Pasta is a staple food ingredient of Italian cuisine. It’s basically a type of starchy noodle made from wheat flour or other grain flour mixed with egg or water to form a dough and cut into sheets or shapes which roughly counts to 300 specific varieties. For gluten free pastas, wheat flour is replaced with either rice flour or legumes, yielding a different flavour and texture.
Pastas are available in 2 forms either fresh or dried ones. Mostly store-bought are dried ones. Pastas can be prepared classically by 3 methods.
- Pasta asciutta – cooked pasta served with a side sauce or condiment.
- Pasta in brodo – pasta is served in a soup form.
- Pasta al forno – oven baked pasta.
Pastas are generally cooked al dente which means cooked to be firm to the bite or to the tooth. When cooking store-bought pasta, al dente phase is achieved when the center of the pasta is cooked or changed in colour.
I used Fusilli (Rotini in US) variety which is formed into corkscrew or helical shapes. Also, my fusilli were whole wheat as I always replace white flour wherever possible for it’s nutrient value. Also, my Béchamel sauce is prepared with wheat flour. It’s my healthier version of pasta, loaded with good nutrients as I complemented it with fibrous veggies.
This recipe is a type of pasta asciutta where the cooked pasta is served with white sauce with little seasoning and veggies. It turns out to be a creamy, cheesy pasta and best for kids as its less spicier. You can deceive your kids by adding the veggies they fuss about. Believe me, they won’t mind having the veggies soaked in white sauce.
Prepare the White sauce in advance and refrigerate it as it has a storage life for up to a week. My version of Béchamel sauce is healthier as I include wheat flour. It tastes so heavenly that the inclusion of wheat flour will not be traced unless you disclose it. I’ll share my another variation of Béchamel sauce, obviously healthier version, in my future posts. Are you looking for a spicier version of pasta, then try my Arrabbiata sauce pasta made from Arrabbiata sauce or your palette is craving for a mix sauce / pink sauce, then give a try for my Italian baked pasta.
Click here to jump to recipe card!
Take a deep bottomed pan with sufficient water to immerse the pastas and add salt, oil and let the water boil in high flame. Adding oil avoids the pasta from sticking to each other and salt for taste. Once the water boils, add ¼ kg (250 gms) of fusilli pasta and stir well. Keep cooking in high flame till it reaches al dente texture. It took roughly 15 – 17 minutes as I used whole wheat fusilli.
Cooking time of pasta varies depending on its shape and make. Generally, the instructions would be given in the store-bought packs. Adhere to it.
You can check by taking a bite of the cooked pasta, it should be firm, to the tooth. Or by smashing in between your fingers, should feel cooked throughout the pasta.
Drain the pastas through a colander and run cold water to it to stop further cooking. Keep them aside. It yields roughly 3 and ¼ cup of cooked fusilli pasta. (Quantity varies according to the shape and size).
Take a skillet and heat it with 2 tbsp of EVOO and a tbsp of butter and then sauté garlic and red chilli flakes for 2 minutes in medium flame with constant stirring. Do not burn it, sautéing garlic and chilli flakes impart a great flavor and aroma to the pasta, do not ruin it by burning.
Then add diced carrot and sweet corn kernels, sauté for 2 minutes till it becomes soft. Now add Broccoli, coloured capsicums, sauté for a minute.
Now add the cooked pasta, required salt, sauté for a minute or two till everything blends well. Later add the Béchamel sauce, and keep mixing, till it coats each pasta. Quantity of the sauce varies according to your requirement. I used roughly 3 cups of white sauce. Let it combine well with pasta by cooking for 2 – 3 minutes.
Finally add all the 3 cheeses, stir it well and switch off the flame.
Garnish with sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and chopped black olives.
Healthy Béchamel sauce pasta is ready to serve. It’s so alluring and tempting it’ll be on your frequent menu.
