Pasta a staple for quick and nutritious meals
On any given weekday, there are three certainties waiting for me
when I get home. The first is a large pile of laundry sitting on my
bed needing to be folded (folding laundry appears to be such a rare
talent that I am the only one in the family who possesses it.) The
second is that someone needs to be driven somewhere, always at the
most inconvenient times. And the third is, that instead of a
”
Hi, Mom, how was your day?
”
the greeting I receive is the age-old
”
Hey, what’s for dinner?
”
Pasta a staple for quick and nutritious meals
On any given weekday, there are three certainties waiting for me when I get home. The first is a large pile of laundry sitting on my bed needing to be folded (folding laundry appears to be such a rare talent that I am the only one in the family who possesses it.) The second is that someone needs to be driven somewhere, always at the most inconvenient times. And the third is, that instead of a “Hi, Mom, how was your day?” the greeting I receive is the age-old “Hey, what’s for dinner?”
My response to this is typically “food,” followed by “the kind you eat” when someone inevitably asks “what kind of food?” I’m not always being sarcastic when I respond this way – though I often am – it’s just that I don’t always know what’s for dinner seconds after opening the front door.
I love my family, and I love to cook, but honestly, planning meals is not my forte. I try to shop for a week’s worth of meals when I go to the grocery store. This usually doesn’t work for several reasons, the simplest one being that I sometimes don’t know on Saturday what I might feel like eating on Thursday. Other reasons include finances (some weeks I’m richer than others), time (I hate starting a meal after 6 p.m.) and because it’s difficult planning quick yet nutritious meals.
There’s the rub, so to speak – Americans are busy nowadays. Parents work long hours; kids are involved in everything from dance and art to soccer and martial arts. So kind food manufacturers try to help us poor, tired moms out by creating dozens of easy-to-prepare meals in boxes so that we can claim we are fixing our families a “home-cooked meal.”
The nutritional value of some of these meals, however, leaves quite a bit to be desired. A single serving of Betty Crocker’s Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni (the only mix my kids would even consider eating even if I did temporarily lose my mind and purchase it) has 160 calories, 23 of which are fat calories. The total fat content is three grams, or four percent of the recommended daily allowance. That three grams includes 1 percent saturated fat and 1 percent trans fat.
If that doesn’t sound too bad, consider this: a single serving is listed as 1/3 cup. My mother’s dog could eat 1/3 cup of Hamburger Helper in 30 seconds, and she’s a small dog. Figure that most people would easily double that amount, and the numbers start to look a little shaky. And the sodium intake is outrageous – 820 milligrams or 34 percent of the RDA per serving!
While there are times where I do rely on packaged meals – usually like a rotisserie chicken or tri-tip – I try to balance them out with fresh veggies, some type of grain and maybe some fruit.
But rather than let someone else do my cooking, I try to find recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, but are still good for my family. Many of these recipes include some sort of pasta. And before the carbohydrate bashing begins, let me say this – there are good carbs out there, and many of them are found in pasta.
Carbohydrates are essential to every diet, as they are the main source of energy for the body and brain. A person cannot adequately function, physically or mentally, without the right amount of carbs. And pasta is one of the best carbohydrates out there – it has a low glycemic index, meaning it won’t cause a spike in blood sugar, and it’s also a better energy source. And because pasta dishes usually include vegetables or meat, it is a great way to get a variety of healthy foods into your diet. Also, pasta is made from semolina flour, which comes from durum wheat, a hearty, hard wheat that is not refined like wheat used to make breads, cookies or cakes.
My family enjoys pasta dishes, and I find that most of them are fairly easy to prepare. Another great thing about many pasta dishes is that they can be made ahead of time. So if I’m feeling extremely productive on a Sunday afternoon, I can assemble a dish, such as the Baked Penne below, and have it ready to stick in the oven Monday after work.
I still answer “food” to the “what’s for dinner” question on those days, though. I wouldn’t want to throw the cosmos out of whack.
Straw and Hay
1-16 oz. package of uncooked linguine
2 c. julienned fully cooked ham (Farmer John’s Ham Steaks work really well)
1 tbsp. butter or ½ tbsp. olive oil
2 c. frozen peas
1-1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. milk or heavy whipping cream
Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute ham in butter for three minutes. Add peas; heat through. Drain linguine, toss with ham mixture, Parmesan cheese and milk. Serve immediately.
Chicken and Pesto Pasta
1-16 oz. package of uncooked Farafelle or bow-tie pasta
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. prepared pesto (Christopher Ranch has a good pesto available in the produce sections of local stores)
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed fat-free cream of chicken soup
2 c. fully cooked chopped chicken
Cook pasta according to package directions. Combine milk, pesto and soup; add chicken. Pour chicken mixture into a large skillet, heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer five minutes. Drain pasta. Stir heated chicken mixture through drained pasta. Serve immediately.
Baked Penne
1-16 oz. package of uncooked penne pasta, or other small tube pasta
1-1/2 lbs. extra lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1-28 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
1-15 oz. carton of low-fat ricotta cheese
2-1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown ground beef with garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer.
In a separate bowl, combine eggs, ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
Drain pasta; add to cheese mixture and toss to coat. Spoon about 1/3 cup of sauce mixture into a lightly greased 13×9-inch pan; top with half of pasta mixture. Repeat layers; top with remaining meat sauce.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10-12 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand alone for 15 minutes before serving.
Note: If the dish is assembled the night before, add approximately 10 minutes to cooking time.
