Maccheroni, the type might be familiar from the insane comfort food – Mac and Cheese! Well, even though both are tubular, Macaroni and Maccheroni are slightly different. Macaroni is the elbow-shaped, and much more popular variant of the latter. Maccheroni looks like cut up bucatini but with bigger holes. Or a rigatoni with smaller holes, whichever you favour more.
Since the texture of this pasta matches both that of spaghetti/bucatini and rigatoni, you can team it with both rich and light sauce. This time around, I made a spring perfect version with loads of colourful veggies. Maybe, a cheesy, saucy one next time!
Ingredients
- Maccheroni pasta – 1 cup (I used Barilla)
- Broccoli – 100g
- Yellow Bell pepper – 100g
- Onion – 1, medium
- Garlic – 2 medium-sized cloves
- Olive oil – 1 tbsp
- Balsamic vinegar – 2 tbsp
- Lemon juice – to garnish on top
- Salt – to taste
- Cheddar cheese – 1 tbsp, finely grated
- Oregano seasoning – to garnish
Method
- In a large pot of boiling water, add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook for about 7-8 minutes. Or until done. Drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup pasta water.
- Meanwhile, wash the vegetables well. Cut the broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces and chop the bell pepper to small pieces, approximately 1 cm. Transfer them both to a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high for 2 minutes. This ensures the vegetables are steamed. I always like to cook them slightly before adding them to the pan.
- Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.
- Heat olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and onion, cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add the vegetables and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the pasta and mix together. Season with salt and balsamic vinegar, and reserved pasta water and mix.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes until the pasta comes together.
- Garnish with oregano seasoning and finely grated cheddar cheese.
- Squeeze some lemon juice just before you dig in for a refreshing zing!
Lots of new recipes coming, since Corona is keeping us all at home!