How to Make Savory Fillings for Pasta or Vegetables

Stuffing vegetables and pasta is a wonderful way to liven up any weeknight meal. It's really very easy and quick but follow some basic guidelines to get the best results.

For Vegetables:
You can stuff just about any vegetable you can think of; peppers, zucchini, eggplant, winter squash, mushrooms, onions, etc. To make a filling for vegetables, you can use meat or simply other vegetables. If using raw meat and onions, you can sauté them prior to filling. If using ground meat, you can cook the meat inside the vegetables.

For Pasta:
Pasta sheets can be filled with any variety of ingredients from meats to vegetables to cheeses. The most important thing to remember is to keep the filling very, very dry. If it's too moist, your pasta will become sticky and won't cook properly.

For Both:
All filling must be very highly seasoned. When you put a filling inside something (vegetable or pasta) you need to make sure that the filling will also asist in seasoning the 'wrapper'. Go heavy on all seasonings in order to achieve a good result. To test the seasoning, cook a small amount of the filling in a sauté pan and adjust as desired. You can use an egg to help bind savory fillings if desired.

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How To: Cooking Techniques

How to Make Savory Fillings for Pasta or Vegetables