Explore the pasta-bilities!
Try making this cheesy tomato pasta topped with panko breadcrumbs
Foodie questions incoming: Are you a pastaholic? Guess how many varieties of pasta there are. Would you say 30?
Try again, my fellow foodies, as there are over 300 varieties.
Can you believe that? I knew there was a lot, but I certainly wasn’t thinking over three hundred.
“What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta!” — Unknown
Off the top of your head, you can likely rhyme off the usual suspects, like spaghetti, angel hair, bow tie, linguini, fettuccine, fusilli, gnocchi, lasagna, macaroni, orzo, penne and ravioli — this list is truly endless.
And we haven’t even touched on the different shapes, textures, flavours, sizes, or thicknesses.
Pasta is an ingredient but also a dish. It can be served as a main entrée, a cold or warm salad, you can put it in soups and stews or plate it as a side.
You can make it as easy as you want or go full-on fancy gourmet.
So many pasta-bilities!
TRYING TUBETTI
I recently bought a package of tubetti pasta because, well, they were so tiny and cute.
My hubby sarcastically joked at the dinner table that it must have taken me ages to cut all the long pasta into hundreds of little bits (insert my eye roll at his “dad joke”).
In all seriousness, there are so many delicious ways to cook with pasta. It partners well with just about every vegetable, sauce, meat and most fish.
What I love most about pasta is how you can play around with different pairings.
CHEESY TOMATO PASTA
This week, we are going to make a simple, yet scrumptious cheesy tomato pasta with a crispy panko breadcrumb crust.
Yes, it’s as good as it sounds, and here’s how to make it.
To make my cheesy tomato pasta you’ll need one package of tubetti pasta (450 grams), one can of peeled, whole tomatoes (about 26 ounces) with the juice, three tablespoons of all-purpose flour, a teaspoon of pepper, a teaspoon of salt, threequarters of a cup of panko breadcrumbs, five tablespoons of butter (room temperature), two-and-a-half cups of old cheddar cheese and two cups of milk.
“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” — Federico Fellini
“What did the spaghetti say to the lasagna? Pasta Lavista!”
— Unknown
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Next, cook the pasta as directed on the package.
However, don’t let it cook entirely; drain it and set it aside a few minutes earlier than the directions say.
While you’re waiting for the pasta to cook, you can chop the peeled tomatoes into small chunks.
MAKING THE SAUCE
Next, heat a medium to large pot on medium to low heat. Then, melt three tablespoons of butter in the pot.
Once melted, add the flour and blend for no more than a minute.
Add the milk, pepper and salt. Stir until combined.
Next, add the chopped tomatoes. Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes to let it thicken and then add the cheese and stir everything together until the cheese melts.
GETTING READY TO BAKE
Now it’s time to add the pasta to the cheesy tomato mixture.
Stir it together until all the pasta is coated. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish that’s been lined with parchment paper.
If you are not using parchment paper or don’t have any, make sure you butter the dish before transferring the mixture. You don’t want all the cheesy goodness to stick to the bottom and sides.
In a medium bowl, mix the panko breadcrumbs with the remaining two tablespoons of butter. I find it best to use your hands.
Next, spread the breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the pasta.
Place the cheesy tomato pasta dish in the oven and bake it for 30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are a lovely crispy golden brown.
Once it’s cooked, you can serve it immediately as a main or a side with salad. It also keeps well in the fridge for about three days — if it lasts that long.
No matter how you decide to plate it, I hope you enjoy my cheesy tomato pasta dish as it is most definitely fit to eat.