Penne Pasta Soup

Penne Pasta soup in cold winter night
Pasta is a gift from Italy to the world, and we are also addicted to Italian cuisine , from kids to young and old , everybody loves Pasta . My first encounter with Italian cuisine, rather Pasta was when we went to Olive Garden for a dinner with friends in Memphis .We were not familiar with the shapes and the sauces or any signature dishes , one of my friend introduced me to the beautiful world of pasta , we ate simple Spaghetti and Marinara sauce that day , but my interest grew more and more ,Till I find some of it in our local grocery "Giant".Although I must admit I have always used boxed type mainly the Barilla, Mullers and San Giorgio brand .I am kind of hooked to the wonderful shapes of pasta , from simple spaghetti, angel hair, ziti, ditaloni,To Penne , Manicotti (pasta stuffed with cheese , meat) ,Farfalle, Rigatoni, Rotini and jumbo shells.
And more here for the type of pasta and shape and the sauce ingredients. Information source for pasta shapes
Do you know Thomas Jefferson is credited for bringing first Macroni Machine to US to make his fav pasta Mac n Cheese after his stay at France , working there as Ambassedor.
Pasta Sauces
~Pesto –a paste of .pounded pine nuts, basil , garlic and Parmigiano Riggiano cheese ,olive oil.
~Bolognese –a slowly simmered sauce with veal (young cow meat) or chopped finely beaf..
~Tomato sauce – red tomato /wine based( most of the time Marsala) sauce wth fine bacon strip. ~Some of the time spicy tomato , garlic ,oilve oil sauce with fresh vegetables or seafood.
~Some signature pasta dishes like Spaghetti alla norma (spaghetti and eggplant/ brinjal ), pasta con de sarde(sardines,pines,oilve and fennel) ,Spaghetti and meatballs are also popular.
~Alfredo –white creamy sauce is one so popular sauce and it is well incorporated with fettuccine.
When making pasta make sure to choose the correct sauces , thin and delicate pasta like Angel hair and thin spaghetti must be made with light sauces , thick pasta like Fettuccine and Ditalini should be made into thick and rich creamy sauces ,
Penne Rigate , the pasta I used for this soup is a classic pasta , it can hold well , so mainly used for baked pasta dishes , anything which goes with Lasagne will go well with Penne pasta , they can be made into chunky sauces with meats or vegetables as well .They are 1and1/2 inch in length , ridged wall and cut slightly slant .This helps to trap the sauce well , they require a minimum of 10 mints of cooking time for the perfect Al dante .This soup is perfect for a cold winter night .

Penne Pasta soup

Recipe Requirements

~¼ packet (boxed) of Penne Pasta
~2-4 broccoli florets /zuccini cut into pieces
~1 sundried tomato
~3-4 baby carrots /capsicum pieces
~¼ cup corn/zuccini pieces
~½ cup of White buton Mushroom cut into Chunks
~1 inch ginger root cut into small pieces
~2-3 cloves of Garlic chopped
~salt and pepper as per taste …
~1 tbs of Mc cormick Garlic Pepper seasoning
salt as per taste ..
~1-2 tbs of Margarine
~1-2 tbs of Sour Cream
~1-2 tbs of any Jar Pasta Sauce (Prego/Rago/Rinaldi )
Method
~Cook Penne pasta in boiling water with some salt , make sure to add bit more water , so that when the pasta is cooked , there is plenty of water remains , this will be used in soup later ….
~Meanwhile heat a saucepan and add margarine , garlic, ginger and and add all the vegetables , ~Add seasoning and fry for some time lower the flame and cook till the vegetables are cooked lttle bit , don’t overcook them , its imporatant the crispness remains .
~Now add sour cream , pasta sauce and the pasta that is cooked with the water in which the pasta is cooked ….just 4 mints and its done ..serve it hot with Some shredded mild cheddar cheese or any cheese of ur preference and some Potato rolls … I also make the above with some chunks of precooked chicken pieces ….

Its awonderful way to warm up in cold winter days , specially when you are in hurry and want a warm filling dish , it fits right into it ....
next time more recipes till then Bon Apetite or should I say Buon Appetito and Happy Cooking.