I absolutely love pasta, but it is considered a forbidden food to most “dieters”. Since I refuse to give up my beloved pasta, I have created this healthy alternative to traditional pasta dishes. Remember, no matter how healthy a dish is it's important to stick to the serving size.
We will be breaking one of the cardinal rules when it comes to pasta, by slathering the pasta with a veggie filled, protein packed sauce to add bulk to the dish. So for the foodies out there, feel free to call this dish “Sauce with Pasta!” We will also make another tweak to up the health ante: we’re going to substitute conventional pasta with healthier brown rice pasta. I actually find brown rice pasta tastes pretty close to semolina pasta so you get a healthy alternative without sacrificing flavor.
Cooking is about creativity, so as long as you stick to the items on the food list posted to dawnsbodyshop.com, you can tweak the ingredients as you see fit. Today I am using a combination of zucchini, carrots, onions, and mushrooms with ground bison, (which is a lean meat). Feel free to pick your own favorites! Sometimes I use spinach and mushrooms with ground turkey. I have also used eggplant with diced tomatoes and an all-natural chicken sausage. If I don’t feel like adding meat, I add Shaklee unflavored soy protein instead.
Ingredients-
2 cups baby carrots
1 small zucchini
2 cups mushrooms
1 medium onion
2-4 garlic cloves
1lb ground bison
4 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
1, 30oz can low sodium crushed tomatoes (or use fresh tomatoes**)
1, 30 can low sodium dice tomatoes drained (or use fresh tomatoes**)
1 sprig Fresh parsley
1 sprig Fresh basil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated cheese
Recipe-
Chop your desired veggies to bite-size, or smaller pieces. Feel free to use a food processor to make this easier. In a medium size pot, add 1 chopped onion with a small pinch of sea salt to about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat and sauté for about 5-7 minutes, or until they start to become translucent. Add the other veggies except for the garlic and sauté about 5-7 minutes longer or until the veggies start to become tender. Add the garlic at the last 1-2 minutes so it doesn’t burn. Meanwhile pull about a sprig of fresh parsley and about 5-8 fresh basil leaves from the stem, chop lightly and place in a large bowl. Remove the veggies and any liquid from the pot and add to the large bowl with the parsley and basil.
Add in the ground bison meat to the pot with about a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté until cooked through. Add veggies and herbs to the cooked bison. Top with tomatoes. Add a pinch of fresh ground pepper to taste. Simmer on low until small bubbles start to appear, stirring occasionally. Once the sauce is ready, cook the brown rice pasta according to the directions. Drain the pasta and put the pasta back in its pot with the freshly grated cheese and enough sauce to coat the pasta mix and cook for about 60 seconds over low heat stirring occasionally. Serve 1 cup or about 1 fist size of pasta with about 1-2 cups of the sauce on top. To add spice, add a dash of red pepper flakes.
Note-
Unused sauce can be frozen for later use.
** Homemade tomato sauce – clean and de-stem about 15-20 medium size tomatoes piercing the bottom end and place in a large bowl. (I prefer romana tomatoes). Cover with boiling water and let sit about 2 minutes. Run cold water into the bowl until the water and the tomatoes are cool to touch. The skin of the tomatoes should peel of easily. Once peeled cut into quarters from top to bottom and remove the seed (it doesn’t have to be perfect), crush the remaining tomato meat with your hands or dice with a knife. Use to replace canned tomatoes in your favorite tomato sauce recipe.
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We will be breaking one of the cardinal rules when it comes to pasta, by slathering the pasta with a veggie filled, protein packed sauce to add bulk to the dish. So for the foodies out there, feel free to call this dish “Sauce with Pasta!” We will also make another tweak to up the health ante: we’re going to substitute conventional pasta with healthier brown rice pasta. I actually find brown rice pasta tastes pretty close to semolina pasta so you get a healthy alternative without sacrificing flavor.
Cooking is about creativity, so as long as you stick to the items on the food list posted to dawnsbodyshop.com, you can tweak the ingredients as you see fit. Today I am using a combination of zucchini, carrots, onions, and mushrooms with ground bison, (which is a lean meat). Feel free to pick your own favorites! Sometimes I use spinach and mushrooms with ground turkey. I have also used eggplant with diced tomatoes and an all-natural chicken sausage. If I don’t feel like adding meat, I add Shaklee unflavored soy protein instead.
Ingredients-
2 cups baby carrots
1 small zucchini
2 cups mushrooms
1 medium onion
2-4 garlic cloves
1lb ground bison
4 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
1, 30oz can low sodium crushed tomatoes (or use fresh tomatoes**)
1, 30 can low sodium dice tomatoes drained (or use fresh tomatoes**)
1 sprig Fresh parsley
1 sprig Fresh basil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated cheese
Recipe-
Chop your desired veggies to bite-size, or smaller pieces. Feel free to use a food processor to make this easier. In a medium size pot, add 1 chopped onion with a small pinch of sea salt to about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat and sauté for about 5-7 minutes, or until they start to become translucent. Add the other veggies except for the garlic and sauté about 5-7 minutes longer or until the veggies start to become tender. Add the garlic at the last 1-2 minutes so it doesn’t burn. Meanwhile pull about a sprig of fresh parsley and about 5-8 fresh basil leaves from the stem, chop lightly and place in a large bowl. Remove the veggies and any liquid from the pot and add to the large bowl with the parsley and basil.
Add in the ground bison meat to the pot with about a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté until cooked through. Add veggies and herbs to the cooked bison. Top with tomatoes. Add a pinch of fresh ground pepper to taste. Simmer on low until small bubbles start to appear, stirring occasionally. Once the sauce is ready, cook the brown rice pasta according to the directions. Drain the pasta and put the pasta back in its pot with the freshly grated cheese and enough sauce to coat the pasta mix and cook for about 60 seconds over low heat stirring occasionally. Serve 1 cup or about 1 fist size of pasta with about 1-2 cups of the sauce on top. To add spice, add a dash of red pepper flakes.
Note-
Unused sauce can be frozen for later use.
** Homemade tomato sauce – clean and de-stem about 15-20 medium size tomatoes piercing the bottom end and place in a large bowl. (I prefer romana tomatoes). Cover with boiling water and let sit about 2 minutes. Run cold water into the bowl until the water and the tomatoes are cool to touch. The skin of the tomatoes should peel of easily. Once peeled cut into quarters from top to bottom and remove the seed (it doesn’t have to be perfect), crush the remaining tomato meat with your hands or dice with a knife. Use to replace canned tomatoes in your favorite tomato sauce recipe.
Add Comment
0 Comments
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