When there is love in the air, love must be in the dish. Make your night special with spinach pesto pasta gratin, sautéed French beans and Bruschetta. It is a very simple, easy and quick meal to make. The idea is not to waste time cooking instead all the attention should be savouring the food. The main ingredient should be spinach and basil for pesto sauce and tomatoes, cilantro and corn for Bruschetta. Cheese goes without saying.
Ingredients:
For Gratin:
- 200 gms spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup basil leaves
- 3 green chillies
- 500 ml milk
- 250 gms whole-wheat uncooked pasta (penne or bowtie or a mixture)
- 250 gms cheese
- 1/2 cup whole purpose flour (maida)
- 1 tsp oil
- Salt to taste
For French Beans:
- 250 gms raw French beans washed and cut into two
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp chilli sauce
- 1 tsp oil
- Salt to taste
For Bruschetta:
- 6 roma tomatoes
- 1/2 cup corn (canned or fresh and boiled soft)
- 1/4 tsp italion seasoning
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
- Salt to taste
- 3 green chilli
- 1 French loaf
Preparation:
Pesto Gratin:
- Fill a pan half with water and turn on the heat.
- When water starts boiling, add 1/2 tsp salt and add pasta
- Add 1 tsp oil and boil pasta until soft.
- Now drain pasta in a drainer.
- In another deep pan add milk and bring it to boil.
- Add spinach leaves, basil leaves and green chillies to blender and make gravy out of it.
- In a separate bowl take a cup of milk and add maida. Dissolve the mixture to make a loose paste.
- Now add spinach gravy and maida paste to the boiling milk.
- Simmer until the mixture is thick gravy.
- Turn off the heat and Add 1 cup shred cheese to the milk mixture and mix well.
- Now in a casserole, add drained pasta.
- Pour the pesto gravy on the top and make sure the pasta gravy completely covers the pasta.
- If you feel the sauce is less and can make the dish dry, you can always add more milk.
- Now sprinkle generous amount of cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degree F.
- Place the baking dish into the oven and bake it until the cheese is melted and turns light golden in colour.
- Your main course is ready to be served.
French Beans:
- Now in a pan heat 1 tsp oil and add French beans cut into two.
- Sprinkle salt to taste.
- Sautee beans until soft and look smoked.
- Add chilli sauce and soy sauce
- Mix well and serve.
Bruschetta:
- Chop tomatoes, green chillies and cilantro in chopper and make coarse paste.
- Add salt, seasoning, chilli flakes and boiled corn.
- Mix well and your Bread topping is ready.
- Now cut French loaf into thin slices and place each slice flat on a baking tray.
- Spread butter and sprinkle cheese.
- Bake in the oven until cheese is melted.
- Serve the bread with toppings.
Enjoy the valentine’s meal with your loved ones.
Tips:
Oil is added to pasta while boiling to make sure they do no stick to each other. Also after draining them in a drainer, you can pour some cold water on the tom and let it drain. This will ensure that pasta don’t stick to each other. To make gravy creamier you can also add more cheese and milk.
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