Cheesy Pasta

Today’s recipe has been contributed by Nandini Srinivasan. She has a 15 months old son, Jishnu. She is an ex-techie, who quit to take care of her son. She stays in U.S. and loves biking and cooking.

She says:

I usually give few cooked pasta to my son before making the whole recipe and he enjoys it as a finger food.

I tried different types of pasta and found the macaroni pasta the best as the babies are more comfortable with small pieces of food.

Whole wheat pasta was selected based on health considerations. (Any type of pasta could be used if macaroni pasta is not available).

Whole wheat pasta in red sauce

Vegetable pasta

Preparation time- 15 mins | Cooking Time- 5 mins

Ingredients:

1. Whole wheat macaroni pasta – 1 cup

2. unsalted butter – 1 tsp

3. Cheese – As needed ( some babies likes the pasta to be very cheesy like mine) .I used cheddar & monterey jack cheese mixed.

4. Crushed tomatoes – 4-5 tbsp

5. Mixed herbs – As needed

6. Garlic powder – As needed

7. Salt- a pinch

Method:

1. Cook the pasta, per the instructions on the label.

2. Heat 1tsp of unsalted butter in a pan

3. Add crushed tomatoes or the tomato puree

4. Cook for a minute and add the garlic powder. (onion powder or sauteed onions could also be added as per taste. The onion powder gives a very strong flavour).

5. Add some mixed Italian herbs.

6. When the tomatoes are fully cooked & a nice aroma comes out ,Add the cooked pasta and toss it for few seconds.

7. Add the cheese and toss it for few seconds, until the cheese starts to melt.

8. Transfer it to a serving bowl.