Pasta dishes with minced meat are very satisfying and tasty, and are prepared quickly and easily. The products used in the recipes described in this article are accessible and inexpensive, which allows you to diversify your everyday menu on a budget.
Navy pasta is an excellent solution for a hearty lunch. And tomato sauce with onions and garlic makes the classic recipe unique and very tasty.
Stages of preparing vermicelli with minced meat in navy style:
Helpful Tips:
- to reveal the aroma of garlic better, you can cut it lengthwise into 2 parts and press firmly with the flat side of the knife onto the cutting board;
- To make the onion sweeter, you need to add a little sugar while frying it;
- To keep the minced meat crumbly, you need to mix it with 75 ml of milk the day before. This will also allow it to remain juicy;
- tomato sauce should not be thick. If the tomatoes are not juicy enough, you can add water to the sauce;
- You can cut the onion into cubes, and while preparing the minced meat, grind it in a meat grinder.
Vermicelli soup with minced meat
This soup is very easy to prepare and very affordable, but its taste leaves no one indifferent.
Step-by-step preparation of soup with minced meat and noodles:
- Vegetables must be prepared in advance: cut potatoes, carrots and tomatoes into small cubes, chop carrots and pickled cucumbers, grating them on a coarse grater;
- In a saucepan with a thick bottom, heat olive or sunflower oil. Add onions and carrots and sauté for 7-9 minutes;
- Add the minced meat to the onion, season it and fry for another 10 minutes until tender;
- Add tomatoes and cucumbers to the mixture, simmer for another 5 minutes and add water;
- When the water boils, you need to pour the potatoes into the pan and boil them until half cooked;
- Add vermicelli and cook until al dente. Turn off the heat and leave for 20 minutes;
- Pour the finished soup into plates and sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.
Helpful Tips:
- if there is no tomato in the refrigerator, you can use tomato paste;
- The minced meat should be crumbly and evenly fried, all lumps should be broken up with a spatula.
On the eve of Lent, it will be useful to try Lenten pilaf with mushrooms. Recipe here.
Casserole with minced meat in spicy tomato sauce
A casserole consisting of vermicelli, minced meat, sour cream, tomato sauce and a golden cheese crust will appeal to even seasoned gourmets.
Preparation of vermicelli casserole with minced meat and tomato sauce in stages:
- Initially, you need to make the sauce: mix 175 g of tomato paste with 450 ml of water, add sugar and salt (a teaspoon and half of it, respectively). Mix everything thoroughly;
- Chop the onion and place in a frying pan with thick walls, in which the oil, preferably olive, is already well heated. Fry until golden brown over medium heat, add minced meat. Salt, season, fry over medium heat until it begins to darken;
- When the minced meat is ready, pour half of the tomato sauce over it, stir and simmer for an additional five minutes;
- In the meantime, you need to grate the cheese and boil the vermicelli until half cooked, then rinse it thoroughly with hot water to prevent sticking;
- The oven should be preheated to 180°C. The baking dish should be generously greased with butter, preferably butter, then lay the casserole in layers: a layer of pasta, half of the grated cheese, sour cream, part of the meat filling, then again the noodles, the remaining cheese and the meat filling. Pour all this over with a second glass of sauce and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Place the mold in the oven for half an hour.
Helpful Tips:
- if you don’t have tomato paste on hand, you can use tomatoes chopped in a blender, but such tomatoes need to be boiled for about 10-15 minutes longer;
- if there is no butter, you can use olive oil;
- It will be tastier if you use Parmesan as a topping for the casserole.
Casserole with vermicelli and minced meat in the oven
This far from classic recipe for vermicelli casserole can conquer even the most notorious gourmet. It is incredibly healthy and tasty.
