My everyday vegetarian treats with a twist!

Posts tagged “Italian”

Stuffed Pasta Shells


One of my favourite all time pasta dishes are home-made stuffed shells. I originally learned how to make them from my sister. I have adopted it now and with my own minor alterations, the recipe has been a hit each time I’ve made it. The only reason it has taken me so long to post this up is because each time I forget to take a photo, only realizing after eating it all up!

This recipe is so simple, yet so delicious and involves no cooking at all, mostly chopping! As there is no cooking of the mix, the filling has a delicate crunch and the flavours compliment each other. You can play around with your own fillings and sauces; below is just one of the many combinations that works really well. What’s more, this dish is a great main for a dinner party as you can do all the prep ahead of time with only baking left for when your guests have arrived!
Serves 5-6; Total Time: 45-55 minutes 
Ingredients:
1/2 packet (approx 30) conchiglie pasta (jumbo shells)
1 bag (100g) fresh  spinach, chopped
1 tub (250g) ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 small green bell peppers, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small tub (100g) mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tbsp dried mixed Italian herbs or handful of chopped fresh herbs
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground black pepper/red chili flakes, or to taste
1/8 tsp salt or to taste
3 cups zingy pasta sauce
1. Cook the pasta shells according to instructions on the package. Run through cold water and set aside. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, make the filling by mixing together all the ingredients above except for: pasta shells, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, and pasta sauce.
3. Spoon 1/2 cup of pasta sauce evenly over bottom of large baking dish.
4. Individually fill the cooked pasta shells with 1-2 tbsp of the filling made in Step 2. Place the stuffed shell in the baking tray. Repeat with the remaining shells.
5. Drizzle a tbsp of sauce on each shell and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 35 minutes.
Cool for a few minutes and serve. Bon Apetit!

August 22, 2011 | Categories: Mains | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Home-made Ravioli


This was my very first attempt to make homemade ravioli. I wanted to make a special meal for my hubby so I decided to make everything from scratch. It was good that I had an entire day to myself as it was a bit of work, but worth the reward!! 🙂 This another dish where you have 95% of the preparation done ahead of time. At serving time, you just have to boil the pasta for three minutes and serve up the plates!

Dough:
To make the dough is really simple and you can get creative with the colors by adding vegetable of your choice to the flour. I used grated carrots to give it a mild orange look. You can use beetroot or spinach for other fun colors 🙂

Filling:

I always wanted to make a vegetarian filling that was mix of many vegetables and not overpowering with cheese. As much as I loveeeeeeee cheese, I was going to hold back and try a making a healthier version. So here was my golden chance!  The filling I made was a cooked and seasoned mix of chopped eggplant, spinach, courgette, red pepper, green onions, crushed pine nuts, basil, tomato, grated carrot and just sprinkles of parmesan to bring it all together.  Use your favourite veggies to make your perfect filling.

Sauce:

You have a choice. Either you can use a ready-made pasta sauce or create your own. You can make a cheese sauce, pesto sauce or variations of tomato sauce. I opted for a simple tomato sauce.  I quickly made mine by cooking together chopped tomatoes, bit of tomato paste, onions, garlic, and herbs. Next time I make my pasta sauce, I will be sure to post exact measurements and method. 🙂

Assembly:

1. Roll out the pasta dough as thin as possible. Cut into small 2.5-inch squares

2. Place about a tablespoon or so of the filling on half of the squares.  Seal the ravioli by placing the another square on top of the filling and pressing the edges down with a fork.

3. Once all are sealed, boil in water for about three minutes. It’s ready to drain when the ravioli starts rising to the top.

4. Serve with pasta sauce on top and garnish with grated parmesan cheese, basil, freshly ground black pepper.

Would love to hear about what fillings would you make?

May 25, 2011 | Categories: Mains | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Stuffed Mushrooms with Goats Cheese


One would not believe, but about a year ago, I absolutely refused to eat mushrooms. I don’t know, but they never appealed to my taste buds. Now if you ask me, I can eat mushrooms for every meal. 🙂 For those of you who don’t eat mushrooms, you are really missing out!!  Not only are they delicious, but also very nutritious.
This is probably one of my favourite starters. It’s great for a dinner party. You can have 90% of it done ahead of time and spend few minutes assembling it when ready to serve.  I saw this on a TV show and had to try it at home. I tweaked the paste just a bit and so can you to your liking. It’s not your typical stuffed mushroom, but its ticks all the right boxes. And my favourite ingredient, the goat’s cheese, brings it all together! Delish!

Serves 4
Paste:
170g sun-dried tomatoes, softened; 1/2 bulb garlic peeled; 3/4 bunch basil; 3/4 bunch parsley;
1. Blend everything in a blender. Add enough olive oil to make a smooth paste (about 1-2tbsp). Add salt and pepper to taste.
Remaning ingredients:
4 large Portobello mushrooms; mixed greens; 4 X 1cm thick rounds of goats cheese; olive oil; balsamic vinegar; pine nuts(optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 c. Brush the undersides of the mushrooms with olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. place on a greased baking tray.
  2. Roast for 8-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms  softens, then remove from the oven and set aside.
  3. Spread a quarter of the paste inside one of the mushrooms and top with a slice of the goat’s cheese. Repeat with the remaining stuffing mixture, mushrooms and goat’s cheese.
  4. Placed the stuffed mushrooms back onto the baking tray and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown and bubbling.
  5. To serve, mix the greens in a bowl and dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Divide the salad among four serving plates then place a stuffed mushroom on each and serve. If you like, can also sprinkle some pine nuts to finish it off.

May 24, 2011 | Categories: Salads, Starters | Tags: , | 2 Comments