Pasta is a staple Italian dish and an international favourite food. It is enjoyed by people all over the world. There are over hundreds of kinds of pastas in the world and there are many different ways for cooking pasta. It is a simple dish but depending on the way it is made, it can be served as a main course, as an appetizer or sometimes even as a dessert! The main ingredient in pasta is usually wheat flour. Pasta has gained immense popularity as it is a very versatile dish. Today many countries have their own variations of making pasta dishes. Pasta can be compared to the noodles used in Asian cooking.
Here is a vegetarian version of pasta using spinach, mushrooms, and Béchamel sauce. I add a touch of garam masala to this white sauce along with salt and ground pepper to give this an Indian touch. Just a little goes a long way and it tastes amazing!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Cooking Pasta:
- Bring water to boil in a large saucepan. Add salt and pasta and cook about 7 minutes. Drain pasta and keep aside. Saute veggies:
- Meanwhile, melt half the butter in a pan and fry the minced onion and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and spinach, along with salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes and take out the veggies into a bowl and keep aside. Béchamel sauce (White sauce):
- In the same pan, add a little butter and a tbsp. of flour for a couple of minutes. Then gradually pour in 1 cup of milk. Whisk well. Add ground nutmeg and garam masala. Let it come to a boil. Now your white sauce is ready.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Assemble to Bake:
- To assemble, take a baking dish and add the cooked pasta into it. Add the cooked spinach and mushroom and mix well. Pour the white sauce all over and top it with grated cheese of your choice.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Enjoy!