Thursday, March 24, 2011

Basil Pesto with Spiral Pasta

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It is quite obvious to guess my next recipe after posting basil pesto that it would be none other than a pasta recipe.Every time I go for shopping I always tend to buy new shapes of pasta as I get bored of the same old shapes.I generally pair the pasta with the sauces that suits it like penne,spiral,farfelle goes very well with simple sauces like pesto and marinara,where as macaroni goes with a creamy sauce and spaghetti goes well with thin sauces.I am not a pasta expert,I am sharing you all the tips with my experience with pasta.Today I even read an article about the pairing of sauces with the pastas which widened my knowledge a bit more.

Many of you know that Pesto is the most favorite sauce at my place compared to other sauces and basil pesto is the hot favorite one for both of us.It is just burst of flavors with the freshness from basil and the creaminess from nuts,cheese and EVOO.I generally add bechamel sauce to my pasta to make it into more saucy consistency,but to day I am sharing you the most simple pasta with basil pesto,one can go creative with the ingredients that go in it to make it according to your taste buds.
Ingredients:
2 cups spiral pasta(or any other pasta)
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 onion,sliced
3-4 garlic pods,sliced
1 tomato,seeded and diced
1 capsicum,seeded and diced
1 tsp mixed herbs
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp grated parmesan(optional)
8-10 basil leaves,torn
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
salt to taste

Method:

To Cook Pasta:
  • Cook according to the instruction of your package or follow this procedure:
  • Bring water to boil in a big pot (filled to its half) and add salt,1 tsp olive oil and pasta and cook over medium flame for 10-12 mins until al dente(cooked and tender to teeth).
  • Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of water for later usage.you can even give a cold bath to the pasta by running it under fresh tap water which helps in keeping the pasta separate.
To make Pesto Pasta:
  • Heat olive oil in a wide bottomed pan and fry sliced garlic until slight brown and crisp and add thinly sliced onions and fry until they are pink and soft.
  • Now add sliced capsicum and diced tomato and saute it for few minutes.
  • Add the basil pesto sauce and mix well.Add 4-5 tbsp of reserved pasta liquid if required add more to get a medium sauce consistency.
  • Add cooked pasta and mix well until all the pasta is covered with the sauce and is warm.Now add red chili flakes,Italian herbs,basil leaves,salt and pepper and mix well.
  • Dish it out to the serving platter and sprinkle some cheese over it.Garnish with basil.
Serve it hot or warm with Lime Soda or drink of your choice.


Notes:
  1. You can even add bechamel sauce in the above recipe to give a nice creamy texture to the pasta.
  2. You can add more Parmesan cheese while preparing sauce in the above recipe to make pasta more cheesy.
  3. You can replace spiral pasta with any of the pasta like penne,macaroni ,farfelle or any other pasta of your choice.
  4. You can add colored bell peppers,finely chopped carrot,blanched broccoli,thinly sliced mushrooms,blanched asparagus,zucchini to the pasta
  5. You can even fill the pasta in a baking dish and cover with grated Parmesan cheese(1/4-1/2 cup) and cover it with a foil and bake it in oven @ 160 degrees for 20 mins until the cheese melts.Serve it hot right from the oven.This would be a exclusive dish for parties especially or for special romantic dinners.
  6. For a Vegan version avoid parmesan cheese while making pesto,it tastes even delicious without cheese in it.

35 comments:

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Your pasta looks yummy...and the info abt type of pasta and sauce used to make it is really nice...Nice clicks too..

Swathi said...

I was waiting for the recipe which use this basil pesto. Delicious pasta.

Mrs K said...

This is so right,home made pesto along with the right combination of veggies and the most liked dish by kids & grown-up kids;) -Pasta...mmmm..mmmm

Hamaree Rasoi said...

Hi Prathy

Pasta with basil looks simply yummy and inviting. Can I have some please;)?

Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi

Suman Singh said...

Pasta looks delicious..love the pesto sauce..so yummy and tempting!

Preety said...

love the taste of pesto..pasta and pesto combo looks great..love the bright green color too

Hari Chandana P said...

Very delicious recipe. lovely presentation !!

Indian Cuisine

Pushpa said...

Fabulous and flavorful pasta.

Unknown said...

Flavourful and yummy looking pasta

Jeyashris Kitchen said...

really i loved the vibrant green colour of the pasta.perfectly done

Love2cook Malaysia said...

Irresistible pasta! Am drooling over ;)

Priya Suresh said...

Give me that plate, am ready to finish them...yumm!

Raks said...

Never tasted pesto pasta so far,atleast have to order from pasta mania ...,have to do it soon! Looks tempting...

divya said...

Irresistible pasta! Am drooling over ;)

Harika baratam said...

Basil pesto looks yummy. They look yummy.

Satrupa said...

Home made pesto n pasta ... my all time fav :)

Cheers,
Satrupa

http://satrupa-foodforthought.blogspot.com

Ramya said...

Great colors..Looks vibrant..
Wish u cud pass me the plate...:-)

Khaugiri said...

Yuumy pasta dear!!!

KrithisKitchen said...

Pasta... Wow.. delightfully delectable... love your spiral and pesto combo..

http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com
Herbs & Flowers in my Platter - Coriander/Cilantro

Sensible Vegetarian said...

Very delicious and a colorful bowl of pasta. All time favorite.

Unknown said...

pass me that bowl...too tempting!...
Smitha
Smitha's Spicy Flavors

Usha said...

Delicious pasta !

Priyanka Agrawal said...

mm i want this!!!

Sushma Mallya said...

Looks so delicious, whole bowl looks so tempting...making me hungry!

Pavithra Elangovan said...

I dont mind if u pass me that bowl..so vibrant, fresh..love it a lot.

Shri said...

Pasta with Pesto is definitely one of my favs but I usually buy the store bought ones..Your picture

Padma said...

Feel like having right from the bowl.... love this pasta. Looks too good Prathibha.

Savi-Ruchi said...

great pictures! I always use penne or macaroni for pesto. Never tried with spiral. Will do that from now on :)

Dimah said...

Hi,
First time here...
Lovely color and sounds so yummy! thanks for sharing!

Samira said...

Hi Pratibha, I would like to share the sisterhood award with you. Please check out http://mysonpari.blogspot.com/2011/03/yay-thats-my-first-award.html to take up the award... Love Samira.

Samira said...

Hi Pratibha, I would like to share the sisterhood award with you. Please check out http://mysonpari.blogspot.com/2011/03/yay-thats-my-first-award.html to take up the award... Love Samira.

Mythreyi said...

HI Prathiba,

What a Refreshing Color... and Yummy Pasta.

I always love your space , your enerygy and encouragement. I would like take this moment to present this award to you. Please collect it from my space.

http://yummyodds.blogspot.com/2011/03/one-more-award-and-some-more-sharing.html

-Mythreyi
Yum! Yum! Yum!

Aruna Manikandan said...

wow....
looks delicious and very tempting dear...
nice clicks :)
Bookmarked it .

Kausalya Rajan said...

Hi, the Bangalore special Khara Bhat brought me to your blog. Your receipes and your simple blog has just made my day and this week special!!! Your receipes are just awesome and tasty! I can not thank you enough for sharing all the wonderful receipes. thank you!

chef and her kitchen said...

@Kausalya..I am glad tht you liked my blog as well as my recipes..ur comment made my day...YAYYY!!!

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