A recent survey revealed that pasta is now the world’s favourite food, knocking off favourites like hamburgers and pizza. While a white, cheese sauce and the good ol’ tomato sauce might be the tried-and-tested options, this Italian staple is

quite adaptable to a variety of cooking styles and flavours. Here are some ways to jazz up a dish of pasta, look beyond the usual spaghetti and penne, you can use any kind of pasta you like for the following dishes.

Macaroni salad with French dressing
Ingredients
2 cups of macaroni, boiled till al-dente (just about done, over-boiling will result in a mash-like texture)
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup of spinach leaves, torn
¼ cup of olives, halved
1 small carrot, chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped

For the dressing:
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, halved

Method
Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a glass bottle and shake well. Keep in the fridge and allow it to settle overnight. You can make this dressing and store it for up to a month in the fridge.
Place all the vegetables and the macaroni in a salad bowl, pour in the dressing and mix gently. Serve chilled.

Bell pepper soup with farfalle
Ingredients
3 red bell peppers
2 cups of chicken stock (can substitute with the vegetable one too)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup of milk
1 cup of farfalle, boiled
Olive oil
¼ tsp of dried, mixed herbs
Salt to taste
Finely chopped parsley to garnish

Method
Deseed and cut the bell peppers into half, drizzle with olive oil and salt and grill them for about 10 mins at 180 degrees C. When this is done and the skin is all charred, take it out and allow it to cool down, and peel the skin. Mix the rest of the pulp in a mixie along with 2tbsp of milk to form a smooth paste.
Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the red pepper paste to this followed by the minced garlic. Stir in the milk and allow this to simmer for about 5 minutes. Season the broth and add the farfalle just before turning off the heat. Ladle into individual bowls and sprinkle the parsley and the herbs, drizzle olive oil just before serving.

Mexican style Lasagna
Ingredients
4 lasagna sheets, boiled as per instructions on the pack
3 cups of tomato salsa
1 cup of rajma (kidney beans), boiled and mashed
1 cup of sweet corn kernels, blanched
1 cup of chicken, boiled with salt and pepper and then cut into strips (vegetarians can replace this with paneer)
½ cup of boiled mushrooms, sliced
½ cup of spinach
1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp of dried herbs
Salt to taste

Method
This dish is more about assembling than actually cooking, so just prepare this about half an hour before you’re ready to serve, that way it will remain hot and fresh.
In a flat glass dish spread out one lasagna sheet that’s enough to cover the entire surface. Now add the salsa to this followed by the chicken, rajma, corn, mushroom and spinach.
Sprinkle herbs and salt to season, add some cheese and cover with another lasagna sheet. Repeat this process till the entire dish is filled. Sprinkle a generous layer of cheese on top to finish off and bake in the oven for 15 mins at 160 degrees Celsius. Serve warm with fresh bread and garlic butter.

Note: You can use any fillings you like right from roasted bell peppers to thinly sliced carrots and even shrimp.

Desi style linguini
Ingredients:
200 gms of linguini, cooked as per instructions on the pack
3 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
¼ tsp of jeera
½ tsp of red chilli powder
Olive oil
Salt to taste

To garnish: 2 tsp of grated Parmesan cheese and some freshly chopped parsley (use coriander if you don’t mind the strong flavours)
Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add the onion to this, cook until the onions start changing colour and add the garlic to this. Keep stirring to avoid it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the garlic has also browned, add the jeera and give it a quick stir. Follow the same with the green chilli. Now add the tomatoes and use the back of your spoon to mash it. Season with red chilli powder and salt and allow this to bubble on a low heat until it begins resembling a sauce. Just before serving, add the linguini to this and garnish with cheese and parsley. Serve hot