So you all know by now that I'm not much of a cook. I would probably experiment more if I had the time and some lessons, but the real problem is that I have a crap-a@@ kitchen with zero counter space. Any dish that requires preparation like chopping or mixing or anything that requires a counter is pretty much out. So if I do cook something myself, I tend to make things that have lots of shortcuts. That's how I ended up making this super-easy pasta dish as one of my regular menu items.
There are three things that I pretty much always have in my pantry and/or freezer: spaghetti, canned tomatoes, and frozen spinach. Every so often, I put them all together. I thaw out the spinach and lightly saute it in some olive oil (or as Ray Ray calls it, EVOO) and minced garlic, then add 1 can of diced tomatoes. Once it cooks down and reduces some of the liquid, I serve it over pasta with a light dusting of the Kraft parmesan cheese stuff.
My lessons on choosing the ingredients:
- I strongly recommend the chopped frozen spinach cuz the cut leaf spinach can be too chunky and doesn't separate as well as a part of the sauce.
- There are lots of varieties of canned tomatoes. If you use one of the kinds that comes with basil, oregano, and garlic, great. If not, you'll definitely want to add in salt, pepper, basil, oregano, etc. to season the sauce and give it more flavor. I used the no-salt added ones today and I actually didn't like it as much, so I'll plan to save those no-salt ones for other recipes that have more flavor built in. I sometimes also add a little tomato basil spaghetti sauce for flavor/texture, but then you'd want to drain off some of the liquid cuz it gets soupy.
- I usually use a long-strand pasta like spaghetti for this dish, but of course it would work with any shape or cut. If you're using whole wheat pasta, I highly recommend the Buonaturae (sp?) brand, which comes in the tan-colored plastic packaging. It's the tastiest I've tried by far.
- Of course, this same thing can be made with all fresh ingredients, which I've done many times. But the beauty of this dish is that it *is* something that can be done when you're running low on groceries and need to use up some of the pantry staples.
Notes on the WW points values:
- The pasta: A 1 cup serving of cooked spaghetti is 4 points. 1 cup of whole wheat pasta is 3 points.
- The tomatoes: A can of plain or no-salt added diced tomatoes is 0 points, but the kind that has the basil, garlic and oregano added in is 1 point per serving. My guess is that this has olive oil added in, which adds calories.
- The spinach: Happy veggie, zero points!
- The olive oil: 1 tsp = 1 point. I also count a little bit extra cuz my minced garlic is in olive oil, too.
- The Kraft Parmesan cheese:- this is roughly 1 tbsp = 1 point
So, this is a really easy, very low-fat recipe that is filling and comes to about 6 - 7 points per meal. Works for me!
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5 comments:
I have another uber-easy and healthy recipe for you (at least, I think it is...)
Tortellini Soup
1 14 oz. can diced, stewed tomatoes
1 14 oz. can veggie or chicken broth
1/2 bag frozen, chopped spinach
1 package tortellini (any kind)
2 tsp. minced garlic
basil, oregano, and rosemary (all preferrably fresh)to taste
1 tsp olive oil
Saute the garlic until it you can smell it cooking, then chuck the canned tomatoes (juice and all), broth, pasta, and spinach in the pot. Cook until everything is heated through, stirring occasionally, then add herbs to taste. (I personally prefer fresh basil, a bit of salt and a bit of pepper)
I don't know how many points are in tortellini, but the soup should be close to point-free otherwise. If you saute the garlic in a little vermouth instead of olive oil, you get a nice flavor and (I think?) less points.
In any event, it's tasty and wicked easy as well.
Sitting here at my desk, with my reconstituted soup for lunch, I'm reminded that an envelope of Cup-A-Soup (to pick the brand I've brought with me) actually makes a nice snack, has very little in the way of calories, and will probably feel more filling than water... Just a thought! (Clearly, I'm avoiding the mountains of work I have to do.)
I've grown found of the packed/dried tortellini. I get the Barilla brand, three cheese. They make a very quick, tasty meal. Similiar, make the pasta as it calls for...then a small can of sauce or diced tomatoes and herbs/spices. Yum.
That does sound easy! I would need to check on the point value of tortellini, cuz I think it's pretty high. But this could probably made with a short cut of pasta, too, and still be tasty.
Beware the tortellini - it can be very high in points - but very filling too - so sometimes worth it!!
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