Now, what's not to like in Pasta ? Actually for a veryyyy long time I didnt quite like it. Till the McDonalds / Pizza Huts came to India. Even then Pizza was the ultimate Italian dish. But Pasta, ummmm.. has been a slow entrant for my palate, although not for my kiddo. Like most kids her age, she has swung between I-hate-pasta to Make-pasta-everyday stages, often confusing me with her erratic demands to make or not to make them !
Till finally (and what appears to be a plateau), Pasta seems to stay. Although she loves Pasta in Red Sauce like her dad, I quite prefer it in White Sauce. Of course, there are a zillion ways to make it low cal and low fat too - which is quite today's dish : 3 - Pepper Pasta in Low cal White Sauce.
Adapted from Charul's recipe here (whose blog I am paired with for this edition of Blog Hop Wednesday), as usual I gave it a mild twist to make it more Indianised (and suit my personal palate). Charul's blog is very attractively and aesethetically designed,with each recipe almost calling out to be read and savoured. And for many days after the Blog Hop Schedule was announced, I kept deliberating between the Kalakand and Panner Gulab Jamun -from her blog -both my personal favourites. But then Pasta won finally, and I am glad I liked it 🙂
And after a long time, this must be the first dish I ever cooked to my own liking, without having to bother about leftovers or if the family likes it. For S and kiddo, I made it with Tomato sauce (recipe coming soon). And Penne is our all time favourite. So, instead of the shell pasta in the original recipe, I used Penne in White Sauce. You may also bake this dish in the oven if you so wish.
This goes directly to :
- Blog Hop Wednesdays
- My own event –Valentine Fest : Served with Love
- Priya Mahadevan'sFast Food not Fat Food hosted by Priya Sreeram
Prep time : 10 mins. Cook time : 15 mins.Serves:2
Serving Recommendations :
Ingredients:
- Pasta - any shape - ½ cup ( I used Penne)
- Olive Oil - 2 TBSP
- Salt - to taste
- Bell peppers - ½ cup - cut into strips (I had Red peppers so used them)
- Green Chillies - 2 nos - finely chopped.
- Tomato Sauce - ½ TBSP
- Tabasco sauce - ¼ tsp
- Grated Cheese - 2 tablespoon (the more, the merrier)
For the Sauce:
- Whole wheat flour - 3 TBSP
- Skimmed Milk - 1.5 cups
- Black Pepper Powder - 1 teaspoon (adjust to taste - I like my pasta quite spicy, and hence the 3 peppers)
- Salt - a pinch
Topping:
- Dried herbs (mixture of oregano,basil & Red Chilli flakes)
Method:
1) Boil pasta with little salt and as per pack instructions. Drain and drizzle 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil into it.
2) For the Low Cal White Sauce:
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the Whole wheat flour into it and roast it till a nice aroma wafts out. Tip in the boiled skimmed milk and vigorously whisk it in. Turn heat to low, and add salt, black pepper powder. Let it simmer for 3 -4 mins till the White Sauce reduces slightly.
3) Add the boiled pasta, chopped green chillies, Tabasco and Tomato Sauces. Give it a nice stir.
4) Transfer to serving plate and top it with dried herbs & grated cheese.
5) Enjoy warm along with any bread and/or soup.
meenab says
this is yummy
hmm wheat flour for sauce i havent tried but have used maida for it.
i like those macaroni shape a lot. err i do use normal oil to cook here and i add cheese in white sauce too
like u said the more the merrier
wonderful dish
Anonymous says
Hey..
thanks for trying the recipe. It looks so tempting.
And yes even I have never heard of using whole wheat flour for white sauce. Will try it next time.
Unknown says
wow thats so tempting recipe dear,luks yum...
The Pumpkin Farm says
looks awesome, like your new header too
Anisha says
This sounds interesting... The low cal version of white sauce. I too prefer white sauce over the red and love penne over all the other pasta...
Anisha says
I felt it's more brighter here than usual... then I noticed the header change... It's good!
Rosh says
Looks delicious!
Archana says
Looks absolutely delicious. I would be surprised if you had any leftovers.
Sravs says
so inviting and delicious pasta !!
Ongoing Event - CC-Dish For Loved Ones
Sensible Vegetarian says
Delicious looking pasta, lovely colors.
Anzz says
Thus looks so delicious. I especially like the low cal part..! 🙂 2 thumbs up.!
My event- Valentines Day Special
saffronstreaks says
very flavourful and yummy pasta, looks delicious, just right for my lunch
Myvegfare says
very delicious.., kids love these..
Rasi says
This is dinner for us tonight 🙂 ..blog hopped my way here! following you now! do drop by my space, sometime 🙂
Sangeetha M says
very delicious n yummy pasta...i too love pasta in red sauce 🙂
Spicy Treats
OnGoing Event:Show Me Your HITS~Healthy Delights
Unknown says
Looks healthy and awesome!
Priya Sreeram says
low cal white sauce is interesting kalyani- nice; thanks for linking it to my event dear !
Unknown says
some one s cooking all fancy kal pasta looks super
Deeksha says
Pasta looks very tempting. Love the addition of whole wheat.
Radhika says
Pasta looks so colorful.
Tickling Palates
Event : Let’s Cook – Sweet Somethings
preeti garg says
awesome pasta ...and i loved it absolutely..do visit mine in ur free time 🙂
http://preeti-kitchen.blogspot.in/
rajani says
looks really colorful. love this 🙂