sauce and meatballs or do the following - in a skillet, heat butter, add the cooked and drained pasta and toss. Now add some salt and black pepper followed by some parmesan cheese.  Toss well.

Assemble it all together:

Start with the pasta on the bottom. Add the meatballs on the top and pour the sauce on the meatballs. Enjoy!

Four-Cheese Ravioli with Beans in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
8 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 large onion chopped
2 to 4 garlic pods, chopped
1 15oz can of black beans
Italian seasonings
Salt and Black Pepper
Pecorino romano or Parmesan cheese

1. Boil water in a big stock pot. Add salt and olive oil. When water comes to a rolling boil, add 3 cups of store bought ravioli of your choice. If your stock pot is small, cook the ravioli in batches. Overcrowding the pot will result in mushy and uncooked ravioli. Follow the packet for cooking instructions. Drain the ravioli reserving the water to make the sauce.  Run cold water on the ravioli in a colander and drizzle some more oil and toss. Set aside.
2. In a flat bottom pan, heat olive oil and butter. Add 2 to 4 medium garlic pods, chopped. Sautee for couple minutes.  Add 1/2 of large onion, chopped. Sautee until translucent without burning the onion.  Add 1 cup of white wine and stir. 
3.  Add 2 cups of tomato sauce to the pan and stir.  Add about 2 cups of the reserved liquid used for boiling the ravioli and stir.  Add a dash of Italian seasonings.  Season with salt, black pepper, and a pinch of sugar to reduce the tartness of the sauce.  Cover and let the sauce simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Rinse black beans from the can by running cold water in a colander with beans in it.  Add the beans.  Cover and let the beans cook in the sauce covered for another 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Uncover and add the ravioli. Toss gently. Adjust seasonings. Top it off with some freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese. 

Tortellini Bean Soup

It was another soup night at our house.  I had some leftover tortellini so right away Tortellini soup came to my mind.  But, most of the Tortellini soups that I have had are clear soups. I wanted something filling as we were going to have it for dinner.  So I decided to puree some of the beans to make the soup a bit thicker.  The texture was a bit grainy for me - I must have not pureed it to a fine paste.  But, all in all it did the trick. 

Ingredients and Method:

Store bought tortellini, cooked according to package directions (About 20 should be enough)
4 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
2 10 oz of chicken or vegetable stock (use low sodium)
1 10 oz can of cannelini beans
1 10 oz can of butter lima beans
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 medium size carrot, finely diced
1/2 medium size onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
Dash of Italian seasonings
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of worcestershire sauce
Pinch of Red chilli flakes and turmeric (optional)

Heat oil in a stock pot.  Add olive oil and melt some butter. Add garlic and sautee.  Add the carrots, onions, and celery. Sautee well and let cook until softened.  Let cool.  Add to a food processor and blend to a paste.  Set aside. 

Add some butter to the same pan. Add the spinach, stir, and cook covered for a few minutes.  Set aside.

Drain and rinse the beans in a colander.  Reserve half of the cannelini beans and make a thick paste out of them in a food processor.  You may have to add some water to get it going.  Make sure there are no lumps before adding this to the pot. 

Add the carrots, onions, celery paste to the stock pot.  Add the chicken or vegetable stock.  Add the ground beans paste to the pot and stir well. Make sure there are no lumps. Add some water if you find the soup too thick.  Let it come to a rolling boil.  Add salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, worcestershire sauce, red chilli flakes, and some turmeric.  Add the remainder of the full beans and wilted spinach.  Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes on low heat. 

Before serving add the cooked tortellini into the soup.  Quantity of the tortellini depends on your preference. 
Break the tortellini into two if they are too big. 

Serve hot.

Note: I used Herb chicken tortellini but any tortellini of your choice will work.  Make sure the tortellni is at room temperature before adding to the soup. This will prevent the tortellini from disintegrating. I made the tortellini first and let it sit aside until I made the remainder of the recipe.

Pasta Salad

3 cups of Rotini pasta
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup low fat mayo
1/2 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
Some olive oil 
Dash of garlic powder, italian dressing, salt, black pepper
Cajun powder (optional)
Maggi chilli garlic sauce (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain the pasta in a colander.  Soak the frozen veggies in water and cook the veggies for 5 to 8 minutes in a microwave and drain.  Rinse and drain the precooked black beans. Make sure the veggies and pasta are completely dry of any water. You can set it aside for a few minutes in a colander to ensure they are dry. 

In a big mixing bowl, beat mayonnaise with some olive oil.  It should turn smooth and creamy. Add the italian dressing and all other seasonings.  Beat again.  Add the pasta, veggies, and beans and mix well till its well coated. 

You can add shaved or shredded parmesan cheese on the top.  Serve as a side dish.

Rotini Pasta in Asparagus Cream Sauce

My friend Keya motivated me to think about kid friendly recipes. I have heard that many kids hate veggies. Not my son! Atleast till now!! Anyhow, if your kid is one of those non-veggie eaters, then definitely try this pasta. They will not even know where the asparagus, carrots, and celery are!!

1 cup rotini pasta
1/2 cup each of carrots, onions, and celery, chopped
6 stalks of asparagus, finely chopped (keep the tips aside for garnish)
Pinch of turmeric
Dash of garlic powder
1/8 tsp of worcestershire sauce
1 cup of milk
Pecorino romano cheese, shredded

Cook the pasta according to package direction. Reserve the liquid. 

