The down-low on low-fat Italian
When it comes to Italian food, the thought of pasta, cream
sauces and sausage don’t often conjure up images of low-fat meals.
In fact, the one time I found the official chicken scampi recipe
for Olive Garden I quickly discovered why their pasta dishes taste
so great
– lots and lots of heavy cream and butter.
The down-low on low-fat Italian
When it comes to Italian food, the thought of pasta, cream sauces and sausage don’t often conjure up images of low-fat meals. In fact, the one time I found the official chicken scampi recipe for Olive Garden I quickly discovered why their pasta dishes taste so great – lots and lots of heavy cream and butter.
But it is possible to get the great flavors of Italian food at home without all of the fat that goes with it. The great thing about Italian cooking is that it uses a lot of ingredients that can really pack in the taste, such as garlic, basil and other herbs so if the food is missing some of the butter, oil and cream that traditional recipes call for, it isn’t really missed.
When my mom bought a cookbook entitled “Great Taste – Low Fat Pasta,” I was skeptical at first. But two of the recipes in it have become staples in our repertoire. In fact, the cookbook has been gathering dust on our shelf because we’ve made these meals so often in the last few years we no longer need to look back at the recipes.
The two pasta dishes below have 15 grams of fat or less – so grab an extra slice of garlic bread and eat up.
Home-style baked ziti
Recipes courtesy of “Great Taste-Low Fat Pasta”
12 oz. ziti
2 tsp. olive oil
1 large onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, minced
6 oz. extra-lean ground beef
4 oz. lean ground pork (or Italian sausage)
½ c. dry white wine
2 tbsp. flour
½ c. low fat milk
3-8 oz. cans tomato sauce
¾ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried rosemary
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
4 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
Heat a large pot of water to boiling, and cook ziti until just tender. Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until hot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until onion has softened, about 7 min. Add the carrots and celery and cook until vegetables have softened, about 5 min.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a shallow 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Stir the beef and pork into the vegetables and cook until no longer pink, about 4 min. Add the wine (chicken broth can be substituted) and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 5 min. Stir in the flour until well combined. Gradually stir in the milk and cook until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 4 min. Stir in the tomato sauce and seasonings and cook about 4 min. more. Add the meat mixture to the ziti and toss well to combine.
Spoon the ziti mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 10. min. Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top and bake for 5 min. more until the cheese has melted.
Fettuccine al pesto
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 c. packed fresh basil leaves
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. pine nuts
½ tsp. salt
12 oz. fettuccine
1 c. reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
Heat a large pot of water to boiling and cook the garlic until tender, about 3 min. Reserve the boiling water for the pasta and with a slotted spoon transfer the garlic to a food processor or blender. Add the basil, Parmesan cheese, oil, pine nuts and salt to the garlic and puree until smooth.
Cook the fettuccine in the reserved boiling water until just tender. Drain well.
Meanwhile in a large nonstick skillet bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in the basil puree and the cream cheese until smooth. Add the fettuccine and cook until just heated through, about 2 min.
Garlic bread
A loaf of crusty French or sourdough bread, cut in half lengthwise and then into wide slices
1 cube of butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix butter, garlic and Italian seasoning until well combined. Spread on inside of the bread and place on a cookie sheet. Cook 10-15 min. depending on desired crunchiness.
