Lunchbox Series: Pasta cooked with vegetables and soy chunks

I cook the pasta and rice in a pressure cooker. This saves lot of time and gas. I will write a separate post on how to cook the pasta in a pressure cooker. You can buy and store pastas of different shape so kids don’t get bored with what we send them for lunch. I have shell, penne, macaroni pasta and spaghetti at home all the time.

I always aim to make his meal complete with carbohydrates like rice/roti/bread/pasta, protein like chicken,egg, tofu or soy chunks, vegetables and dairy like cheese/milk/yogurt. It should be a one pot meal where the child gets all the required nutrients in one shot. Today I am sharing the recipe for a vegetarian pasta dish made with vegetables like carrot, beans, peas, zucchini, cabbage and soy chunks. I love soy chunks. It’s meaty and chewy. I flavored the pasta with ginger, garlic and green chilly pasta and tossed in some vegetables and curry power / chaat masala (whichever your child likes). I sprinkled Parmesan cheese to give a creamy texture.

Vegetarian Pasta Dish

Today I am sharing the recipe for a vegetarian pasta dish made with vegetables like carrot, beans, peas, zucchini, cabbage and soy chunks. I love soy chunks. It’s meaty and chewy. I flavored the pasta with ginger, garlic and green chilly pasta and tossed in some vegetables and curry power / chaat masala (whichever your child likes). I sprinkled Parmesan cheese to give a creamy texture.
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Course: lunch
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: VEGETARIAN PASTA DISH
Total Time: 20 minutes
Author: Advika Menon

Ingredients

For the pasta

  • 1 cup raw pasta (whole wheat) | quinoa or brown rice pasta for gluten free kids
  • Enough water to cover and cook

For the vegetable base

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp  ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 green chilly, minced
  • 1/2 cup red onions, finely chopped
  • 1 cup  vegetables ( carrot, beans, peas, cabbage, zucchini) – cubed
  • 1/2 cup soy chunks ( soaked in hot water, excess water squeezed and cut into small cubes)
  • 1 tbsp milk or water
  • 1/4 cup parmesan or cheddar cheese or any cheese of your choice (optional)
  • 1 tbsp cilantro
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 Pressure cooker with whistle
  • 1 Large cooking pan

Instructions

  • Pressure cook the pasta with excess water for 1 whistle. Let the pressure settle down. Open and run through a colander. Set them aside.
  • As the pasta cooks, simultaneously work with the vegetable base. Heat oil in a pan. Once hot, add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for a minute. Then add green chilly and onions. Sprinkle little salt to sweat the onions. Cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the vegetables & soy chunks,and cook covered for 10-12 minutes.
  • Add curry powder or chaat masala and little milk or water to bring them together as a sauce, about 5 minutes.
  • Mix in the pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cheese can be added at the end. That’s purely optional. Garnish with cilantro for a desi touch.
  • Pack lunch with a fruit for dessert and little cheez-it to snack at 3.00PM

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