Creamy Veg Pasta!

I have been experimenting a lot these days with different kinds of pasta. Come to think of it when you want some thing quick and easy, which also tastes good, I think Pasta justifies in all aspects. Being a vegetarian I love pasta because it is not boring, you can pack a punch and really good flavours with whatever you have in your larder. This dish is very forgiving but at the same time full of taste that you would be tempted to take another helping for :-) If you are in a mood of a nice veggie pasta here is what you need:

1. Pasta of any kind you like, I chose Penne about 400 gms.
2. Tomato pasata. if you don't have this just simply peel (mark little slits on top o a tomato and boil them for 5-10 mins and then peel) and de-seed tomatoes and make a puree about a cup, add more if you want a runny sauce.
3. Chilly flakes
4. Olive Oil
5. Any fresh herbs you have got, I used Rosemary and thyme and Basil for garnish.
6. Sea salt, regular salt will do just fine.
7. Freshly crushed Pepper
8. Single cream - 100 ml
9. Parmesan Cheese 
10. Vegetables of your choice - I used Carrots, Courgettes, beans and broccoli, but don't limit yourself you can go as crazy as you like with vegetables. That is the beauty of this dish.

Lets get cracking:
Put you pasta and veggies on to boil and prep the sauce on the side. Does this give you a hint?? Yes it doesn't take more than 20 mins from hob to the plate :) I hope this cheers you up :)
Prep the Pasta:

Add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water before you put the pasta on to cook. This helps the pasta from sticking to each other. Do not put oil while boiling the pasta, it does not serve any purpose. Make sure you take a large enough pot to boil the pasta, if you crowd the pasta it will not cook well and come out pretty stodgy. With pasta cooking lets get on with the sauce. Cook as per the directions on the packet, I like my pasta al dente. When the pasta is cooked al dente, there should be a slight resistance in the centre when the pasta is chewed. That way you get a nite bite to the pasta, if you like it properly cooked leave it for 5 more mins than what the instructions say.

Prep the Veggies:
Cut all the vegetables of same size, this allows them to cook evenly. I boil my vegetables in he microwave takes about 7-8 minutes. If you are a purist you can do a double boiler or steamer and let them cook while you get on with your sauce.

For the Sauce:

1. Take a nice roomy pan, remember you are going toss your pasta in the same pan later so take the size of the pan accordingly.
2. Add a dash of olive oil.
3. Add the chili flakes and wait till the crackle.
4. Add the herbs and Tomato puree/ pasta
5. Add the single cream, you can add as much as you want depending on how guilty you want to be :) Also turn up the spices if you tend to add more cream, because Cream mutes the spices.
6. Add some salt and pepper and leave it for 5 mins to infuse.
7. Add the boiled vegetables and let them cook in the sauce for 5-10 mins.
8. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir in well so that every piece of Penne is coated with the sauce nicely.
9. Leave it for 2-3 mins.
10. Pour some olive oil on top for that extra fragrance and enhance the flavour.
11. Grate some Parmesan Cheese on top and tear up some basil leaves to garnish.
12. Sprinkle some pepper and chili flakes on top to enhance the flavours of the sauce.

That's it! there you have it a steaming plate of delicious goodness :) I like to have mine with a wadge of garlic bread on the side which i just tear up my piece greedily :)

Bon Appetit !!