Pasta with Vegetables in Marinara Sauce

On a cold afternoon, curled up on the sofa, wrapped in a throw with something hot, tasty and comforting to eat, makes for a cozy day. And today's yummy and hot lunch in a bowl was a pasta with sautéed vegetables in marinara sauce topped with cheese. The marinara sauce makes a tangy base for this pasta. 

Ingredients

Pasta - 1 cup
Vegetables - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1/2
Green onion - 2 bulbs
Marinara sauce - 1/3 cup
Oregano - a couple of dashes
Pepper pwd - 1/4 tsp
Salt as per taste
Cheese - 1/4 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp

The vegetables I used was a mix of diced green beans, green pepper, zucchini, and a few sticks of celery, basically whatever was suitable for a pasta in the refrigerator. Vegetables like yellow and red peppers, baby corn, broccoli can also be included. The cheese I used was Cheezza, a Britannia brand - a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheese.  

 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

In a saucepan, add 3 cups water and the pasta with some salt (a little goes very far) and cook the pasta. Drain the pasta and keep aside. In a frying pan, add some oil and when it is hot add both the onions and sauté till translucent. Add the diced vegetables in and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and sprinkle a little salt, pepper and oregano to season. To this add the drained pasta, a little marinara sauce and mix well.

 

Take a baking pan and spread a little marinara sauce all over the bottom. Spoon all of the pasta on this sauce and level it. Sprinkle the grated cheese on the pasta and pop it into the oven to bake till the cheese is completely melted and runny. Switch off the oven and wait for a few minutes before serving. If you are a cheese lover, go ahead and sprinkle some parmesan on the pasta when serving.

 

My Pasta with Vegetables in Marinara Sauce goes to - Bake Fest @ Cooks Joy

Farfalle Pasta in Zucchini and Aubergine Sauce

This is an easy and quick pasta recipe since the sauce comes from bottle - the Barilla Zucchini and Aubergine sauce. Normally, I prefer making the pasta sauce ground up but this time I had this bottle from a gift pack and decided to give it a try.

Ingredients

Farfalle pasta - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2
Tomato - 1
Garlic - 3
Olives - 1 tbsp
Barilla Zucchini and Aubergine Sauce - 3 tbsp
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Water - 4 cups
Salt as per taste
Cheese - 2 tbsp

Heat the water in a pot and when it starts boiling add salt to the water and then add the farfalle. Cook the farfalle till it is al dente (that is when the pasta sticks to the tooth when bitten) for the authentic Italian experience. I like my pasta cooked so it doesn't stick to the teeth which takes a couple of minutes more of cooking. Reserve about half a cup of this water and drain off the rest. Keep the pasta in a colander to drain off.
 

As much as possible, cook the pasta and the sauce simultaneously so that the pasta can be mixed with the sauce when still hot.
 

Chop the onions, tomatoes and garlic. Heat a pan, add olive oil and when it is hot add the garlic. Sauté the garlic for a minute and add the onions and sauté till the onions are translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and continue sautéing. Add the Barilla Zucchini and Aubergine Sauce and the pasta and mix well. Take off the heat and add the grated cheese to the pasta. Use parmesan cheese and if it is not available use the processed cheese available widely in the stores.