Recipe Card
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Category: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian , International
Serves: 4
Author: Manimala
Ingredients:
For Pasta Cooking:
Dry Fusilli pasta – 250 grams
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Water – enough to soak the pasta
For Pasta Seasoning:
Butter – 1 tbsp
Extra virgin Olive oil (EVOO) – 2 tbsps
Garlic chopped- 1 tbsp
Red chilli flakes – ½ tsp
Diced Veggies – 2 – 2 ½ cups
Cooked fusilli pasta – 3 – 3 ½ cups
Small cherry tomatoes sliced – 6 nos (optional)
Fresh basil chopped – 1 tbsp
Black olives – 1 tbsp (optional)
Salt – to taste
Béchamel sauce – 2 -3 cups
Mozzarella cheese – 2 tbsps
Parmesan cheese- 1 tbsp
Cheddar cheese – 2 tbsps
Instructions:
- Take a deep bottomed pan with sufficient water to immerse the pastas and add salt, oil and let the water boil in high flame.
- Once the water boils, add ¼ kg (250 gms) of fusilli pasta and stir well. Keep cooking in high flame till it reaches al dente texture. It took roughly 15 – 17 minutes as I used whole wheat fusilli.
- You can check by taking a bite of the cooked pasta, it should be firm, to the tooth. Or by smashing in between your fingers, should feel cooked throughout the pasta.
- Drain the pastas through a colander and run cold water to it to stop further cooking. Keep them aside. It yields roughly 3 and ¼ cup of cooked fusilli pasta. (Quantity varies according to the shape and size).
- Take a skillet and heat it with 2 tbsp of EVOO and a tbsp of butter and then sauté garlic and red chilli flakes for 2 minutes in medium flame with constant stirring. Do not burn it, sautéing garlic and chilli flakes impart a great flavour and aroma to the pasta.
- Then add diced carrot and sweet corn kernels, sauté for 2 minutes till it becomes soft.
- Now add Broccoli, coloured capsicums, sauté for a minute.
- Now add the cooked pasta, required salt, sauté for a minute or two till everything blends well.
- Later add the Béchamel sauce, and keep mixing, till it coats each pasta. Quantity of the sauce varies according to your requirement.
- Let it combine well with pasta by cooking for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Finally add all the 3 cheeses, stir it well and switch off the flame.
- Garnish with sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and chopped black olives.
- Healthy white sauce / Healthy Béchamel sauce pasta is ready to serve. It’s so alluring and tempting it’ll be on your frequent menu.
Notes:
- You can use any type of pasta. I personally prefer whole wheat pasta over white flour pasta.
- Almost any small type of pastas like fusilli, penne, farfalle, seashell pasta goes well with this recipe.
- Cooking time of pasta varies on the shape and size. Follow the instructions given on the pack of your store-bought pasta.
- Al dente as mentioned above is the texture of the pasta to be cooked, it should be firm. Italians prefer this texture for pasta, anyways, while seasoning and cooking with sauce, pasta will reach the consistency you desire.
- Choice of veggies and cheese is purely to your requirement and availability.
- I used carrots, sweet corn, broccoli, coloured capsicums. If you are a non-vegetarian, feel free to add chicken or seafood of your choice.
- You can check my Arrabbiata sauce pasta with Arrabbiata sauce where I included chicken franks.
- If your palette is craving for a mix sauce / pink sauce, then try my Italian Baked pasta.
- If the béchamel sauce has thickened after storing in the refrigerator, you can dilute it with milk and re-cook the sauce till it reaches the desired consistency.
- For this quantity it almost needs 3 cups of white sauce. Again, quantity varies depending on your requirements.
- You can prepare the sauce and season the pasta beforehand and refrigerate it. You can just mix white sauce and cheese to the already seasoned pasta and let it combine by cooking 1 or 2 minutes, your instant meal is ready on a busy weekday.
- I used fresh basil, if fresh herbs are not available, use dry herbs of your choice. Herbs, fresh or dry, yields excellent flavours to the dish.