Ingredients

For the pasta

• Raw Pasta : 200 Gms
• Broccoli : 15 to 20 florets
• Capsicum: 1/2 sliced
• Fresh cream 250 Ml
• Salt
• Water
• Olive oil or any refined oil

For the sauce

• Egg yolk : 1
• Parmesan cheese : 1 Tbspn
• Fresh Cream : 1 Tbsp

Method

1. Boil water and cook pasta for 10 mins. Do not over cook
2. In another pan heat oil and saute the vegetables for 5 mins
3. Meanwhile mix the egg yolk, cheese and cream with a for and keep the sauce ready.
4. Strain the pasta once cooked and drizzle some olive oil and mix and keep aside
5. Once the vegetables turns soft add the fresh cream and mix well until cream is warm
6. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste
7. Mix in the sauce and switch off flame and give a good toss, add more cream to adjust consistency. 
8. Yummy and simple healthy version of pasta is ready to serve.

Happy Cooking!!

Shabana

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Mac N Cheese Muffins

A very fancy dish with a cheesy flavour. Traditional Mac n cheese in a different presentation. Try this lovely cheesy pasta dish and let me know how you and your family enjoyed it.

Makes around 6-8 muffins

Ingredients

(1 cup = 220 Gms)

• 1½ cups of milk
• 1½ cups of grated cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp of flour
• 2 cups of pasta noodles 
• 2 tbsp of sausage bits ( optional)
• ½ tsp of garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup of bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp of oregano

Mac n Cheese Muffins

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celcius
2. Combine the milk and flour in a bowl and mix until they are well combined.
3. Pour this mixture into a pan and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly, over medium high heat until it thickens up.
4. Add in the cheese, sausage bits, garlic powder,salt , pepper, and stir until the cheese melts.
5. Add in the pasta and toss until well coated.
6. Coat a muffin tray with baking spray or melted butter
7. Put about 3 tbsp of the mixture into each muffin container. Sprinkle some bread crumbs and grated cheese over the top.
8. Place them in the oven for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
9. Garnish with oregano serve, and enjoy your mac and cheese muffins

Happy cooking!
Shabana

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' Macaroni and Cheese ' is one of the favorite Cheese recipes of America. It is said to be born in Italy and now it is a best seller in its 'boxed' version. I am sharing with you a no bake version and this takes very less effort and time to cook.

Ingredients

• Macaroni : 2 cups
• All purpose flour : 2 tbsp
• Milk : 1.5 cup
• Cheddar cheese : 1.5 cups
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and keep aside
2. To about half cup of milk mix the flour without lumps.
3. Meanwhile add the remaining 1 cup milk to a pan and heat it ( need not boil). Once the milk is moderately hot add the flour mixture and stir and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. To this add the grated cheese and mix well until all cheese is well melted. 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste
6. Add the cooked macaroni and mix well in the cheese sauce 

Serve it hot! The beauty of this dish is that you can add any seasonings of your choice.
However this is the simplest!

Happy cooking!!
Shabana.

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Lasagne

Lasagne is a traditional Italian dish, a flat shaped Pasta, oven baked with intervening layers of Béchamel and meat sauce and cheese. This is an easy homemade version without ricotta cheese. The preparation of lasagne  has mainly three steps: one is making the meat sauce and the second being the preparation of Béchamel sauce and finally the assembling and baking. So lets get started!

Ingredients for the meat sauce

• Spaghetti or pasta sauce of your choice : 1 bottle ( 350-400Gms)
• Ground or minced beef : 500 Gms
• Onion : 1 ( diced to small cubes)
• Cloves of garlic : 4-5 (crushed)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooking oil : 3-4 tbsp.
• Water : 1/3 rd cup
• Italian seasoning or dried basil

Ingredients for the Béchamel Sauce

• Butter : 3 tbsp.
• All purpose flour : 3 tbsp.
• Fresh milk : 1 cup
• Cheddar cheese : 1/4 cup

Other ingredients

• Lasagne sheets
• water for boiling
• Mozarella cheese : 60-70 gms
• Parmesan cheese : 40gms
• Crushed Tomatoes : 100gms

Making the meat sauce

1. Add oil to wok and add the minced beef and break to small pieces using a spoon
2. Add the diced onions and garlic
3. Add the spaghetti sauce and the seasonings.( wash the bottle with 1/3rd cup of water and add along with the sauce)
4. Close lid and cook in low flame

Making the Béchamel sauce

1. Heat the butter in a pan
2. Add the flour 1 tbsp. at a time and blend well with the butter
3. Mix well in very slow flame until the dough mixes well with butter
4. Stir in the milk slowly by adding very little at a time and make it into a creamy sauce
5. After stirring in all the milk add in the cheese and mix till cheese melts.

Cooking the lasagne sheets

Boil water in a wide vessel and add some salt and oil to the water and add the noodles and cook for not more than 5 minutes. Do not cook the sheets completely. Drain water and keep aside


Assembling the Lasagne 

Take a square dish or rectangular dish which has space to align 3-4 lasagne sheets and is tall enough to accommodate 2-3 layers of sauces and noodles.

1. Spread a thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish
2. Layer the noodles by slightly overlapping
3. Add a generous amount of béchamel and cover the noodles
4. Add the meat sauce on top of it and sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan
5. Repeat the process by adding noodles again and then béchamel and the meat sauce and both the cheese
6. The top layer needs to be the sauces topped with generous amount of mozzarella and parmesan.

Baking the lasagne

Place in a pre heated oven at 200° C and bake for 30 minutes until the cheese has bubbled and the cheese slightly changes colour on top. Cut into squares and serve hot!

Enjoy Baking!!
Shabana.

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