Cooking Pasta:

Place the water on to boil first. Use plenty of water when cooking pasta because it has so much starch to prevent it from sticking together. Prepare the sauce and then cook the pasta last. Cook the pasta till it is still firm to the bite, al dente. Drain the pasta from the water and mix it with the sauce. Pasta will double in size so cook half as a much dry as you need cooked.

 

 

Styles of pasta:

Spaghetti

Capellini - angel hair

Lasagna

Linguine - medium flat strands

Fettucini - wide flat strands

Rotini - spiral

Ravioli - stuffed

Penne - 1” long tube

Orzo - rice shaped

Shells

Ziti - small smooth tubes

Ruote - wagon wheels

Vermicelli - flat spaghetti

Cavatappi - spiral mini tubes

Gemelli - 1” twisted strands

Rigatoni - large tube

Manicotti - circular lasagna

Tortelli- rolled up donut shape

Acini di pepe - tiny little bits

Macaroni - elbows

 

Sauces:

Marinara - basic tomato

Alfredo - white cheese/cream sauce

Gravy - stroganoff

Pesto - basil cream sauce

Cheese

Mayonnaise

Olive oil, lemon, herbs

Soy sauce

Peanut sauce

 

Vegetables & Add-ins:

Fresh herbs

Tomatoes - fresh or dried

Mushrooms

Garlic

Spinach

Broccoli

Asparagus

Sweet Peppers - roasted or fresh

Zucchini & Summer Squash

Eggplant

Onions

Olives

Cucumbers

Tofu

Gluten

Pinenuts

Nuts

Tofu Ricotta cheese

TVP

Green Beans

Meat Balls

Beans

Corn

Artichokes

 

 

Pasta Ideas: Cook 4 cups of pasta for these sauce amounts

 

 

Macaroni & Cheese

 

8 cups cooked macaroni noodles drained

 

2 cups soymilk

1/3 cup pimentos

1/4 cup yeast flakes

1 Tb. lemon juice

1 Tb. tahini

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp salt

 

1/3 cup white flour

1/4 cup soy margarine

 

In a blender blend the soymilk, pimentos, yeast flakes, lemon juice, tahini, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt till smooth. In a small pot heat the margarine just till melted and then whisk in the flour. Add the blended liquid and whisk together. Heat till thick stirring constantly. Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked noodles and mix. Dump the noodles into a casserole dish top with shredded soy cheese and bread crumbs and bake for 20 minutes at 350˚F.

 

 

Melty Cheese

 

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup pimentos

2 cups water

2 Tb. lemon juice

1/3 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup yeast flakes

2 tsp salt

2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Place everything in a blender and blend on high till smooth. Pour it into a pot and heat it on the stove till it is thick.

 

Macaroni & Cheese

Cooked elbow pasta

Melty cheese

Prepare the cheese and thicken it on the stove. Mix it with the pasta place it in a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.

 

 

Marinara Sauce

 

 

1 large onion diced

4 garlic cloves minced

3 T olive oil

2 cups tomato puree

2 cans whole tomatoes in juice

1 bay leaf

1 T basil

1 T oregano

1 T salt

Dice the onions and mince the garlic. Place in a large pot and with the oil and saute till the onions are tender. Add the tomato puree and simmer for five minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring the sauce to a boil cover and simmer for 20 min.

 

 

Pasta Salads

 

- elbows, spirals, wagon wheels

Cook pasta rinse and chill

Chop vegetables of choice e.g. tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, sundried tomatoes, artichokes,

Mix vegetables with pasta and add some chopped fresh herbs if desired

Toss with salad dressing e.g. mayonnaise; olive, lemon juice and italian herbs, or dressing of choice

 

 

Stroganoff - fettucini

 

 

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup diced onions

1 Tb. minced garlic

4 cups of gluten pieces

Gravy sauce

Saute the garlic, onions gluten and mushrooms in a skillet with a little oil adding them in that order. Mix them with the gravy. Serve hot over cooked pasta 

 

Gravy:

3 cups hot water

1 cup raw cashews rinsed

4 T cornstarch

4 T vegetable oil

2 T Braggs Liquid Aminos

4 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

 

In a blender, blend all the ingredients together till smooth. Pour into a sauce pan, rinse the blender out with another 1 cup of water and add that into the sauce pan as well. Heat till thick.

 

 

Alfredo Sauce

 

1/3 cup oil or soy margarine

1 carton silken tofu

1 cup water

1 Tb. lemon juice

1/2 cup unbleached white flour

1/2 cup yeast flakes

2 tsp salt

2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 Tb. sesame tahini

Place everything in a blender and blend on high till smooth. Pour it into a pot and heat it on the stove till it is thick.

 

 

Pesto

 

4 c. basil (fresh)

1 c. parsley (fresh)

1/2 c. pine nuts (toasted)

1/2 c. olive oil

1/2 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. garlic (fresh)

1/2 c. yeast flakes

2 Tb. tahini

Place everything into a blender or food processor and process till smooth.

 

 

Lasagna

 

Sauce:

1 large onion diced

4 garlic cloves minced

3 T olive oil

2 cups tomato puree

2 cans whole tomatoes in juice

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 T basil

1 T oregano

1 T salt

2 T honey (optional)

Dice the onions and mince the garlic. Place in a large pot and with the oil and saute till the onions are tender. Add the tomato puree and simmer for five minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring the sauce to a boil cover and simmer for 20 min.

 

Spinach Filling:

2 cups water

1/2 cups soy supreme

2 T lemon juice

1/2 cup yeast flakes

2 T white flour

1 T onion powder

1/4 cup Tahini

1 T salt

Blend all the ingredients in a blender. Pour into a pot and thicken on the stove.

 

2 pounds crumbled tofu

1 1/2 pounds spinach

Mix into the above.

 

Pimento Cheesy Topping:

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups cashews nuts

1/4 cup sesame seeds

3 T yeast flakes

2 1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 cup pimentos

2 T lemon juice

Blend all the ingredients until smooth in the blender.

 

Assembly:

Pour two cups of tomato sauce in the bottom of casserole dish. Place four noodles along the bottom. Pour another 1 cups sauce over the noodles. Spread 1 1/2 cups of filling and 1 cup cheesy topping on top. Place another four noodles down and repeat 1 cup sauce, 1 1/2 cups filling and 1 cup cheese. Complete a total of three layers. End with a fourth layer of noodles the rest of the sauce and drizzle the rest of the cheese on top. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350. Lasagna is best made the day before and the reheated for 30 min the next day before serving.