Pasta, otherwise commonly referred to as ‘spaghetti’ got created by the Italians. It is love, and definitely, love is pasta. And pasta has unique, different shapes and sizes. Not all forms are known to most. Some maybe even don’t know that it is in the family of grain products. Their primary ingredient is wheat. And there are so many that it is hard to find the best pasta recipes.
Now, most grain products require cooking before they are ready for consumption. There are many pasta recipes that you can follow. I do highlight a few of them. Whatever you decide to combine your pasta with, it remains a good recipe as long as you prepare and cook very well, enjoy it and also, is healthy for your body.
Mix hard wheat flour, water and a little salt, and you get your pasta. Add eggs, and it remains pasta. Knead, roll, cut and cook into different shapes, it remains pasta.
What Consists of Made Pasta?
There are a few ingredients that are needed to make pasta dough – the principal recipes simply require good unbleached all-purpose white flour, salt, eggs and olive oil or water. Variations on the basic batter include the use of other flour powder, specifically buckwheat and whole wheat flours, the addition of finely chopped herbs, used in a mixture or singly and spinach which colours the dough a bright green. Different aromatics can be used in the pasta as well, such as pepper.
After making the dough, there is the using of a food processor to distribute the egg throughout the flour. After that, you roll the dough and shape the noodles using the pasta machine. With that, the pasta is ready to be cooked.
Tomato Pasta Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 2-4
Ingredients
- 2 cups (300 g) dried pasta shapes
- One tablespoon (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- One small onion, diced
- One garlic, minced
- Salt to taste
- 2 or 3 tomatoes, chopped
- Pepper
- One tablespoon parsley, chopped
- Grated cheese
Directions
- In a large pot, boil salted water over high heat. It should be large enough to allow the pasta to move around freely. If not, it may stick together.
- Add one teaspoon (5 ml) oil to prevent the water from foaming and the pasta from sticking together. Let the water boil.
- Add the pasta slowly to the boiling water so that it does not stop. If the boiling halts, the pasta will stick together. Hence, stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Cook the pasta until ‘al dente’ – meaning ‘to the tooth.’ Shorten the boiling time as the pasta will undergo additional cooking. Drain pasta immediately and entirely in a strainer or colander. Don’t rinse with water as you’ll wash away valuable nutrients. Then, set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté for 3-6 minutes until the onions and garlic begin to lightly brown.
- Add chopped tomatoes. If possible, use large, meaty tomatoes for their juiciness. Let them cook until they appear mushy.
- Add salt, pepper and parsley and stir until the sauce becomes thick.
- Add the pasta and mix it. Heat the mixture over medium heat for about 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat, let it cool for a few minutes before serving and top it with the cheese.
Fresh Cauliflower Pasta Recipe with Mustard Butter
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: 2-4
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 cups cauliflower florets, broken into small pieces
- 300 g dried whole wheat pasta
- Seven tablespoons soft butter
- A pinch of pepper
- Salt to taste
- Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup bread crumbs
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil. Drop the cauliflower into the boiling pasta water and cook about 2-3 minutes until soft. Scoop out the cauliflower and place them on a dish of cold water then drain thoroughly.
- Put the pasta in the boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Then add it with cauliflower and mustard butter and mix in a large dish.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve on plates garnished with the bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese.
Creamy Pasta Recipe with Chicken
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4
Ingredients
- Two cooked chicken breasts cut into medium pieces
- Olive oil
- Three onions, chopped
- 2 cups cream
- 400 g pasta
- Parmesan cheese
- One tablespoon parsley, chopped
Directions
- Heat oil on a large pan over high heat.
- Add onions and sauté until they start to brown.
- Add chicken and then cream, stir.
- In a large pot, boil water and add your pasta. Let it cook for at least 5 minutes as you stir.
- Add cheese and parsley to the creamy chicken mixture and mix.
- Drain the pasta using a strainer and transfer it to a clean bowl. Then add the final creamy chicken mixture of cheese and parsley on top of your pasta. Stir until the pasta gets coated by the combination.
- Serve and enjoy.
The bottom line
Selecting one of the best pasta recipes can be a task since many combinations with the food taste pretty sweet. Pasta can be manually made at home, though; nowadays, instant fresh noodles are more available. One thing, however, they are never as bright as the ones you can easily make yourself, nor do they have pasta’s diversity made at home, which can incorporate various herbs and flours.
The moment you learn making pasta, it becomes straightforward and quick preparing it, especially for more or less last-minute meals that are suitable for the company as for the family. You only require 10 minutes to make the dough and allowing it to rest for at least 1 hour. When cooking pasta, often use plenty of boiling water and add salt before adding it. Then stir it with a fork to make it separate from each other and not stick. After it gets ready, you can enjoy with toppings of your choice.
