Italian Recipes: Pasta alla verdura ( vegetable pasta)

Pasta alla verdura ( Vegetable Pasta)

Senza Carne ( Meatless)

This Pasta is a very nice Vegetable Pasta that is eaten all over Italy.
This pasta can be made of any vegetables that take your favour, you could make varieties adding different kinds of vegetable mixes or adding different cheeses.

Baca Juga

Mainly this dish is made with Penne or Fussili pasta but you could really use any kind of pasta that you can find.
Here i will give you one of the verdura recipies i use most in my cooking but remember it is just a guideline.
Be as inventive as you like and combine flavours to your own taste.

Below i will write some tips so you can cook the perfect pasta to go with your sauce.

Serves: 4 poeple

Total cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

- 500 grams of Pasta, prefered Penne or Fussili
- 1 small Aubergine (around 150 grams)
- 1 Courgette
- 1 yellow Pepper ( Paprika)
- 1 Onion
- 1 tip of plummed Tomatoes
- 2 cloves of Garlic
- 1/2 bunch of Basil
- 125 grams of Mozzarella
- Slat and Pepper to taste ( prefered sea salt and crushed black Pepper corns)

Step 1:

Wash the aubergine,courgette and peppers ( paprika) and clean the seeds out of the inside of your pepper.
Dice these vegetables into small cubes around 1cm.Peel the onion and gralic cloves and slice them fine.

Step 2:

Add some oil to a frying pan and put on medium heat, add your onions, garlic and vegetables then gently stir until your onions are light golden brown.

Step 4:

Get your plum tomatoes, add the juice to your frying pan, slice the tomatoes and add this to your pan, this will make your sauce.

Step 5:

Leave your vegetable sauce to simmer on a low heat and get a large cooking pot ( minimum of 6ltr)
Add 4-5 liter water to your pot and add enough salt.
The Italians would say here " Salato come il mare" in English this translates to " salty as the ocean".
Bring your water to a full rolling boil and add your pasta.

Step 6:

Cook your pasta till it is "Al dente" meaning tender/crisp or to the tooth you will only know if your pasta is " Al dente" by tasting it.
Make sure that in the meanwile you stir your sauce so it doesn't stick to your pan.

Step 7:

Cut your Basil leaves in strips, dice your Mozzarella in small cub and add to your sauce.
Cover your pan and let the Mozzarella cheese melt.

Step 8:

Drain your Pasta after 8 to 10 minutes boiling on a low heat and mix in your sauce, serve hot.

Now in Italy they would say " Buon Appetito" which means;

" Enjoy your Meal"

Pasta cooking Tips :

1. remember to check your pasta cooking time as all pasta cooks different.
2. Always use a large pot, at least 6 litres so the pasta can move free when boiling.
3. Plenty of water, 1 pound of Pasta to 6 litters of water is ideal.
4. add enough salt, remember " salato come il mare" salty like the ocean.
5. Make sure the water has a rolling boil before adding your pasta.
6. Keep heat high after adding pasta and bring to quick boil before reducing heat.
7. Sir pasta around 2-3 times during the cooking process.
8. Cook around 8- 10 minutes.
9. Never add olive oil to your cooking water as this coats the paste and sause doesn't stick to pasta.
10. Never rinse your your pasta after staining with water you will wash away most nurtients.
11. Safe some of your draining water and add little amout to sauce it adds Great flavour.