Pasta in White Sauce

Try out this healthy pasta with all the goodness of  home made food and healthy ingredients with the required proportions of fibres and vitamins.

Easy to make and is absolutely loved by the family when we want to take a break from the whole traditional or regular everyday meals.

Really really cheeesssyy and the lovable taste of garlic white sauce backed by the flavours of the Italian herbs will take your easy home dining to another level of yumminess. So go on and dive in, Buon Appetito ;)

INGREDIENTS:

• Any pasta of your choice
• 1 small broccoli cut into small/medium sized pieces
• 1 red bell pepper - cubed
• 1 yellow bell pepper - cubed
• 1 large onion - cubed
• Half cup of sweet corn (boiled)
• A big bowl of button mushrooms - quartered (optional)
• 1 tsp of oregano
• 1/2 tsp of black pepper powder
• 3 - 4 fresh leaves of basil
• 2 tsp of minced/ thinly sliced garlic
• 3 tsp maida (All purpose flour)
• 3 tsp butter
• 1 cup milk
• A lot of shredded cheese :p
• Salt as per taste
• Olive oil or refined oil

STEPS:

For the Pasta:

1. I use regular ready made pasta bought from the market. So in a large vessel, fill it up with fresh water and bring it to a boil.
2. Add 2 tsps. of oil and 1/2 tsp of salt to this boiling water. Once the water starts to boil and steam drop in the pasta.
3. Cover the vessel with a lid and let the pasta boil for atleast 10 to 15 mins. Check to see if the pasta has turned soft by taking 1 pasta out and squeezing it with your fingers. If it squeezes easily then it is ready or else boil for some more time.
4. Once the pasta is ready, strain it using a big strainer and keep aside.

For the Veggies:

1. In a non stick wok add around 2 to 3 tbsp of oil. Once it heats up drop in the cubed onions and let it sauté till the onions turn translucent.
2. Add 1 tsp of garlic to the wok and let it sauté for about 2 mins. Drop in the broccoli, red and yellow bell peppers and cook it on a high flame for 3 to 4 mins stirring it continuously.
3. Lower the flame and drop in the mushrooms. Keep cooking for another 5 mins.
4. Add around 3/4 tsp salt, the oregano, basil leaves and boiled sweet corn and mix. Let this cook for another 4 to 5 mins till the mushrooms are cooked (raw mushrooms are poisonous).
5. Drop in the boiled pasta to this wok and mix well with the veggies. Put the flame off and keep aside.

For the Sauce:

1. In another non - stick pan or wok add the 3 tbsp of butter and once it melts and starts to bubble, add 1 tsp of garlic to it. After 30 secs or so add the 3 tbsps of maida to it. Whisk it continuously so that it doesn't form lumps for about 1 min or 2. Once the maida and butter whisk look a light brownish drop in half a cup of milk slowly and continue whisking it till all the lumps disappear and it becomes a smooth paste.
2. Add 1/2 tsp of black pepper powder and the remaining milk and continue stirring it. Let the mixture boil and as it thickens add more milk to thin it out if you want more consistency in your pasta. Once it boils add around 1 cup to half a cup of shredded cheese to this white sauce and continue stirring and boiling it till the cheese melts. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and add more milk if your require more sauce for your pasta.

Getting it all together:

1. Now put the flame off and pour this delicious white sauce mixture over the pasta and veggies and mix it well. Put the flame on and stir this pasta and white sauce mix till all the pastas are evenly covered. Let it come to a slight boil and then put the flame off.
2. Serve hot.