Layered Pasta

Its been a long time since I did a post on a recipe outside Indian kitchen. Infact, while I checked my recipe list, I realised there has not been a single post on Pasta yet though I have posted the "base sauce" sometime back. So, to complete it, here is the recipe for homemade pasta, well ofcourse, with store bought sauce, cheese and pasta of your choice.

Pasta is very easy to make and can be a good choice of a complete meal when you have sudden guests or on one of those tired evenings when you want to spend less than 30 minutes in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

- 3 cups pasta
- 1 cup grated mozarella cheese or any cheese of your choice
- 1 cup tomato base sauce or store bought pasta sauce
- 1 cup white sauce (homemade or store bought)
- 2 tsp olive oil or any cooking oil
- Salt and Black Pepper to taste
- Mixed Italian herbs for seasoning

Prep time: 30 mins                       Bake time: 10 mins

Preparation:

- In a large pot bring enough water to boil. Add 1 tsp of oil and salt and add the 3 cups of pasta. Let the pasta boil for approximately 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the basic tomato sauce if you are not using the store bought sauce.
- Drain the boiled pasta and pour some cold water on it to allow the pasta to be separate and not sticky.

- Smear 1 tsp of oil in a wide baking dish or melt just a little butter to coat the bottom of the dish.

- Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom and top it with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

- Spread half of the boiled pasta on the cheese and cover it with 1/2 cup of white sauce.
- Now, layer the remaining pasta and top it with the rest of the tomato sauce followed by the white sauce and shredded cheese.

- Pre-heat oven to 300 deg F and bake for 10 minutes. If you do not have an oven, microwave for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts on top and begins to brown slightly.

- Serve hot sprinkled with some crushed black pepper and the Italian herbs!