Cooking in stages:
- Prepare food: peel and chop the garlic and nuts, also chop the tomatoes in a blender. Grind the cheese by passing it through a coarse grater;
- Boil water for the noodles and add salt, boil the pasta until half cooked, then rinse it with hot water;
- Wash the broccoli, divide into small florets and boil for no more than 10 minutes, adding salt to the water to taste;
- Place the minced meat in a frying pan where the olive oil is already well heated, stir and fry over moderate heat, stirring as often as possible, until cooked. Salt and season it to taste;
- Pour milk into a small saucepan, add chopped garlic and tomatoes, bring to a boil over low heat, then cool. Beat the eggs into the mixture with a whisk;
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, grease the baking dish evenly with olive oil or butter. Lay out the casserole in layers: first vermicelli, then minced meat, broccoli. Pour tomato-milk sauce over the tightly laid layers, sprinkle generously with chopped walnuts and grate the cheese on top. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, depending on the color of the cheese;
- Serve the finished casserole hot, cut into portions. You can decorate with greenery.
Helpful Tips:
- If desired, minced meat can be replaced with boiled smoked ham;
- To keep the broccoli pieces bright green, you need to immediately pour ice water over them when ready;
- You can use vermicelli or any other type of pasta.
Recipe for cooking in a slow cooker
Vermicelli with minced meat is a tasty, healthy and satisfying dish, and when cooked in a slow cooker it is also easy to prepare.
Cooking in stages:
- Peel the onion and cut it either into strips or cubes, the main thing is finely. Fry it in a multicooker in the “Baking” mode for 5-8 minutes. After this time, add the minced meat there and fry for another 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not close the multicooker lid so that excess liquid comes out of the minced meat;
- Add vermicelli, fill the dish with hot water, close the multicooker with a lid, turn on the “Heat” mode and wait 5 minutes (this is done so that the spaghetti does not scratch the multicooker bowl while it is still hard);
- Open the lid of the multicooker, carefully stir the vermicelli with a spatula, add butter to the bowl. Salt the dish, season it, mix again gently but thoroughly;
- Switch to the “Pilaf” mode and wait for the signal. The program is designed to turn off when the liquid has completely evaporated. After turning off the multicooker, divide the noodles into plates.
Helpful Tips:
- Absolutely any minced meat is suitable for this dish, as is pasta;
- vermicelli should only be used from durum wheat, otherwise they may turn into porridge;
- for a multicooker, it is best to use a silicone spatula to avoid damaging the bowl;
- minced chicken can be fried in half the time;
- Before serving, it is advisable to sprinkle the dish with chopped cheese or finely chopped herbs.
Among the recipes presented, it’s easy to find your favorite, because they will not leave anyone indifferent! Try it!
From Italian, “vermicelli” literally translates as “worms.” This product has been around for a long time. It is eaten in all countries of the world, but Italy is considered its homeland. Some sources say that Italian masters came up with vermicelli after they became acquainted with rice noodles.
High quality vermicelli is made from durum wheat containing a small amount of gluten. This is a low-calorie product. On the packaging it is marked with the inscription “group A”.
The shape of vermicelli is thin tubes, very similar to spaghetti. Italian manufacturers offer varieties of this product, each of which is given its own original name. Basically, paste is produced in factories where special industrial equipment is used. It is made from unleavened wheat dough. A quality product with a pale beige color. If the vermicelli has a different shade, then it is either colored or of poor quality.
Varieties of vermicelli
There are three types of noodles based on thickness: ordinary, amateur, and gossamer. The third type is suitable for preparing the first dish.
Cooking vermicelli very quickly
In addition to the above types, there is also vermicelli that does not need to be boiled. These are noodles processed in a special way. Simply pour boiling water over it and leave for 2-3 minutes. In this case, the question is “how to cook vermicelli?” not worth it. Moreover, this product is inexpensive.
When buying such noodles, you need to pay attention to some little things. Firstly, the color. It should be the same shade along the entire length. Secondly, the form. Vermicelli, made in accordance with all requirements, “holds” its shape, it is easy to break, and a crunch is heard. Cracks may be visible on a low-quality product. This indicates that the drying mode was chosen incorrectly during production. During cooking, it does not hold its shape and turns into porridge. Spots that look like mold also indicate poor quality. If the product has a pronounced yellow color, this means that excess dye was used during production.
This type of noodle is not for everyone. Hypertensive patients, people with acute gastritis, and peptic ulcers should avoid it.
