Winters are here and you feel hungry all the time. Well, you are not alone, we all feel the same and want to bring in the festivities with more food. During this season the markets are filled with different vegetables and leafy greens. But, are you someone who is always on a rush? Fret not, we will tell you how to make pasta dishes that can give you a hearty start to the day.
Pasta is on everybody’s food list as it goes well with different cuisines and recipes. Are you tired of eating the red tomato ones? Try white sauce ones to ditch those regular recipes of pasta.
White sauce pasta is prepared with flour, butter, and milk as its principal ingredients. This dish is an Italian dish and has been used in recipes for ages. To help you further, we bring on some of the easy pasta recipes that you can prepare at home.
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How to make homemade white sauce pasta?
Let’s start with basic ingredients that are important for making this dish. First of all, use full-fat milk to make a creamy sauce. A slice of quality cheese is a must, to get the texture right. This dish is prepared by taking an equal amount of butter and flour. Take a small amount of flour and cook it in melted butter for a minute to eliminate the raw flour. After this add milk to the pot and whisk it for some time. As the milk is mixed with flour and is getting warm, it becomes thick. After a few minutes of whisking, you will find a smooth sauce-like consistency.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of wheat flour
- 1 cup of full-fat milk
- 2 tablespoon of cheddar or cream cheese
- Butter
- Jaiphal powder
- Salt as per your taste
- You can also add vegetables such as bell peppers, corn, and carrots (as per your taste)
Instructions:
- On a heated flame, add flour and butter and then stir it. If you see any lumps, break them and keep on stirring until the smell of the flour becomes raw.
- Pour some milk and continue to stir it.
- When the mixture gets blended, add more milk and mix it well until it becomes thick.
- Add some cheese and keep stirring until the cream becomes consistent. Make sure that the sauce does not get dry.
- Sprinkle some pepper powder and nutmeg powder.
Pasta is a healthy eating option. You can choose a variety of pasta in a small portion and add vegetables as per your choice. Pasta can be prepared in versatile ways. It can be served hot and cold, you can try as you like. It can be served with different vegetables and meats and both as a side and main dish. Yes! It is that flexible.
Pasta with milk
You can do variations in making pasta as per your taste. Another method of preparing pasta is by adding milk. Here we further tell you how to make pasta with milk as a quick breakfast recipe:
Ingredients
- At least 10 cups of milk
- Half cup of water
- 2 half cups of pasta(any type of your choice)
- I tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- In a pot take one-half cup of water and put it into boiling. This helps the milk not to stick to the pot.
- After the water gets boiled, put some milk and boil it in medium and stir it for at least 10 minutes.
- Once you see the bubbles add pasta and boil it for 8 minutes. Do not heat it beyond 8 minutes else they will stick to the pot.
- Serve immediately when it is warm.
Cheese sauce pasta with milk
Another method of making it is cheese sauce pasta with milk. It is very easy and takes little time.
Instructions
Take an adequate amount of cheese. If you are taking cheddar cheese or take blue cheese if you are adding meat to it.
Take that amount of cheese and grate it and then melt the butter in low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of flour and stir it so that no lumps are formed. You can add salt and pepper, according to your taste, and stir it in low heat. Then, add milk while stirring it.
Following these steps, you can easily prepare cheese sauce for pasta with milk.
Pasta with red sauce
Here comes another recipe of pasta that can be prepared within 30 minutes. Pasta with red sauce is a great option for mid-week meals.
The red sauce is prepared using tomatoes only. You can use tomato paste to get the color. Apart from this you can use onions, bell peppers, and attune the tangy taste of tomato. Here’s a quick guide on how to make pasta with red sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 half cup of pasta
- 2 tablespoon of olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoon of chopped onions
- Half cups tomatoes
- ¼ cup of bell peppers
- Half to 1 tablespoon red chili flakes
- Pepper for garnishing
- Half to 1 tablespoon of oregano
Instructions
- Cook bell peppers or onions in 1 tablespoon for at least 3 minutes on high flame.
- Cook tomatoes until they become mushy for some minutes. You can mix both to make a puree.
- Boil water and cook pasta with salt. Drain the water and keep it aside.
- Heat the pan with more oil. Fry garlic and chili flakes until it gives a different aroma.
- Add onions and saute it until it becomes golden.
- Put the puree in the pot and salt to get the taste.
- The sauce should not be watery. You can check it by tasting it and adjust the salt.
- Turn off the stove and add pasta. Mix it well.
- Do garnishing with herbs and serve it hot.
If you are a non-vegetarian, then you can add chicken and even prawns.
If you are adding prawns: You should add at least 125-250 grams of cleaned prawns. Saute garlic and onions and let it slowly turn brown. Later on, remove onion and garlic. Add them back along with the pasta.
If you are adding chicken: Cook at least 150 grams of chicken until it becomes tender. Then, add it further after sauteing garlic and onion.
