Macaroni with Mixed Herbs and Roasted Vegetables in White Sauce and a Happy Note!!

Pastas are generally our weekend dinners as I find them very easy and quick to make and can finish up the complete process of cooking in less than thirty minutes.My husband prefers a very simple pasta tossed with a good amount of EVOO,garlic and red chili flakes,which I find it a bit dry for me to eat.After lots of trials and additions I have settled upon this recipe which suited taste buds of both of us.There were days I used to buy the ready made pasta sauces and store them up in my kitchen,but after I started blogging I never bothered to buy as I find the fresh home made ones taste better than the store bought ones and are very economical too.As I mentioned earlier among all the pastas we love Basil pesto pasta and is always our first preference provided the fresh basil is available at home,if not I make pasta either with spinach,coriander or mint pesto.If there are no greens available in my refrigerator this is the second version of pasta which we prefer at home.It is very simple to make,no grinding process is required and if you are quick in cooking and good in multi tasking the whole process can be finished in 25-30 mins.I start everything simultaneously like boiling the pasta,slicing the vegetables,boiling and roasting the vegetables necessary in the order and making the sauce as well.Read my notes to get some tips on converting a high calorie pasta to a very healthy and low cal version of pasta.I am sure many of you might have implemented these tips but still I want to share for people who are not aware of them.

Ingredients:
2 cups macaroni or any other pasta
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
1/4 cup sweet corn kernels
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup thinly sliced zucchini
1 onion,thinly sliced
6-8 pods of garlic,finely chopped
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp mixed herbs
1/2 tsp black pepper,freshly ground
2 tbsp low fat eggless mayonnaise(secret ingredient for a low calorie version but optional)
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil(EVOO)
salt to taste

for white sauce:
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil or butter
3 tsp all purpose flour or wheat flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp mixed herbs
1/4 tsp black pepper,freshly ground
a pinch of nutmeg
salt to taste

Method:

• Bring water to a boil with salt and add a tsp of olive oil in a big pot add macaroni or any pasta and cook for 8-10 mins or follow the instructions on your package.Drain them and keep it aside and reserve the water for later usage.
• Mean while make the white sauce.Heat EVOO or butter in another pan and add all purpose flour or wheat flour and fry well and add milk to it and quickly whisk until you get a uniform smooth mixture,add more milk or reserved pasta water to get the required consistency.Add grated cheese,required salt,mixed herbs,pepper powder and a pinch of nutmeg to it and give a boil.keep it aside.
• Steam broccoli florets until tender,still crunchy.Boil corn kernels until done.
• Heat a wide bottomed thick pan and heat extra virgin olive oil and add garlic and fry until light golden in color.
• Add sliced onions and fry until transparent.Add sliced mushrooms and zucchini and fry until done.Mushrooms might leave water,cook until the water evaporates.
• Add blanched broccoli and cooked corn kernels to it and fry for few more mins.Do not let the onions turn golden in color.
• Add red chili flakes,mixed herbs and enough salt and give a good stir.
• Add the prepared white sauce and mayonnaise and mix well,check for salt and add more if required.Add cooked pasta and mix well and cook for 3-4mins.

Garnish with grated parmesan and serve it warm with salad and bread.

Note:

• I make my pastas,low calorie and healthy.I replace all purpose flour with wheat flour and butter with EVOO while making white sauce,this itself makes the pasta very healthy as there is no other ingredient which makes it loaded with calories.
• You can use whole wheat or whole meal pastas which are available in market instead of flour ones to make it more healthy.I generally use flour one or whole wheat ones,I am not happy with the whole meal one,So I do not recommend to use the whole meal one.
  
• One more thing,I avoid adding cheese to the pastas unless it is for a party.I add 2 tbsp of low fat eggless mayonnaise instead of cheese to get the richness in pasta.The addition of mayonnaise even adds special taste to pasta,try it out you wont believe that there is no cheese in pasta.
• Adjust the chili flakes,pepper and herbs according to your taste buds.
• Replace macaroni with any kind of pasta like fusili,farfelle,shell pasta,penne,spaghetti etc etc.
• You can even add a pinch of cinnamon to the white sauce while making it.
• You can even add colored bell peppers,yellow zucchini or roasted eggplant to the pasta.
• If you are making it for a party,after you prepare the pasta transfer to a oven proof dish and cover it liberally with Parmesan cheese and dot with butter in between and bake it in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15-20 mins until cheese melts and turns slight golden in color.
  

and now coming to the happy note..:)

I have completed two years of blogging successfully this feb 25th and I am really thankful to all the fellow bloggers and visitors of my blog to make this happen.Your comments and messages really mean a lot to me,a special Thanks and hugs to you all.

photo courtesy:Google