Baked broccoli in tomato cream sauce

This is a 5 min recipe which is extremely tasty and can be eaten just the way it is or with a slice of bread! The crunchy broccoli added great flavor to the baked. Do not over bake or else broccoli would not taste well. It’s creamy without much need for cheese. I just added a tbsp on top for my satisfaction.  

Baked broccoli 

1 broccoli cut into florets 

1/2 cup ready made tomato sauce 

1 cup white sauce( I used tetra pack) 

Salt 

Chili flakes 

Garlic powder 

1 tbsp grated cheese. Add more if you like. 

1. Mix everything together and toss well. 

2. Put into a preheated oven and bake. 

3. Half way through mix the vegs around. 

4. Bake till golden brown on top. 

5. Serve hot! I just enjoyed it the way it was!

Baked penne in white sauce with spinach and mushrooms

I love the taste of pasta in white sauce baked with golden cheese on top melting and tempting you.My daughter is more fond of pasta with tomato sauce.So it was tough trying to get her to eat it, but I wouldn't give up and finally this recipe got her asking for more.It had spinach and so its a mum's dream to have her kids tucking it all in.The right mix of ingredients are a great way of doing a good dish and getting acceptance from all.
Ingredients
Pasta of choice                    400 gms
White sauce                         200 gms
finely chopped spinach          3 cups
chopped onions                     1 no
chopped garlic                       1 tbsp
cream                                    50 ml
sliced mushrooms                   250 gms
olives                                      14-15 nos
chopped dry red chillies          2 nos
Mixed Italian herbs                 1 tbsp
salt to taste
olive oil                                   2 tbsp
grated cooking cheese             100gms

Method
Boil pasta in salt and water with some olive oil till just done.Rinse in cold water and keep aside.
Heat oil and chopped red chilles and saute.Drop in garlic and saute.Put in the chopped onions and saute till translucent.Add the sliced mushrooms and spinach and cook on high heat to reduce the water in them.Sprinkle the herbs and salt.Pour in cream and olives.Add the boiled pasta and mix well.Pour in to a baking dish.Top with the white sauce and sprinkle cheese and bake at 200deg till the top is golden brown.Delicious pasta is ready to enjoy.

Spinach rigatoni with roasted garlic and chilli flakes

   This morning when I looked out of the window, I was gald to see that it wasn't snowing for a change.2 days of heavy snow can get to you after a while.The sun is out and the snow shining like polished diamonds, uplifted my dull mood and decided to get a south Indian meal for dinner and Italian meal for lunch.So out came my new food processor to test its ability to make the perfect Idli batter.It has done its job well I think, would see it at night.For lunch, I decided to play with spaghetti but it got bugs :(  , so out came rigatoni pasta, these are ridged, tube shaped pasta with straight cut ends.As my husband is vegan, it gets very difficult to put a more authentic vegetarian meal.I call his meal a veg vegetarian meal :)!!Got some ingredients in the cabinets and tried out this baked pasta which had my family wiping away their plates.The heavenly flavors and aroma of roasting garlic and chilli flakes were out of the world!Hmmm, try this.

Ingredients
Rigatoni pasta              400 gms
broccoli sliced              1 cup
sliced red bell peppers   1/2 no
quartered shallots          1/2 cup
spinach with cream         200 gms
chopped garlic               1 1/2 tbsp
pasta sauce                  400 gms
butter                            1 tsp
olive oil                         2-3 tbsp
chilli flakes                    1 tsp
Italian herbs for pasta     1 tsp
salt to taste
cheese                          100 gms
Method
Boil pasta with salt till just done.Do not overcook as we need to bake them too.Drain and wash.Put into a baking dish.Add the spinach with cream (If not available, cook spinach,blend slightly, do not puree, add the cream and salt)Mix well. Heat olive oil, add the chilli flakes.Add the chopped garlic and saute so that that heavenly aroma takes over the kitchen!!Yum!!Add the Italian herbs,make sure it does not burn, add the shallots, saute for a minute.Add the broccoli and peppers and saute.Add salt and let them turn to cook slightly.The vegetables should remain crisp.Add these to the pasta.Mix well.Top these with the pasta sauce and then with cheese.Bake this in a preheated oven at 200 deg for 20 mins or till the cheese turns brown.Enjoy this heavenly pasta which has wonderful flavors of garlic and chilli flakes.

Vegetable Lasagna

My 1st memories of a good veg lasagna was way back in 1993 when I was just married and went to Germany where my husband was working.During his bachelor days, one of the fastest ways out of the kitchen apart from frozen pizza was a lasagna .I tried the veg version and was hooked.A German friend tried to replicate it when she called us for dinner and failed miserably.I don't give up so easily and so started my lasagna journey.Those days the sheets were not available and I rolled out maida sheets and made it.It tasted great but it took too much time.Now with things so easily available, its very regular on the dinner table.I use the ready made sauces here as its quick but I would be giving the recipes of the sauces to make at home.

Vegetarian Lasagna
Lasagna sheets                    about 15( samosa pattis too do the job)
broccolli                                500gms
red bell peppers                   1 no
tofu                                      200 gms
Zucchini                               1 no
onions                                   2 nos
garlic chopped                      1 tbsp
red chilli flakes                      1 tsp
oregano                              1 tsp
pepper powder                  1/2 tsp
salt to taste
frozen spinach with cream     200 gms
tomato pasta sauce                500 ml
white sauce                            250 ml
grated pizza cheese                200 gms
olive oil                                  2 tbsp
For tomato sauce
peeled and chopped tomatoes from  1kg
chopped onion                          1 no
chopped garlic                           1 tbsp
mixed herbs                                1 tsp
salt to taste
pepper powder                           1/2 tsp
olive oil                                       1 tbsp
sugar                                          1/2 tsp
White sauce
refined flour                              1 tbsp
butter                                        1 tbsp
milk                                          1 cup
bay leaf                                    1 no
salt and pepper to taste
clove                                        2 nos

Method
Soak the sheets in hot salted water.Add some olive oil in it and keep till they are soft.drain and keep aside.
In a pan add flour,cloves, bay leaf and butter.Saute till golden. On slow heat ,slowly add milk and keep whisking to avoid forming lumps.Add about 1/4 cup water, salt and pepper.Keep cooking till the sauce is thick and pouring consistency.Keep to cool
In another pan, heat oil and add chopped garlic, saute well and add onions.Cook till translucent.Add tomatoes and cook well.Add the rest of the ingredients and cook till the sauce is thick.
For preparing the filling,Dice all the vegetables and tofu. Heat oil and add garlic, saute, add chopped onions and saute.Add all the vegetables and cook for 5 mins.Add the seasonings, chilli flakes and oregano.Cover to cook for about 3 mins.The vegetables should be crunchy and bright green.Add the tomato sauce and spinach with cream(can use boiled and crushed spinach and 50 ml cream if frozen not available) and mix well. Now the dish has to be compiled together.
In a baking -12"x10" big dish apply a little butter at the bottom. Layer it with about 5 sheets of pasta sheets.Pour half the vegetables on it and put another layer of pasta sheets.Pour half the white sauce on it and spread well.Sprinkle half the cheese on it.pour the rest of the vegetables,pasta and then the white sauce.Top with the rest of the cheese.Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg.Put the dish in the middle rack and bake for 10 mins.Now reduce the temperature to 180 deg and bake for further 20-25 mins.The top should be golden brown, if the heat is too much reduce the temperature and if the top is browning too quickly, cover with a foil and bake till done.A very juicy, healthy and delicious dish is ready to eat.