Pasta Recipes And Information
It’s easy to be healthy with pasta! Why? Because it is good for you – low in calories, fat, sodium and cholesterol – and because it is indeed easy – easy to cook, easy to pair with other foods, and just plain fun to eat. If you’re watching your sodium and cholesterol intake, you’ll be glad to know that past fits right in. pasta is low in sodium and cholesterol. One serv- ing of pasta cooked in unsalted water contains less than 0.5 milligrams of sodium. And it’s not neces- sary to add salt to the cooking water. Try a bit of lemon juice instead for a subtle, zesty flavor. There is virtually no cholesterol in most pasta. Some egg noodles, however, do have a slight bit of cholester- ol resulting from the added egg. But don’t be de- ceived, even egg noodles have only 55 milligrams of cholesterol per serving-one fifth of the amount of cholesterol in a single egg.
Major health organizations and the U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture now recommend that 60 per- cent of Americans’ daily calorie intake come from complex carbohydrates,. That’s 6 to 11 servings per day of grain-based foods like pasta. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. In fact, eating just three pasta meals a week can easily help you meet this dietary goal.
The U.S.D.A. considers one serving of pasta to be 1/2 cup cooked pasta, which translated into 2 ounces dry. One entrée-sized portion of pasta, about one cup, would be considered two servings, or one-third of the recommended minimum num- ber of servings of grain products you should eat per day-a very good start at meeting the basic nu- trition guideline. And what easier way to eat right than to savor a plate of steaming spaghetti or dig into a delicious bowl of succulent spirals?
Marinated Beef and Salad Pasta
1lb. Mostaccioli or other medium pasta shape
¼ cup Vegetable oil 3Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Dried oregano 1 Tbsp. Dried thyme
½tsp. Dry mustard
½cup fresh parsley
10 large mushrooms sliced
2 cups leftover flank steak or roast beef, julienned 2 cups snow peas
1 red pepper, julienned
1 yellow pepper, julienned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain. In a large bowl, mix vegetable oil, lemon juice, herbs, mustard, mushrooms, and meat. Add snow peas and peppers and mix thoroughly. Add pasta and mix again. Serve immediately or refrig- erate for one hour and serve cold.
Makes 4-6 servings
Pasta Walnut Fruit Salad
8oz. Medium shells, uncooked
1 8oz. Container non-fat plain yogurt
¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 15oz. Can juice-packed mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup seedless red grapes, cut into halves
1 apple, cored and chopped
½ cup walnut halves
Prepare pasta according to package direc- tions ,drain. In a small bowl, blend yogurt and or- ange juice concentrate. In a large bowl, combine shells and remaining ingredients. Add yogurt mix- ture, toss to coat. Cover and chill thoroughly.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Penne Rigate and Cauliflower
12oz. penne rigate pasta
1½Tbsp.olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small chili pepper
1 cauliflower (divided into florets) 8oz. can Italian plum tomatoes (plus
Juice in can)
8 fl oz. Chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
In a large skillet add the oil and put on medium heat. When oil is hot enough to sizzle a drop of water, add the chopped garlic and the whole or chopped chili pepper. Cook ten minutes, then add the cauliflower. Cook for anoth- er five minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes with their juice. Cook gently for ten minutes, then add the chicken stock. Allow the cauliflower mixture to simmer while you cook the pasta.
Add the cream to the cauliflower mixture and remove the chili if whole. Squash the cauliflower with a potato masher. Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce. Serve at once.
Make 4-8 servings.
Breakfast Kugel
1lb. Lasagna, uncooked
1 24oz. Container low-fat cottage cheese 1tsp. Vanilla
¼tsp. Salt
5 tart, juicy apples, cored, peeled, and sliced thinly 1tsp. Cinnamon
2 cups raisins (optional)
2 cups apple sauce, no sugar added 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse in cold water. In a food processor or blender, puree the cottage cheese and mix in vanilla and salt. Mix in cinna- mon with apples. Mix raisins into apple sauce. Spray a 9x13x2 inch baking dish with vegetable spray. Stating with lasagna, layer lasagna, apple sauce mixture, cottage cheese mixture and apples, ending with a layer of lasagna. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and cheese is bubbly. Serve hot or cold, or re-heat in microwave.
Serves 8-10
Bowties with Spinach Sauce
and Cheese
12oz. Bowties pasta
1lb. Spinach, stems removed, leaves rinsed well
4 Tbsp. Butter
3 medium shallots, minced 1 cup whipping cream
1½ cup finely grated Gruyere cheese Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bowl of finely grated Gruyere cheese (for serving with meal)
Add spinach to a large saucepan of enough boiling, salted water to generously cover. Cook uncovered over high heat about two minutes or until spears are wilted. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain well. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Chop spin- ach.
Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until soft but not brown. Add spinach and cook 1 minute. Stir in 3/4 cup cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper: heat over low heat until just heated through. Taste and adjust amounts of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. (sauce can be kept, covered, up to 1 day in a refrigerator).
Cook bowties according to instructions, then trans- fer to a heated serving dish. Meanwhile, heat sauce to a simmer over low heat. Add remaining 1/4 cup cream and bring to a simmer. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. butter and heat until blended.
Add sauce to pasta and toss to blend. Add 1½ cup Gruyere cheese and toss again. Taste and adjust sea- sonings. Serve immediately with more Gruyere cheese.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Lemon Spaghetti with Chicken
8oz. Spaghetti, or other long pasta shape, un
cooked
2Tbsp. margarine
4 boneless chicken breast halves
1 14oz. can low-sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
2Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 3/4tsp. dried Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional garnishes: sliced scallions, rosemary sprigs or lemon rounds.
Melt margarine in a large, heavy saucepan. Add chicken and brown for about four minuets on each side. Remove chicken from pan. Add remaining ingredients except the spaghetti. Bring mixture to a boil and add spaghetti. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stir- ring occasionally. Meanwhile, cut chicken into 2-inch x 1/4-inch strips. Add to the spaghetti mixture. Cover and simmer 5 minutes, stir. Serve immediately, and garnish, if desired.
Makes about 6 servings.
Hearty Vegetable Chicken Soup
8oz. Egg noodles, or other medium shape pas- ta,
uncooked
2Tbsp. Vegetable oil
2 clove garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, sliced 2 cups fresh broccoli flowerets 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms 1 cup sliced celery
4 cups water
3 14oz. Cans low-sodium chicken broth 2tsp. Thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medi- um heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté until onion is tender. Add remaining ingredients except pats and bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes. Prepare pasta according to packet directions, drain. Stir into soup. Heat through and serve. Serves 8-10
