VEGETABLE AU GRATIN (BAKED CREAMY PASTA WITH VEGETABLES)

This is a rich and yummy french food, which I usually makes in kids party. Kids will enjoy this food like anything because of its creamyness and cheesy texture with pasta and colourful vegetable. Not only kids, elders will also go behind it and try to do their own in their house.  This food will appear to be a special item if you place it in your party buffet. So enjoy, trying this recipe !!

Ingredients:

1. pasta or macroni - 1 handfull ( penne pasta, fusilli pasta or any kind of smaller size pasta patterns)

2. White sauce - 1 1/4 cup

3. Chopped Mixed vegetables of your choice - 1/2 cup ( brocolli, baby cabbages, carrot, round sliced potatoes, french beans, green peas, spinach, mushrooms - will be the better choice)

4. Butter - 1 tbs

5. Salt - as required

6. Mozarella cheese - 1/4 - 1/2 cup

7. Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup

Ingredients for white sauce :

1. All purpose flour - 1 tbs
2. Milk - 1 cup
3. Butter - 1 tbs
4. Salt - 1 tsp
5. Ground pepper - 1 tsp or as required

Method:

1. Heat a  sauce pan, add butter to the pan. When it slightly started to melt, add the flour and fry for 15 seconds and add the milk to the pan, keep on stirring side by side. Add salt  and pepper. Make sure, there are no lumps. In 1 or 2 minutes the texture will become creamy. Your white sauce is ready now.

2. Take a big vessel and add 4 cups of water to it. Once the water started to boil add the pasta and allow to get cooked. The pasta will become soft and increase double of its size. Once the pasta gets cooked, transfer it to a colander and show that in a running cold water to avoid sticking.  Drain out all the water and keep it seperately.

3. Take a casserole pan or any rectangular pan. Grease it with little butter on all the sides of the pan. Pour the cooked pasta and the mixed chopped vegetable to the tray. Pour the White sauce on top of the pasta and vegetables. Pour the white sauce spreading all over the place evenly.

4. Sprinkle the shredded cheese all over the tray covering the contents evenly.

5. Sprinkle all the bread crumbs on top of the cheese evenly.

6. Calrified the butter and pour on top of the bread crumbs rougly or if the butter is taken just from the fridge just cut out the butter into small pieces and put all over the bread crumbs and bake it in a preheated oven at 220 d C for 40- 45 minutes or until the top of the bread crumbs turns golden brown.

7. Your vegetable au gratin is ready. Cut into small squares and serve it. You can sprinkle fresh  thymes or till leaves on top of the au gratin if you want.

Note:

1. Its not necessary to have all the vegetables mixed together. You can do with any one of two varities or even plain with pasta. The tri colour pasta will be attractive for kids.