Boiled Pasta

Number of servings: 2

200 grams of pasta of your choice2 litres of boiling waterA pinch of salt

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Difficulty rating: Easy

Heat the water in a large, covered pot until it is boiling rapidly;Add the salt and pasta and stir immediately to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick together;Keep the pasta boiling rapidly. You may need to adjust the temperature to ensure the water does not boil over;Cook the pasta for about 10 minutes. Cooking times vary depending on the type of pasta. Use the instructions on the packet as a guide;About a minute before the end of the recommended cooking time, taste a piece to see if it is ready. It should be soft but still firm. When you bite through the colour should be uniform. A white line in the centre of the pasta shows it needs further cooking;When the pasta tastes ready, pour into a colander to drain and shake of the water;If you are serving it hot with sauce, do not drain the pasta. Leaving a bit of the starchy water will help the pasta and sauce to stick. Pour sauce over the pasta immediately;If you are using the pasta for salad, rinse it briefly with water to remove the starch.

Tips:

Choose a whole grain variety of pasta. Whole grain pasta has fewer calories and more fibre than pasta made from white flour. Fibre is an important micronutrient used by the gastrointestinal system to digest food;Add a healthy sauce, such as vegetable pasta sauce and grated cheese for a tasty, calcium rich meal. Calcium is an important micronutrient for healthy teeth and bones which is found mainly in dairy products. Some people have increased calcium requirements including:Serve with a green salad for extra vitamins and minerals to keep your body healthy;Use gluten free pasta if cooking for someone with coeliac disease.

Nutritional analysis per serve:

?

For more information on nutrition, including information on?types and composition of food, nutrition and people, conditions related to nutrition, and diets and recipes, as well as some useful videos and tools, see?Nutrition.?

View the original article here

Vegetable Pasta Sauce

Serves 6

1 onion, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, crushed1 carrot, grated2 sticks celery, diced1 red capsicum, diced200 g mushrooms, sliced1 can diced tomato1 Tbsp tomato paste1 cup vegetable stock1/2 cup red wine (optional)1/2 cup fresh herbs, chopped,?or 2 Tbsp dried herbs (e.g. basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram)1?tsp cinnamon powderTabasco sauce?to tasteOlive oilFry the onion and garlic, with a little olive oil to prevent them sticking,?in a medium-sized saucepan until just tender.Add the carrot, celery,?canned tomato, tomato paste,?vegetable stock, red wine, herbs and cinnamon powder. Add a few drops of tabasco sauce to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the capsicum and mushrooms. Continue simmering with the lid on until the mushrooms are cooked. If there is too much liquid for your preference, simmer with the lid off?until the liquid is reduced to?a desirable amount.?Serve over your preferred type of pasta.

Preparation time:?10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Difficulty rating: Easy

Tips

This is a basic vegetable sauce, but you can?choose different vegetables to use for a little?variety (or availability of what's in the house).Fresh herbs work well if there?are any on hand. Otherwise, dried herbs are just as good. These, too, can be mixed and matched for variety.Works well with any type of pasta, especially filled ones such as tortellini or ravioli.This sauce is also great with rice, couscous, quinoa, etc.

Nutritional analysis per serve (not including pasta):

?

View the original article here