Rice Cooker Pasta

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I was feeling lazy the other day and didn't feel like cooking. We'd been cooking up a storm with a bunch of experiments earlier in the week, so I wasn't in the mood to cook. I did, however, want to try this recipe for pasta in a rice cooker that a friend of mine passed on.

She recommended that we use rice pasta because it can stand up to a lot of cooking without losing an al dente texture, so we picked up a little bag at Winco to try it. It turned out pretty well! The rice pasta has a definite texture all of its own and works well in long-cooked pasta dishes.

As usual, I can never leave well enough alone. I tweaked and played with it happily. I did manage to forget that I really abhor any kind of pepper in pasta sauce, so if you're a fan, just add in part of a pepper. (I added half of a sweet pepper we picked up from our local farmer. Artis thought it was good but I hated it every time I took a bite with a bit of pepper mixed in.)

This came out extremely filling, particularly with a little salad on the side. I honestly thought that I'd want more but when I finished, I was pleasantly full.

Also, this makes for a great emergency meal when you're too tired to cook, especially if you have jars of homemade pasta sauce laying around waiting to be used. If not, or if you don't feel like making a sauce, just add about half a jar of your favorite store-bought sauce.

Rice Cooker Pasta [printable recipe]

Adapted from a recipe on Food.com
Serves 2

  • 1 1/2 cups brown rice pasta, uncooked
  • 1 1/2 cups hot water
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup TVP + 1/2 cup hot broth
  • 1/4 cup dried mushrooms
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 generous splash of your favorite red wine
  • 1/4 cup shredded cheese or ricotta1
  • 1/2 tsp each oregano, basil, thyme
  • 1 tsp veggie or mushroom bouillon
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil

Fry up onion, pepper and garlic in a skillet over medium heat until the edges are browned. Season with spices, salt and pepper. Deglaze with a splash of red wine. Add one can of crushed tomatoes. Heat until bubbly, then pour mixture into the pot of a rice cooker. Stir in pasta, cheese, TVP, mushrooms and water. Press Cook. When the cycle finishes, serve with a side salad, a bit of Parmesan cheese and garlic bread, if desired.

Notes:

  1. I didn't have any ricotta on hand and I forgot to add in the shredded. I did, however, use nutritional yeast which can add a cheesy, buttery flavor. (This is one of my latest experimental foods.) Cheese would make this dish even better.