KIDS LUNCH BOX - TORTELLINI WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO, CAPRESE,CUCUMBER !

Lunch: Tortellini with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto, Caprese Salad, Cucumber !
 
Snack: Chocolate Biscotti, Longan, Olives !

Recipe for : SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO  AND PASTA
Tortellini is store bought, cook the pasta as per the package instruction and follow the same process given in the above link.  

Make one or two pesto in the weekend and always keep them handy in the refrigerator.  For example this pesto stays good for maximum 10 days in refrigerator and months in freezer.  Pesto can be used in many ways and makes life easier when you pack lunch for kids or adults.   I am yet to post my Basil pesto recipe, stay tuned will post very soon.  I am also posting lunch box recipes one by one so please bear with me :)  Do send me an email or drop in your comments if you have questions.

LUNCH BOX :

SNACK BOX:

 

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ROASTED TOMATO BASIL PESTO

Hi all its been loooooooooooooong time since I visited any of your blogs and updated mine too. But thanks for those who visited my blog and enquiring my absence. Yah its because of place change, weather change, holiday season, I've been so tied up with other things and off course I should blame my little laziness too. Mmmmm at last started from now...I really missed all your beautiful posts for last few weeks. Hope to catch up soon. One recent change in my blog photos will be lack natural day light which is very important for the Food photography. Because of this Minneapolis weather. Also its getting dark earlier and days are very very cold. But anyway I am trying to find out some ways to compensate this.

So after all the above stories here comes the recipe part.. Tomato Basil pesto which is so tasty that you can use for pasta as well as works for sandwich spread too.

Ingredients :

Cherry tomato - 2 cups (Broil it till the skin is lightly blackened)

Walnut - 1/4 cup toasted

Basil - 1/4 cup

Garlic - 1 pod

Lemon juice - 1/4 tsp ( optional)

Paprika - according to your spice level

Pepper - 1 tsp

Olive oil - for roasting the tomato

Salt - as needed

Few basil for garnish

Parmesan cheese for topping

I used Sauteed Mushroom and Broccoli to go along with pasta.

For Pasta :

I used whole wheat Thin spaghetti, its your choice.

Method :

1. Toss the tomato with little olive oil, pepper and salt and broil it.

2. Now in the blender add the tomato along with olive oil and the juice that comes out while broiling.

2. With that add the walnut, basil, salt, Garlic,pepper, paprika, lemon juice. Blend till its coarsely done.

3. Cook pasta with salt. Drain it.

4. If the the pesto is very thick add little water from the pasta and dilute for sauce consistency.

5. Now in the serving plate arrange the pasta add the pesto on the top and garnish with cheese and Basil.

6.Serve with sauteed veggies.

Note :

I sauteed Broccoli and Mushroom with little olive oil, pepper and salt.

You can store this pesto for 3 to 4 days.

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FARFALLINE WITH WHITE AND RED SAUCE

If you are pasta lover with both white and red sauce try both together in same dish. It tastes so yummy and mushroom, carrots and tomato gives good flavor to the sauce. This is one of our favorite pasta.. so I am sharing with all of you.


Ingredients :
Pasta of your choice - 2 cups
White sauce - 1/2 cup
Red sauce - 1/2 cup
Parsley for garnishing
Parmesan cheese grated - 1/4 cup
Red chilli flakes

White sauce :

Butter - 1 tbsp or Olive oil - 1 tbsp (If calorie conscious)
All purpose flour - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Salt Pepper Dried Italian herbs - 1 tsp

Method :


1. First to make white sauce heat butter or olive oil in frying pan.
2. Add the flour and saute till it is roasted or changes to very very mild brown color.
3. Add milk and whisk constantly so that lumps should not be formed.
4. When it starts thickening add the salt, pepper and dried herbs.
5. Keep it aside in low flame.