Types of pasta
When we think of pasta, we mostly think of penne, fusilli, and spaghetti, but there are different types of pasta. Each pasta comes in different shapes, culinary application and flavor profiles. Here we bring you different kinds of pasta to help you plan when you cook for the next time. The list below includes different kinds of pasta that are used extensively across the world. Check them out right away:
1. Bucatini
Buactini comes in long shape with a hole. It looks very similar to spaghetti, but it is thicker than spaghetti. It is originally produced in Rome. Bucatini is also known as percoatelli. It is boiled and cooked with tomato, butter. If you are non-vegetarian, you can serve it with meat and seafood-based sauces.
2. Penne
Penne comes in cylindrical shape. It is a tube-shaped pasta and has got its name from its shape, as its angled ends resembles a pen. You can try penne with meat, vegetable sauces and mushroom cream sauce.
3. Scialatelli
This sort of pasta resembles linguine and fettucine, but it is shorter in length. It is originated in Amalfi coast and can be served with fish and seafood sauces.
4. Tagliatelle
Tagliatelle comes in flat, ribbon-like strips. It belongs to the Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy. If you are a non-vegetarian, you can cook tagliatelle along with pork or beef.
5. Caseracce
This variety of pasta is made with durum wheat. It can be serve al dente or it can be served with ricotta and seafood.
6. Mafalda
Mafalda is a flat, wide ribbon noodle that is quite similar to lasagna. It is found in short lengths of at least 1 ¼ inches. It is cut into flat, long strips and has ruffled edges on both sides.
7. Gnochetti Sardi
This type of is available in compact shape, quite like clamshells. It can be served with meat and cheese sauces.
8. Paccheri
This popular form of pasta comes in tubular shape. It is mainly made used in tomato sauce recipes or any other type of dish made with garlic.
9. Tortiglioni
Originated from Naples, this comes in a tubular design with small ridges. It is beautiful to look at and its shape can blend with all kinds of sauces.
10. Rigatoni
This type of pasta is tubular in shape with vertical ridges. It is larger in penne. Non-vegetarians can serve it with meat ragu and a variety of sauces.
11. Ditalini
This comes in the shape of small tubes In the Italian language, ditalini means ‘small thimbles’. It can be prepared as Italian soup and minestrone. Ditalini can be used as an alternative to Penne.
12. Farfalle
Known as ‘bow-tie’ pasta because of its shape. You can try it with light sauces with vegetables, fish and pasta salads. It can also be prepared with creamy sauce, such as cheese pasta sauce and spinach mushroom pasta.
13. Maccheroni
This is one of the most popular of its type. It comes in a curved and tubular shape and is mainly used in baked pasta recipes or can also be tossed with cheese sauces.
14. Linguine
This type goes best with red sauces and lots of seafood. It is flatter and broader than spaghetti. You can serve it with meat and rich sauces such as arrabbiata.
15. Pici
This variety is wider than spaghetti. It can be served with ragu, porcini, and variety of meat, such as duck and boar.
16. Ravioli
This one comes in a square-shape and meat, cheese, or vegetables are added as stuffing.
17. Tortellini
This variety comes in ring-shape and is stuffed with a combination of cheese and meat.
18. Capricci
Originated from Puglia, Capricci comes in various shapes that is similar to ocean coral. You can prepare them with thick sauces.
19. Fusilli
This variety originated from Southern Italy. You can serve it with cheese and tomato sauce.
20. Canule Ditali
You can serve this type both hot and cold. If you are preparing a hot dish, you can add the pasta sauce. If you are making a cold dish, you can make pasta salad with this.
21. Lasagne
This variety of pasta is originated in Naples. It comes in a long and rectangular shape. It can be served with sauces, cheese, and other ingredients.
22. Vermicilli
This type of pasta is quite similar to spaghetti, but it can be thicker or thinner depending upon its production. Make this will the sauce you prefer.
23. Torteli
This variety comes in square shape. It is quite similar to ravioli and can be served with cheese, melted butter and mushrooms (depending on the choice).
24. Bigoli
Originating from Veneto region, this long thick pasta is made from wheat flour or buckwheat. You can prepare it with different thick sauces. It can hold sauce well.
25. Bavette
This variety of pasta looks quite similar to spaghetti. It comes in a flat section and is in a convex shape. It is one of the ancient types of long pasta.
There are numerous varieties of pasta available in the world. If you are a foodie and wish to experiment every time. Now that you have learned about the varieties of pasta, learn about other recipes of pasta.
Final thoughts
Cooking pasta with the right texture requires the right method. We have brought you the best way how to make each recipe of pasta. Whatever style of pasta excites your taste buds, gather ingredients and your meal is ready within 30 minutes. These dishes are not only great for a party, but they are go-to recipes for the eleventh hour. We hope you have found this guide helpful.