White Sauce Pasta

Tharu’s favourite cuisine is Italian. She likes pasta, especially white sauce. Usually pasta and the sauce is cooked together. But in this recipe, the pasta and the sauce are cooked separately, and mixed before eating. So you can have just enough sauce or some extra with your pasta. The white sauce has just the right amount of cheese, neither too much, nor too less. Generally, I try to avoid the use of maida in cooking. Nowadays I have substituted the maida in cakes with wheat. But in this recipe, I have used a meagre quantity of maida, only for the sauce. I console myself by saying that the quantity of maida used here is way less than the maida used in all the samosas and kachoris we eat outside.

This recipe was given to me by my friend Lakshmi Vishwanath. My twins have a group of friends and we call the group Ballerinas’ group, after the ballet performance by them in our apartment’s cultural event. The little ballerinas once had a get together in Lakshmi’s house. That’s where I came across this recipe and the unique way of serving. The kids enjoyed having pasta in this new style. I have used my preferred vegies, but you are free to experiment with those of your choice. Broccoli is part of the original recipe, but I couldn’t add as I ran out of it. You can just place the sauce on the table and give your little one a bowl of pasta. I’m sure he or she will enjoy mixing the pasta on their own. 

Preparation time: 10 minutes| Cooking time: 20 minutes

Cuisine: Italian| Course: main

Ingredients:

Pasta-1 cup

Onion- 1

Garlic- 3 to 4 pearls

Carrot-1

Capsicum-1

Baby corn- 3 to 4

Maida- 1 tblsp

Milk- 1 ½ cup

Cheese – 1 cube

Pepper powder- 1 tblsp

Pasta seasoning- 1 tblsp

Salt- as needed

Oil- 1 tsp

Butter- 2 tblsp

Method:

1.       Heat three cups water in a kadai. When it starts boiling add a little salt and teaspoon of oil to it. Then add pasta. Cook in medium flame until al dente (just cooked).

2.       Drain the excess water and keep the pasta aside.

3.       Heat butter in a kadai. When it melts add finely cut onion and garlic. Stir well.

4.       Now add finely cut carrot, capsicum and baby corn. Fry well until it is cooked.

5.       Then add maida and stir well.

6.       Now add milk and mix everything together. Make sure there are no lumps. Let the milk boil in medium flame.

7.       When it reaches desired consistency, add grated cheese. Give it a boil.

8.       Now add pepper powder and pasta seasoning. Give it stir and switch off. The white sauce is ready.

9.       Before eating, serve the pasta in small bowls and pour required amount of white sauce on top of it and serve.

Notes:

·       Make sure pasta is not over cooked.

·       You can also add broccoli along with the veggies.

·       The white sauce tends to thicken, when it becomes cold. So adjust the consistency accordingly.

·       If you feel the white sauce is too thick after cooling, you can add a little milk to it and give it a boil.

·       Generally pasta is added to white sauce and cooked in kadai. But in this recipe, we mix the pasta and white sauce, just before serving. 

Step by step pictures

 boil 3 cups water and add a teaspoon of oil

and salt. add the pasta and cook it al dente( just cooked)

drain water and keep aside.

 heat butter in a kadai.

add onion and garlic and fry well.

 add the veggies and stir well.

 when the veggies are cooked

add a spoon of maida and stir well.

 add milk and mix well 

take care that lumps are not formed.

cook till it reaches desired consistency

 grate cheese on top of it.

sprinkle pepper powder and pasta seasoning.

give a boil and switch off.

white sauce is ready.

before serving, you can mix 

the white sauce with pasta and serve.