How to make healthy One Pot Pasta Recipes

Pasta has started making its position in Indian cuisine as comfort food especially for youngsters. Preparing pasta in healthy way using vegetables and lentils not only adds on to its nutritional values but also elevates its taste and is a wholesome food in itself. These Healthy One Pot Pasta Recipes made of healthy vegetable pasta requires least efforts in preparation and makes good use of available vegetables. More ever this is a great comfort food during this lockdown period.

Here I am discussing how to make 5 Healthy One Pot Pasta Recipes

1. Mixed vegetable Pasta
2. Pasta in red sauce
3. Pasta in white sauce
4. Vegetable pasta with lentils
5. Soya Pasta

Mixed Vegetable Pasta

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup pasta
• 2 tablespoon fresh/frozen peas
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 1 medium onion
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 carrot
• 4-5 florets of brocolli
• 1 capsicum (bell pepper)
• 1/4 cup chopped beans
• 1/4 cup boiled red beans(rajma)
• 1 tablespoon chopped spring onion
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt/ as required
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 3 cups water

How to make Healthy One Pot Pasta with vegetable

1. First boil pasta in hot water with 1/2 teaspoon salt for 3-4 minutes. Keep it aside with water.
2. Take a pan and heat oil in it on medium flame.
3. Add chopped garlic and onion and saute for 2 minutes till onion turns brown.
4. Add chopped peas and beans and saute for 3-4 minutes now add other vegetables and boiled red beans (rajma).
5. Cover the pan with lid and cook the veggies for 5 minutes over low flame.
6. Now add chopped tomatoes and tomato ketchup .
7. Add salt, pepper and 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder and mix well.
8. Cook for 3-4 minutes with lid over low flame.
9. Drain more than half of water and add pasta to veggie mix.
10. Mix well and cook vegetable pasta on low flame in covered pan.add 1 teaspoon oregano.
11. Adjust the consistency by addition of more water.

Recipe notes:

• Do not overcook pasta. This will be boiled and cooked well with vegetable mixture.
• 1 tablespoon cream can be added to make gravy thick.
• Cook peas well.steamed peas can be used.
• All available vegetables can be used.
• I prefer using Durum Wheat pasta as this is healthy for gut (stomach and intestines) for kids and adults.

Pasta in red sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups pasta (any type of pasta)
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
• 1 small tomato finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 3-4 tablespoon cream
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 small bell pepper/ capsicum finely chopped (red/ yellow/ green)
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder (degi mirch)
• 2-3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon oregano

How to make Healthy One Pot Pasta in Red Sauce

1. First boil pasta in hot water with 1/2 teaspoon salt for 3-4 minutes. Keep it aside with water.
2. Take a pan and heat oil in it on medium flame.
3. Add chopped garlic and onion and saute for 2 minutes till onion turns brown.
4. Now add chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and ketchup , mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add salt, pepper powder and red chilli powder, mix well and cook well for 5 minutes.
6. Add chopped bell pepper and saute them over low flame.
7. Drain out water from boiled pasta and add it to sauce. Mix well and stir for 5 minutes.
8. Add cream to saucy pasta.
9. Add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar to enhance taste and reduce tangyness of tomatoes.
10. Add 2 cups of water to maintain the consistency.cook for 3-4 minutes
11. Add some more black pepper powder and oregano.

Recipe notes

• Its better to let pasta cook with sauce. It absorbs suce and tastes better.
• Addition of sugar acts as taste enhancer.
• When using large quantity of pasta boil it in large vessel to avoid sticking with each other and also add 1 tablespoon of oil while boiling.
• I prefer using Durum Wheat pasta as this is healthy for gut (stomach and intestines) for kids and adults.

Pasta in White Sauce

Ingredients :

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour or 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chilled milk or 250 ml chilled milk
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder or add as required
• generous pinch of nutmeg or grated nutmeg
• salt as required
• 1 cup penne pasta or 100 grams penne pasta
• 4 cups water
• ¼ teaspoon salt or add as required
• ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or ¾ to 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
• vegetarian permesan cheese or grated cheddar cheese – add as required (optional)

How to make Healthy One Pot Pasta in white sauce

1. Heat a pan on low flame and add 2 tablespoons butter.
2. When the butter melts and starts to bubble, then add 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour or 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
3. stir the flour quickly with whisker as soon as you add it. Keep on stirring so that no lumps are formed. The frequent stirring helps the flour to cook evenly. You will see the flour frothing and bubbling up while stirring. Sauté the flour till you get a nice cooked aroma from the flour and a pale golden color. Don’t brown the flour.
4. Keep the flame to the lowest and then pour 1 cup chilled milk in a gentle stream. Pour the milk with one hand and stir the sauce mixture with the other.
5. Keep stirring while the milk warms and heats up.
6. On a low flame, simmer the sauce till it thickens.
7. When the sauce has thickened well and coats the back of a spoon, switch off the flame.
8. Keep the saucepan down and add the seasonings – ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, a generous pinch of nutmeg powder or grated nutmeg and salt as required. For a cheese sauce, you can add 2 tablespoons of grated cheddar cheese
9. Mix very well and keep aside. Do note that on cooling white sauce will thicken more. So you can keep the consistency accordingly.
10. Boil 4 cups water with ½ teaspoon salt in a pan.
11. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 cup penne pasta.
12. Cook the pasta on a medium to high flame.
13. When the pasta gets done switch off the flame. For a softer texture, you can cook the pasta more if required.
14. With a strainer spoon, strain the pasta.
15. Then add them to the white sauce.
16. Add dried oregano, dried basil and dried thyme. At this step you can even add some steamed or cooked or sauteed or roasted veggies.
17. Mix very well.
18. Serve white sauce pasta garnished with some fresh herbs like basil, chives.

Recipe notes

• The milk has to be chilled, so that lumps are not formed. If you use hot or warm milk or milk at room temperature, lumps can be formed.
• Sauteed bell peppers,carrot, boiled peas can also be added.
• I prefer using Durum Wheat pasta as this is healthy for gut (stomach and intestines) for kids and adults.

Soya Pasta

serves- 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pasta (boiled)
• 1/2 capsicum finely chopped
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 small tomato finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon cream or mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup soya chunks soaked in lukewarm water for 15 mins
• 1/2 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 tablespoon Black pepper powdered
• salt sa per taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Garam masala
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon Coriander powder

How to make Healthy One Pot Pasta with Soya

1. Add oil into a pan and allow it to heat.
2. Add onions and soya chunks and stir till both turn golden brown.
3. Add in chopped tomatoes and all the spices and cover for 10 mins.
4. Keep stirring in between.
5. Add a little amount of water if required.
6. Add boiled pasta. Cover for 2-3 mins.
7. Add 1 teaspoon oregano and mix. Mayonnaise or cream can also be added.

Recipe notes:

• seasonal vegetables can be added.
• Use of cream or mayonnaise is optional.
• I prefer using Durum Wheat pasta as this is healthy for gut (stomach and intestines) for kids and adults.