Weekends are meant for special meals enjoyed with your family. But often the thought of braving city traffic to drive to the fancy new restaurant in town, making reservations or having to wait, dining in a crowded ambience and rushing out to get home before its too late, takes the fun out of specialty dining. So we resort to throwing together things like pasta, noodles and a quick Thai meal at home, when we want to eat something non-Indian. Pasta is one of the easiest things to make - versatile, so many varieties to choose from and can easily be loaded with veggies to make it healthy, yet delicious. This week's SaturdayNightDinner round up presents an Italian meal that goes beyond just pasta and pesto! You have an entire range of options to choose from - covering soups, salads, crispy starters, of course there's more than one pasta, pizza and lasagna too. And to finish it all off, traditional Italian desserts like Tiramisu, and other options too.
As always choose from the menu below, picking one (or more!) option from each segment, depending on what you fancy eating for dinner this Saturday.
1 - Appetizers
A hearty wholesome soup with a few nibbles to keep you going, is an excellent start to a zesty Italian meal. And this week we've picked just that, with this a Spicy, Roasted Pumpkin & Carrot Soup, crusty Bruschetta with Olives & Raisins for a slight sweet undertone,these unbelievably easy and delicious Zucchini Parmesan Crisps.
2 - Main Course
The main course selection this week literally has something for everyone. From a traditional Insalata Caprese, Cheesy Roasted Eggplant Lasagna, to a Healthy Roasted Vegetable Pizza on an Oats Crust, if you're into that kind of thing. And if the yeast-beast worries you, here's a no-yeast-no-bake Skillet Pizza! Bored of good old pesto made from basil? Try this Spaghetti in Green Olive Pesto for a change, and if the thought of marinara sauce also bores you, try this Pasta in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce to switch things around.
3 - Desserts
We can't say the words Italian and dessert without including the word Tiramisu in it. But that's not all, we also have a choice of this easy-to-put-together Fruit Delight and a Peach Sorbet with Fruit Puree for those who like their desserts sweet and tangy.
