New Pasta Trials

We recently got in some really amazing one-pot meals. They have a great variety and are easy to make. They boast easy clean up and great taste. How could it go wrong?

Most of the ones we carry are also Vegan, so it's an easy meal to have on hand if you are or someone you know is Vegan.

This week, I made 3 different ones to see how they turned out and give you my impressions. Here you go!

First up, The Spaghetti with Herbs. 

This is a nice dish. It calls for 3 1/5 cups of water and it really means 1/5 not 1/2. The pasta is smooth and the flavor is rich and tomato-y. It suggests adding some sesame seeds, I suggest roasted veggies too.

Next, Trofiette Pasta with Basil Pesto

The question is, how can a Vegan Pesto be creamy? The answer is, don't drain your pasta. The silky starches from the cooked pasta, combine with the herbs to make this pesto sauce have a really great mouth-feel. The flavor is bright and the pasta is this cute wiggly shape that reminds me of moustaches. It also has sunflower seeds in it and I love their crunch, but there's never enough of them. It suggests Parmesan Cheese additions and I agree. I also suggest a couple tablespoons of unsalted sunflower seeds just because.

This leaves the Fregola with curry & raisins for last.

Okay, this one took a bit longer to cook than the directions said. The water just would not absorb! However, I think you should only cook it as long as the directions say, because it actually absorbs more as it cools (making leftovers a solid block). This isn't a curry like Indian curry. It's very mild and I ended up drizzling it with Olive-n-Grape Hot Chili Oil. I love the little nuggets of pasta, they're very fun, but I think this one needs the most additions. After the picture, I tore up some spinach to add in and extra raisins as well. I think this would be great with some browned sausage tossed in as well and maybe a few diced tomatoes.

These were so much fun. I can't wait to try more!