Sunday 15 September 2013

Garlic and Herb Spaghetti (Vegetarian)

This is a very simple and delicious dish. Took me like 10 minutes to cook it up. The trick is, prep up everything in advance. 

I used whole grain spaghetti from Barilla. Barilla, Italy's most loved brand, says so my Italian friend. Well anyway, put a pot full of water on the stove and wait for it to boil. Add a pinch of salt and add the spaghetti. Once it has softened cover it the pot with a lid so as to increase the temperature of water which in turn helps quicken the cooking process. Total cooking time may take from 7-10 minutes. Keep watching. You can tell the spaghetti is done usually by looking at the colour, it should be almost translucent. If that's tough to tell, just pull out a hot strand of spaghetti and give it a taste check! 

 Tip: Pick whole grain spaghetti if possible! It's healthier and will help you watch your curves.




While your spaghetti is cooking, lets get started on the sauce. Here I have used Garlic & Herb flavoured tomato sauce by Primo. There are some excellent sauces out in the market for example by Barilla (again). You should definitely try the Tomato & Basil sauce by Barilla. So the Primo sauce, I emtieed it in a saucepan and heated it till it came to a boil. As the label suggests its a very thick sauce so you can add water if you like. Also you see it's a pretty big can and contains substantial amount of sauce which is certainly a plus. The only drawback is the storage life of this product. Once you open the can you must use it within 24-48 hours. Since I cook for just one there is a lot that goes to waste even after eating the sauce 3 times a day. Best storage solution is to freeze the leftover sauce. It definitely lasts longer.

Tip: You know the sauce has gone/going bad when the sauce tastes extremely sour. If so, time to throw it out dearies. 

So the sauce and spaghetti are ready and time to plate up! Pile up the spaghetti on your plate/bowl and pour a nice generous amount of sauce over it. Sprinkle some Parmesan and you are good to go! Pick a nice cozy spot in your room and eat it while watching an episode of Friends or Dexter, whichever pleases you.



Tip: To make the dish more fancy, you can add pieces of vegetables in it. Try adding some green pepper, onions, mushrooms, zucchini even! or you can substitute with meat like pieces of chicken, salmon, actually anything you like! Such a versatile dish you are spaghetti!







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