Red sauce :

Mushroom - 1 cup chopped fine
Tomato crushed - 1 small tin (or 2 blanched, deseeded and pureed)
carrots - 1/4 grated
Pepper , chili powder - 1 tsp
Basil few
Garlic - 1 pod grated
Onions - 1/2 cup
Tomato paste - 1 tbsp (I add store bought one or if you don't have leave it)
Celery - 1/4 cup
Mixed dried Italian herbs - 1 tsp
Olive oil
salt


Method :

1. Heat oil in the frying pan add mushroom saute till golden brown.
2. Add the onion, grated garlic, carrots, celery one by one. saute till they all are golden brown.
3. Add the herbs and spice powders.
4. Add the tomato paste and crushed tomato add water and let it simmer to the desired consistency.
5. Now add the chopped basil. Keep it aside while we cook pasta.





Cooking Pasta :

1. Boil water in the big vessel add some salt. Add the pasta and cook until it is done.
2. Now add this pasta to the white sauce and toss well.

Serving :

1. Spread the pasta tossed in white sauce.
2. In the top add red sauce how much your require.
3. Top with the grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Garnish with parsley.
5. Serve hot to enjoy the full flavor.

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ROTINI BELL PEPPERS(PASTA)

This is one of our favorite pasta I often do at home. So healthy and easy to make and you can get different flavors from garlic and herbs, crunchiness from bell peppers, mild sweet taste from cherry tomato and off course no cheese no pasta. But it does not mean it has loads of cheese just for topping. Sure it will satisfy your taste buds. Here goes the recipe..





Ingredients :

Pasta of any shape - 2 cup(whole wheat)
Garlic pod - 7 grated
Bell peppers - all colors except green 2 cups or more
Shallots - 6
Cherry tomato - 2 cups (whole)
Italian mixed dry herbs - 2 tsp
Chilli flakes as required
Basil chopped - 3 tbsp
Salt as required
Parmesan cheese grated for topping
Olive oil



Method :

1. Add the pasta in the boiling water with some salt let it cook.
2. Meanwhile heat olive oil in the frying pan, add the garlic shallots and saute till golden brown.
3. Add the grated garlic and red chilli saute till lightly brown.
4. Add the cherry tomato it gets warm and starts bursting , at that time add the bell peppers.
5. Saute till the moisture are absorbed. Now check for the pasta and if it is cooked add to this mixture and add the dried herbs and chopped basil.
6. Toss well and serve it in bowl or plate and top it with grated cheese.
7. Garnish with parsely.

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PENNE RIGATE WITH BROCCOLI

Here I have used whole wheat pasta which is more nutritious than enriched white flour pasta. Another ingredient is broccoli whis is very nutritious contains huge amount of vitamin c, folate everything. This is similar to mac and cheese recipe since I had broccoli in my fridge I just added with pasta which tasted so good everyone loved it. So this is how I made.

Ingredients :

Pasta - 1 cup

Broccoli florets - 10 to 15

Milk - 1 cup

Butter - 1 tbsp

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Garlic - 2 pods finely chopped

Cheddar cheese - 1/4 cup grated

Pepper - few

Mixed Italian herbs - few

Nut meg - 1/4 tsp

Salt

Basil, Red chilli flakes, parmesan cheese for garnishing.

Method :

1. Bring water in pot for boiling pasta season with salt and cook pasta.

2. Blanch broccoli in hot water, remove it and drain.

3. For making white sauce, heat butter and olive oil in the frying pan once the butter is melted.

5. Add the chopped garlic and saute for few seconds.

5. Add the flour and mix it so that raw smell disappears and color of flour slightly changes.

6. Now pour the milk and whisk immediately well to avoid lumps.

7. Cook for some time by adding salt, nutmeg, herbs and Pepper.

8. When it starts thickening add cheddar cheese and let it cook for some time , stir it constantly.

9. Now to this add the cooked pasta and broccoli mix well and garnish with red chilli flakes, basil and parmesan cheese.

10. Kids will sure love it offcourse we too....Enjoy.

Note :

1. Since we areusing more cheese I reduced the amout of butter in making white sauce and added olive oil.

2.Parmesan cheese is optional.

3. Instead of broccoli we can use green peas too.

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