So let me just start of by saying that I have over cooked my fair share of rice. It actually happens a lot more than I'd like to admit. For some reason my rice cooker can't cook more than 2 cups of rice at one time. Any more than that and it will turn into mush on the bottom and be all crunchy on the top. It took me far to long to realize that was what was going on with my rice. So imagine my surprise when I discovered brown rice pasta. At first, I was amazed that brown rice could even be turned into pasta. Then I was suspicious. If I can get mushy rice just by cooking more than 2 cups of it at once, how easy will it be to over cook this pasta? No one likes mushy pasta. No one. Despite my concerns I decided to give it a try and I am SO glad I did! It's better than regular pasta! The texture is definitely different than whole wheat pasta though. I'd say it's more like a regular white flour pasta. The brand that we found is called Tinkyada. We get it from Safeway. It's a little pricey so we don't get it often but if you need a good gluten free pasta every once in a while, this is your brand! The package says that it will never get mushy and it wasn't lying! I got busy with the boys once while making it and left it on the stove for an extra 5 mins. You would have never even known! It came out perfectly!
Now what to pair this brown rice pasta with... Meat sauce of course! And a sneaky, healthy sauce at that! This is a recipe I came up with on my own. I go mostly off of smell when I cook so please bear with me while I try to explain how I make it. I start off with 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes, a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, and half a bag of frozen butternut squash (thawed). You can make your own fresh squash if you'd like but I only like to buy produce when it's in season. Plus buying it frozen saves me the 45-50 mins it takes to roast a squash. Put the squash and both cans of tomatoes in a food processor. Now this is where it gets tricky for me since I don't measure. You may have to use your nose a bit to see if it smells right to you. You can use Italian herb seasoning or you can use individual herbs if you have them (basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary). I used the Italian herbs when I first started making this recipe so if that's easier for you, go right ahead! Put the herbs in the food processor (maybe about a tbsp of the Italian herbs) along with some crushed red pepper (if you like it hot), about 2 cloves of garlic, and some salt to taste. There's your sauce recipe! Super easy! You can make and freeze this sauce as it is OR you can cook it with ground turkey and hot or mild Italian turkey sausage. Make the recipe your own! You can use fresh herbs and add some spinach to the food processor (the fresh herbs help camouflage the spinach) to make it that much healthier! Instead of meat, chop up some grilled eggplant and mix it into the sauce. Get creative! You really can't go wrong :)
Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
28 oz Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
14.5 oz Can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
5 oz (half of a 10 oz bag) Frozen Butternut Squash (thawed)
2 cloves of garlic
Italian Herb Seasoning (or dried/fresh herbs of choice)
Crushed Red Pepper
Salt
20 oz Ground Turkey
Hot or Mild Italian Turkey Sausage, remove from casing
Put all the ingredients, except the meat, in a food processor and process until smooth or desired consistency. If you have a small food processor you can do this in batches. Remove the turkey sausage from casing and combine it with ground turkey in a large skillet. Cook on medium high heat until cooked all the way through. Add tomato sauce and cook until sauce is warm. This is when you can adjust the flavor of the seasonings to your taste (I'm sure everyone has a different preference for how their spaghetti should taste). Serve over brown rice pasta or regular spaghetti.
Now what to pair this brown rice pasta with... Meat sauce of course! And a sneaky, healthy sauce at that! This is a recipe I came up with on my own. I go mostly off of smell when I cook so please bear with me while I try to explain how I make it. I start off with 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes, a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, and half a bag of frozen butternut squash (thawed). You can make your own fresh squash if you'd like but I only like to buy produce when it's in season. Plus buying it frozen saves me the 45-50 mins it takes to roast a squash. Put the squash and both cans of tomatoes in a food processor. Now this is where it gets tricky for me since I don't measure. You may have to use your nose a bit to see if it smells right to you. You can use Italian herb seasoning or you can use individual herbs if you have them (basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary). I used the Italian herbs when I first started making this recipe so if that's easier for you, go right ahead! Put the herbs in the food processor (maybe about a tbsp of the Italian herbs) along with some crushed red pepper (if you like it hot), about 2 cloves of garlic, and some salt to taste. There's your sauce recipe! Super easy! You can make and freeze this sauce as it is OR you can cook it with ground turkey and hot or mild Italian turkey sausage. Make the recipe your own! You can use fresh herbs and add some spinach to the food processor (the fresh herbs help camouflage the spinach) to make it that much healthier! Instead of meat, chop up some grilled eggplant and mix it into the sauce. Get creative! You really can't go wrong :)
Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
28 oz Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
14.5 oz Can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
5 oz (half of a 10 oz bag) Frozen Butternut Squash (thawed)
2 cloves of garlic
Italian Herb Seasoning (or dried/fresh herbs of choice)
Crushed Red Pepper
Salt
20 oz Ground Turkey
Hot or Mild Italian Turkey Sausage, remove from casing
Put all the ingredients, except the meat, in a food processor and process until smooth or desired consistency. If you have a small food processor you can do this in batches. Remove the turkey sausage from casing and combine it with ground turkey in a large skillet. Cook on medium high heat until cooked all the way through. Add tomato sauce and cook until sauce is warm. This is when you can adjust the flavor of the seasonings to your taste (I'm sure everyone has a different preference for how their spaghetti should taste). Serve over brown rice pasta or regular spaghetti.