A coworker noted this week that all my food columns lately have been healthy recipes. He’s right that for the last month I have been trying to incorporate healthy meals for dinner and lunch most days of the week.
But he is wrong about one thing – he said that healthy meals don’t taste good and leave you hungry after the meal. That hasn’t been my experience at all in the last few weeks.
I like to cook and I like to eat foods that taste good so I am not one to go on a strict diet that limits a lot of the things I love, such as pasta and cheese.
I’ve found plenty of recipes that taste great and incorporate many of my favorite meals. None of these meals have left me craving more than one serving or craving other things at the end of the day. If that’s not enough to convince readers that meals aren’t a deprivation, everyone in my family seems to agree that these meals are tasty and filling.
The key to making low-fat meals that taste great is to boost the flavor in other ways. The pasta puttanesca recipe below is a great example. It uses a minimal amount of olive oil and parmesan cheese, but with the other flavor-packed ingredients no one is noticing what is missing.
The recipe includes fresh garlic, flat-leaf parsley, oregano, kalamata olives, capers and anchovy paste (which I left out of the recipe.) With all those other ingredients mixed in, the recipe is not lacking for flavor. We made the recipe as is, saving the extra two servings for lunch the next day.
The French onion soup recipe, too, uses a lot of flavorful ingredients such as fresh herbs, sherry and Worcestshire sauce. The three types of onion add more flavor to the recipe that cuts down on the fat.
It uses a whole-wheat baguette and Gruyere cheese to top the soup when it is put in the oven to get the traditional crispy topping that goes on the soup. These recipes are both fairly low in calories, but still taste great.
Pasta puttanesca
Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger
8 ounces whole-wheat thin spaghetti, vermicelli or angel hair
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 c. pitted chopped Spanish or Greek olives
2 tbsp. capers
1 tsp. anchovy paste
1 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves or 1 tsp. dried
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, preferably “no salt added”
3/4 c. chopped fresh arugula
1/4 c. grated Parmesan
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook, according to the directions on the package.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the parsley, olives, capers, anchovy paste, oregano and crushed red pepper to the skillet, and saute for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the arugula and simmer for 1 minute more, until the greens wilt slightly.
When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the skillet, tossing it with the sauce to combine. Top with grated cheese.
Calories: 283; fat: 6 grams; protein: 12 grams; carbohydrates: 47 grams; fiber: 8 grams
French Onion Soup
Recipe courtesy of Food Network
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lb. yellow onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced, (about 6 cups sliced)
6 shallots, thinly sliced, (1 3/4 c.)
1 leek, white and light green part thinly sliced, washed well, and dark green top reserved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 c. low-sodium beef broth
2 c. water
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. dry sherry
8 (1/4-inch thick) slices whole-wheat baguette (2 ounces), toasted
1/2 c. finely grated Gruyere (about 1 3/4 ounces)
1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
Heat the butter and oil together in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, shallots and leek, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to combine and cover. Cook, without stirring until the onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Uncover, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions are a rich brown color and well caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes. (If the onions begin to stick to the bottom of the pan or burn, add about 1 tablespoon of water at a time.) Meanwhile, tie the reserved leek top with the thyme and rosemary using a piece of kitchen twine.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions and cook, stirring, to cook out the raw flour taste, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the broth and 2 cups water, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan; add the herb bundle. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire and remove from the heat. Discard the herb bundle, stir in the sherry and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Preheat the broiler. Divide the soup between 4 (16-ounce) oven proof bowls or ramekins and arrange them on a baking sheet. Top each bowl evenly with 2 baguette slices and top with the cheese. Put under the broiler until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the chives and serve.
Serving Suggestion: Turn this rich soup into a full meal with a salad of baby mixed greens, sliced endive and beets with a lemon vinaigrette.
Calories 317; Total Fat 10.5g (Sat Fat 5g, Mono Fat 4g, Poly Fat 1g); Protein 15g; Carb 40g; Fiber 4g; Cholesterol 22mg; Sodium 357mg