Vermicelli is healthy
Vermicelli, which is made from durum wheat, is very useful. It consists of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, water, dietary fiber, starch, saturated fatty acids; minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, sulfur, sodium, phosphorus, chlorine; microelements: copper, iodine, manganese, cobalt, chromium, fluorine, molybdenum. It also contains vitamins B, E, H, PP. Crystalline starch holds proteins.
Cooking vermicelli
So, let's figure it out. Anyone can cope with the task without much difficulty. The product is prepared easily and quickly. Pour water into the pan and bring to a boil. You need to add a spoonful of vegetable oil to the water. This will prevent the product from sticking together and forming lumps. If you turn to Italians with the question: “How much and how to cook vermicelli?” - then any of them will answer you that the readiness of the dish is checked to the teeth. It should be a little hard, as if undercooked.
If you are still in doubt, the cooking time is indicated on the package. Usually it is 5-15 minutes. To avoid mistakes, we choose the average. Cook vermicelli over low heat for 7-10 minutes. After the required time has elapsed, remove the pan from the heat and drain the water. There is no need to rinse the pasta. It is served hot. Meat, fish, and mushrooms can serve as a side dish. Hard cheeses, various sauces and gravies also go perfectly with this dish. A vegetable salad would be a wonderful addition. So, we answered the question: “How to cook vermicelli correctly?”
Vermicelli soup
Noodle soup is delicious and simple. We offer an answer to the question: “How to cook noodle soup?” The simplest solution to this problem would be the following: boil the vermicelli separately, according to the recipe given above, and add it to the soup 5-10 minutes before it is ready. The soup's readiness time is determined by other ingredients. To cook pork or chicken, it will take about 40 minutes (beef, turkey, and lamb need to be cooked longer). Potatoes and carrots will be cooked in 20 minutes, 8-10 minutes will be required for sweet peppers and cabbage. All these products are added to the soup after a certain time. After the pork has cooked for 20 minutes, you can add the potatoes and carrots. Another 10 minutes - and put cabbage, sweet peppers, etc. into the pan. Based on this calculation, vermicelli is added at the end. There is no need to cook it longer than the specified time, as it will boil and the soup will turn into a thick mass. The problem of “how to cook noodle soup” has been solved.
Milk vermicelli
To prepare milk vermicelli, you can follow the advice mentioned above. The noodles are cooked separately (see the section “Cooking vermicelli”), placed on a plate and poured with boiled or heated milk in a water bath (10-20 minutes). Add butter, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar to taste. Natural honey will give the dish a special taste. Remember: it can only be dipped in warm milk; hot milk deprives it of all its beneficial properties. Dried fruits are perfect. A pinch of curry, saffron, grated nutmeg, ground dry ginger, cloves, cardamom will make the dish delicious.
How to cook vermicelli in milk? This process is much more complicated. The milk is brought to a boil. You need to be very careful so that it doesn't escape. Add a spoonful of butter. Vermicelli is dipped into boiling milk. The amount of noodles should be significantly less than the amount of milk, about half. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly. Removed from heat. The dish is seasoned with any of the ingredients listed above. So we figured out how to cook milk noodles.
Cooking vermicelli in a slow cooker
The process of cooking noodles in a slow cooker is very simple. You need to fill the vessel with water, put the product in there and set the “Vermicelli” mode. The multicooker will do everything itself. Therefore, the answer to the question: “How to cook vermicelli in a slow cooker?” - is the simplest.
No store-bought pasta can compare with homemade noodles. Flour of the highest quality and careful rolling will allow you to make an indispensable addition to aromatic chicken broth.
Rolling out the dough is somewhat difficult due to its rigidity. Having sprinkled it generously, you can roll it up into several folds and continue working. The procedure is repeated, making folds in different places, until the layer becomes transparent. Before cutting, the workpieces can be slightly dried in the oven.
