Thought for Food

Monday, May 15, 2006

Creamy Pasta and Vegetable Bake

Lofty wasn't feeling too good today so dinner had to be something soothing and comforting and at the same time something that was not too hard to digest. If I had known before coming home, I would have got a chicken from the butcher and made him a proper bowl of Jewish penicillin - a strong chicken stock with vegetables and noodles. But I didn't, so I couldn't. Instead I decided to take an evening off from cooking fancy food and opted for an easy pasta and veggie bake instead. It's really quite simple: Cook a bunch of pasta, sweat some vegetables, combine the two and add a creamy sauce. Top with cheese and bake until golden. And here's the more detailed version of the recipe:

enough pasta for 2 people (short, hollow shapes work best, but I only had spaghetti, which I broke into smaller pieces)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove (or 2 small ones), finely chopped
4 handfuls of chopped vegetables (I used a mixture of butternut squash, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower, but I can't think of anything that would not work here)
1 can of Campbell's cream of chicken soup concentrate (this is the lazy option; obviously it's healthier and tastier if you make a creamy sauce yourself)
a few spoonfuls of milk
salt and pepper to taste
250g grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and fry until translucent. Stir in the garlic followed by the vegetables. Add the vegetables in order of their cooking time. They want to be nearly cooked by the time the dish goes in the oven.
When the vegetables are nearly done, add the pasta and the soup or creamy sauce. Stir in enough milk to make a nice, smooth sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is golden brown.

As you may have guessed, this is a relatively unexciting (some may say bland) dish. If you want to give it a bit of depth, add some dry cured ham or bacon, a few fresh herbs, a tad of grated nutmeg or a pinch of chilli powder. I omitted all that on purpose tonight, because when you feel rough as Lofty did, you sometimes need something plain and simple. And I think this was the right dinner to make for the occasion.

Christine at 10:00 pm

2comments

2 Comments

at 4:28 pm  essex in a shed said...

I see no comments? No body care about food? well Christine you have made my day! 

at 4:30 pm  essex in a shed said...

I see no comments? No body care about food? well Christine you have made my day! 

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