A few weeks ago I signed up for the Whip it Up! challenge put on by RA and Nic. I figured this would be good for me because although I like to cook, I -
- Mostly bake
- Rarely cook because I’m too lazy
- etc, and so on.
And Dave would be REALLY happy to have me cooking more, because when we moved in together I “promised” to cook at least once every two weeks. I may or may not have upheld that bargain haha.
Week 1 – the suggested theme of the week was pasta, so why not! I made Asian Pasta, partly because it was easy, and partly because it called for fresh cilantro, which I had plenty of from my herb garden!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (8 ounce) package thin spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 dash soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
Place pasta in a large bowl, and toss with the sesame oil, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper. Add the red bell pepper and cilantro and toss again until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Serve chilled.
This came out really well, and was super quick and easy. I loved that once it was done I could pop it in the fridge, and I had lunch for a few days at work, with a ton more for Dave to have during the week too. Really, I love pasta in most any form, so I didn’t see how I could go wrong with this one!
I think making it next time I would use a little less Cayenne pepper, because although I liked the spicy kick it gave the pasta, it borderlined on being a little too much.
I’m thinking that I’d also throw in some scallions, and Dave said he would want to put in peanuts, but he can do that if he’s the one making it.
The fresh cilantro in the pasta was AMAZING, and I’m (im)patiently waiting for more to grow so I can use it in something else.
Yum! Looks like the perfect dish for a summer night.
Mmm, this looks great! Now I want some pasta.
oooh this looks delicious. i may have to try this.
Way to step out of your baking comfort zone! It looks great.
This looks really great! I’m hungry for pasta now!
yum! I’m a huge fan of pasta… I really should cook it more.
Nice…you could always add a pinch of sea salt and ginger (use ginger…just a TINY bit though) to the noodles for an interesting kick. Plus it’ll preserve them a little better.