The finished vermicelli must be dried thoroughly, allowing it to sit for at least half an hour. Long-term storage implies fragility of the product.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 100 ml milk
- 2 pinches of salt
- 1-1.5 tbsp. wheat flour
Preparation
1. In Soviet times, pasta was created only from yolks, salt and flour, but such dough was so difficult to roll out that vermicelli became unfairly forgotten and gave way to quick porridges and vegetable side dishes. In order not to bother ourselves with a long roll out of non-plastic dough, we will simply add milk to it, thereby giving it both plasticity and taste! If you have a bread machine, knead the noodle dough in it, while simultaneously adding all the ingredients to the machine’s bowl.
2. If not, then pour wheat flour into a container, making a depression in it, and beat a chicken egg into it, pour in milk and add salt. Knead the dough and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. In a bread machine, this process takes a minimum amount of time.
3. The dough turns out kneaded, dense and elastic.
4. Divide it into two or three parts and roll each of them to the thickness of newspaper into a layer.
5. Cut the layer into strips 1.5-2 cm wide - this width will become the height of the vermicelli, remember this when you cut the strips.
6. Then place the strips one on top of the other and cut into thin, thin cubes - the homemade noodles are completely ready!
7. Now, in order for the cooked pasta to be stored for a long time, it must be thoroughly dried. To do this, pour the vermicelli onto a wide board and spread it over it. Dry in the sun or at room temperature for at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally. You can dry vermicelli in the oven for 1-1.5 hours at 80-100 degrees.
Store the finished semi-finished product in a special container or in a tightly tied bag, using it as needed.
Note to the hostess
1. The key to successful pasta is high-quality flour from a trusted manufacturer. In this case, even from the first grade, you will need only the highest.
2. When you put a tray of noodles in the sun, you definitely need to cover it with something, otherwise dust will inevitably get on the product, insects, and maybe even birds will flock to it. Under the cover of gauze or fine mesh, it will dry perfectly and remain clean, but denser fabric, foil and paper will not provide such conditions, because they will not allow air and sunlight to pass through.
3. Carefully cutting the thinnest dough without deforming the rolled out layer is a difficult task. In such a culinary process, a sharp wheel-shaped knife is indispensable. Its edge can be smooth or jagged. Both options are suitable.
4. To store homemade noodles, it is better to choose a spacious container. The jar should not be filled to the very neck, otherwise its contents in the lower part will crumble under the weight of the top layer. For bulk grocery products, glass containers with screw or ground-in lids are recommended. It is allowed to use food grade plastic, but not metal. It is worth checking periodically to see if moisture has accumulated in the storage.
Vermicelli (vermicelli - literally “worms”, Italian) is a well-known and widely popular product, one of the types of pasta (or, as is commonly understood in the post-Soviet space, pasta). Vermicelli, like other types of pasta, is a round stick-tube, slightly thinner than spaghetti. In Italy, local variants with original authentic names are also known. Vermicelli is made mainly industrially from unleavened wheat dough.
It is believed that the idea of vermicelli came to Italian culinary specialists after meeting them, popular in Southeast Asia and brought to Europe by Marco Polo. Italian and, in general, any high-quality vermicelli (as well as other types of high-quality pasta) are made from durum wheat with a small amount of gluten. This is important to remember for those who care about the slimness of their figure, so we are looking for vermicelli on sale with the inscription “group “A”” on the package. We remember that the color of high-quality vermicelli should not have gray shades.
How to cook noodles correctly and for how long?
Pour water into the pan and bring to a boil - now you can add the vermicelli, but first it’s better to pour in 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vegetable oil - so that the paste does not stick together.
Let us remember once and for all: cook high-quality pasta (any pasta, including vermicelli) correctly al dente (that is, “by the tooth”, Italian) according to the instructions on the package. After the specified time, drain the water and do not rinse the pasta (this is not required). To cook the vermicelli to al dente, carefully study the packaging (usually it says “cook for 5-15 minutes”, choose the middle one).
Bring the vermicelli in a saucepan to a boil (stir), reduce the heat and cook for 7-10 minutes, then drain in a colander or metal sieve. Serve with meat, fish, mushrooms, grated cheese and various sauces. It is also good to serve vegetable salads and light table non-sulphated wine for better absorption.
How to cook noodle soup?
The simplest option: cook the vermicelli separately (as in the previous recipe, see above) and add to the soup 2-3 minutes before it is ready.