Heat some butter in a pan. Add the carrots, onions, and celery to the pan. Cook covered by adding some of the pasta water until soft.  Add the asparagus and continue to cook covered.  This whole process should take about 10 minutes.  Do not let the veggies burn ofcourse.  Stir them around and keep adding a little water if necessary. Now add the garlic powder, turmeric, and worcestershire sauce.  Stir and cook till the asparagus and all veggies are thoroughly cooked.  Let cool. Now blend it in a food processor to make a sauce. Add milk (a little at a time) to get a thick saucy consistency. 

Heat some butter in the same pan in which you cooked the sauce.  Throw the pasta and toss till any remaining water evaporates.  Throw the sauce in and toss well so that the pasta is well coated.  Add some pecorino romano cheese on the top. Let melt. 

Remember the asparagus stems we saved. Take the pasta out and cook the asparagus tips in the pan. Garnish the pasta with the tips.

Creamy Pasta Florentine

My readers often ask me if these are my recipes or do I take them from elsewhere. I am big on giving credit where credit is due. So, when I use a recipe from a book or a site or a person, you will be sure to see their name associated with it. If not, then almost always they are my recipes. Of course, I am not Italian so I sure as heck did not grow watching my grandmas cook Pasta Florentine; which I can say about Indian food. But over the years of watching Food Network, noticing the contents on boxes of Lean Cuisine and Steamers, and reading foodie magazines - I have picked up some basics like knowing that Pasta Florentine has Spinach!  So check out this dish and tell me what you think. This one is great for toddlers and kids who hate blanched veggies like spinach and zucchini and squash!!

Ingredients:
2 cups Rotini Pasta (cooked according to package directions)
Oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 cups chopped frozen spinach
1/2 medium sized zucchini (chop in small pieces)
1/2 meduium sized squash (chop in small pieces)
5 oz can of Cream of Chicken soup (I used campbells)
1/4th cup shredded velveeta cheese
1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup milk
Spices: Dash of Garlic powder, 3/4 tsp Italian seasonings, Salt to taste, 1/4 tsp Paprika powder, Dash of Cajun Seasoning powder, Pinch of Cumin powder and Pinch of Turmeric powder(optional)
Parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Keep all the veggies chopped and ready to go
2. Heat oil in a saucepan. When hot add the finely chopped garlic - do not let it brown.
3. Add onions and sautee till translucent. Now add the spinach, mix well, and cook uncovered till the spinach wilts.
4. Now add the zucchini and squash, mix well, and sautee for about another 3 minutes.
5. Now add the entire cream of chicken soup can. If vegetarian, substitute with cream of mushroom. Add some milk to get the clumps out of the soup. Mix well so that the soup and the veggie mix become one. Let this simmer for about 2 minutes. Add velveeta cheese and stir until it melts.
6. Add Italian Seasoning (I have a ready to go mix from costco), dash of garlic powder (I love garlic), paprika, cajun seasoning, some cumin and turmeric powder (optional), worcestershire sauce, and salt to taste. Keep stirring because the cream of chicken soup keeps thickening up. If its too thick and you cannot stir, add some milk again.
7. Now add the "cooked" pasta. Mix well so that the sauce coats the pasta.
8. Adjust seasonings to taste. Sprinkle some Parmesan Cheese on the top (Optional). Serve hot with a side of Garlic bread or Salad.

Tips:
1. When cooking pasta, add salt and some olive oil in the water. Drain the pasta right away and give it a cold water bath. Drizzle some oil again to keep the pasta from sticking.
2. Add milk little by little at a time so as to not make it watery.

Pasta al Formaggio

This is a very basic pasta dish that I make at home. However, this is special to me because it is inspired by my cousin Karishma's Chikun Guniya Pasta, that she named after me. I hope you never find out what that means - but her pasta was yum. I tried many times to recreate that taste but I failed. So, I just made this recipe up. Maybe she'd approve!?

Ingredients:
7oz Whole grain spaghetti
3 tbsp margarine
1 cup onion, sliced lengthwise
1 cup green pepper, sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shredded
1/8 cup Italian dressing, lite
1/4tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Italian seasonings
Salt
Cajun seasoning or Cayenne Pepper (Optional)

Method:
Cook the pasta according to package directions. I made about half of the 13oz box of spaghetti. Make sure you add some oil and salt to the boiling water before adding the pasta. Drain the pasta and toss the pasta around holding a paper towel in your hand. This soaks up any extra leftover water. Drizzle some oil and salt to taste and set aside.

Add margarine in a heated pan and when it melts add the onions. Sautee till translucent. Now add the green peppers and sautee till they are soft.  Add the Italian dressing, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasonings, and some salt. You can add some cayenne pepper if you like some heat to your pasta. Now add the tomatoes and sautee well. Dont let the tomatoes overcook. Now, add the shredded cheese and stir as the cheese melts and coats the veggies. Throw in the pasta and toss so that the sauce coats the pasta. Add some cheese on the top if you wish.

- Add the pasta a little at a time to make sure that you have enough sauce to coat the pasta.
- Add the seasonings to pasta when it is sitting in the colander because this allows you to use your hands to coat the seasonings (Wash your hands before you do this though ;) )