You can do it a little simpler: add vermicelli in the required amount 5-10 minutes before the overall readiness of the soup, which we determine by the readiness of other products. Chicken and pork meat is normally boiled for at least 40 minutes (beef, lamb and turkey - longer, potatoes and carrots - about 20 minutes, bell peppers and cabbage - about 8-10 minutes).
Based on these considerations, you should not boil vermicelli for longer than 5-8 minutes, especially if you take into account the time until the soup is slightly infused and cooled before being poured into a plate and served, otherwise it will boil to the point of “rags”, it will turn out tasteless, and people, as a rule, they want to eat soup, not a mess with crumbling dough.
How to cook milk noodles correctly?
Of course, to prepare this dish, simply cook the noodles separately (see above), add milk heated for 10-20 minutes in a water bath or boiled, season with vanilla or cinnamon and butter.
You can also add natural flower honey (when it cools to warm) and/or steamed dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots). This dish can be made especially delicious if you add dry ground spices to it: a mixture of curry or saffron, cardamom, grated nutmeg, cloves, ground dry ginger, different types of pepper. If you plan to serve milk noodles to adults, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of light Madeira or sherry.
It is located quite far from us. And at the same time, her cuisine has become so closely related to our traditions that no one will even think of refusing another impressive portion of pizza or, of course, risotto. There is nothing to say about the love and respect for pasta - this passion lives in all of us. Some people really like spaghetti or horns, and others like thin vermicelli, despite this, the composition of all of the above products is the same.
But still, sometimes you really want tender chicken broth with elegant noodles and herbs. Or try, say, for breakfast an unusual side dish of small noodles and rice, or maybe just cook noodles and generously flavor it with cheese. So then the question arises: is this right? Really, what needs to be done to make it perfect and not stick together or boil over? So, let's figure out how to cook vermicelli correctly.
About one hundred grams should be enough for only one serving; be sure to take into account that they increase during cooking. Young people who play sports can eat one hundred and fifty grams, and even more. But if you cooked more noodles than necessary, then there is no need to be upset.
All these dishes are even tastier and healthier when heated or fried, because the starch inside is partially caramelized under the influence of additional heat. And for the finished noodles, which are reheated for dinner, you can come up with a completely different dressing - and this will result in a completely different dish.
So, rule one: how to cook vermicelli in a large amount of liquid. Remember: for 100-150 grams of pasta, vermicelli or noodles, take at least one liter of water.
Rule two: how to cook vermicelli in salted boiling water. When the water boils, reduce the heat, then stand near the pan for fifteen minutes so that the water does not boil away!
Rule three. After fifteen minutes we try to see if our vermicelli is cooked. If it’s cooked, strain the vermicelli through a colander, rinse the vermicelli with cold water (this, as we know, removes the starch), then place the vermicelli in a frying pan where the butter or margarine has melted (one tablespoon). Heat the vermicelli for five minutes, stirring gently with a spatula.
Now the vermicelli is ready. Now it's time to refuel. A variety of recipes will tell you how to prepare it.
So, how to cook vermicelli correctly?
It is possible to understand the process of preparing these wonderful ones if we consider the most basic recipes with this delicious product.
For example, we take it with thin noodles.
If you plan to prepare a broth with thin noodles, then you need to take a cup of noodles, a small slice of chicken, a little fresh or dried dill, of course, salt, fragrant bay leaf, black pepper to taste. A piece of chicken is washed, filled with water, the foam must be removed and cooked until almost done. After this, the meat is taken out and cut into pieces. Add vermicelli to the pre-strained broth, add salt, add chopped chicken, and, of course, spices and boil for about 5 minutes. After which the most delicate soup is infused for ten minutes and served.
And finally, a little trick about noodles. You can add a unique piquancy to vermicelli by frying it a little. To do this, pour the vermicelli directly onto a hot frying pan and, stirring, fry until brown. After this procedure, it is possible to add this product instead of rice directly to pilaf or use it in other dishes: casseroles, pancakes, pies, pancakes.
If you follow the advice outlined in the article, you will always figure out how to cook vermicelli in such a way that it does not stick together, does not boil over and is tasty.