Pasta dishes....or even just sauce recipes!

[XUfan]

I have a boatload of pasta!!! All shapes and sizes, stacked neatly in the "pasta section" of my pantry. Besides spaghetti sauce, mac & cheese, and pasta salad...does anyone have any good recipes for pasta dishes?

I'm looking mostly for side dish ideas, since I'm allergic to meat. My family eats all kinds of meat, though. But, if it's a main dish that I can make for all of us, and add meat to their part, tell me about it. I can probably use it!!

We love flavor!! Hot and spicy, herb and garlic, whatever! We're not flavor wimps!!

Here are some ideas of things I'm looking for...

* I'd love a good recipe for Alfredo that is lower in fat than the orginal
* Cheese sauces with FLAVOR (the Kraft Bistro Sundried Tomato, for example)
* Anything with cream soups
* Anything made with chicken or beef broth (doesn't affect my allergy at all!)
* Casseroles...especially if they have lots of veggies in them

In other words....be creative!!! I like variety in my meals!!

Thanks!!!

[jedda]

I'm warning, I don't really measure anything, unless I HAVE to, so these are just suggestions/ideas.

*Asian pasta salad (good for nights that are too-stinking-hot-to-cook) - take cooked, chilled pasta (leftover works great), add veggies (I use shredded cabbage and carrots, cucumbers, green onions, and whatever else needs to be used up from the fridge), add chopped cashews and dress with asian-style dressing (I got a ton of Kraft for next to nothing, so I came up with this salad as an easy lunch that would use up some of the dressing.) Toss and serve, you can top it with leftover sliced chicken or steak, whatever works. Sometimes I mix in a bit of Sriracha chile paste with the dressing, we're big fans of Vietnamese food and this salad cures a craving.

*Greek-style noodle mess - created out of boredom by the staff at the last restaurant that I worked at.
cook long noodles (linguine works great). while pasta cooks, make a thin gravy with veggie or chicken stock and a bit of cornstarch, add garlic, chopped fresh oregano and parsley, lemon zest from one lemon, heck you can add the lemon juice too (I usually do) and a dollop of anchovy paste (or 2 minced oil pack anchovies). I usually add a bit of red pepper flakes too. When the sauce is ready, pour over the cooked/drained noodles, top with crumbled feta and more herbs. Yummo. Also tastes good staright out of the pan standing in the walk-in cooler during a 14 hour shift, but you didn't hear that from me.


Let me take a look at my kitchen notebook and I'll update if I find anything else that you might like.

[Andra]

This is one I like to make:
Spinach pasta:
Any cooked pasta of your choice
Fresh or frozen spinach
1/4 cup Olive oil
One Garlic clove
Grated or shredded parmesan cheese

While the pasta is cooking combine olive oil and garlic in a blender, chopper or food processor.

If using frozen spinach, thaw ahead of time and drain, then add to the garlic/olive oil mixture and chop to a pesto consistency. Drain pasta and immediately mix in spinach mixture. Stir over low heat for a few minutes if you need to to get the spinach warmed through.
OR
If using fresh spinach, chop it really fine and remove the stems. Add to the boiling water when the pasta is almost done cooking (less than a minute, just enough to cook the spinach.) Drain the pasta and spinach. Stir in olive oil/garlic mixture.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

This is one I want to try (from Mark Bittman, The Minimalist Cooks at Home):
Pasta and Zucchini (goes good with linguine, spaghetti, etc.)

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 or 3 zucchini cut into thin slices
2 eggs
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 fresh parsley or basil
Salt and black pepper (freshly ground is the best)

While the pasta is cooking,
Heat oilve oil in a skillet at medium-high heat. Add zucchini and saute until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and
black pepper to taste.

Beat eggs and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese together. When the pasta is done drain it and add it immediately to the egg/cheese mixture, tossing until the eggs appear cooked. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Toss in the herb and zucchini. Serve immediately, passing the remaining Parmesan at the table.

[kadoatie]

There a couple good pasta dishes at Cooking I believe... such as one with penne pasta, shrimp and a tomato cream sauce. Looks yummy.

[jedda]

* I'd love a good recipe for Alfredo that is lower in fat than the orginal

I forgot to post this last night - sorry!

Lower-fat (and super-easy) alfredo-ish sauce

Melt 8 ounces of room temp lowfat cream cheese with 1C lowfat (1% or 2%) milk. Just wisk it together over medium-low heat until everything is smooth and sauce-like. Add a dash of garlic powder and some black pepper. Add salt to taste. You can thin it with some more milk if you want a thinner sauce, or cut back a bit if you want it thicker (to top veggies or something). Serve over pasta of your choice, sprinkle each serving with grated parmesan or romano. Serves 2 (makes about 1 3/4 C sauce.) Feel free to double/triple/quadruple as needed, depending on the size of your family, and whether your kiddos are little ballerinas, or 16-yo linebackers.

It doesn't have quite the same richness as Alfredo sauce, but it doesn't put you into a cream-induced coma either. I used to make this often when I was on WW, I think 1/2 of the recipe is 7 points and it covers a plate of pasta and veggies. That reminds me - I have used skim milk and fat-free cream cheese in the past, and it worked, but you need to melt the cheese SLOWLY over low heat, or it gets rubbery and clumpy. I have only tried this when I know that the items that I'm covering with the sauce have a lot of flavor on their own. Fat free cream cheese tastes bland and artificial to me, so I always add extra garlic. (PS - with fat free dairy stuff, you're looking at about 3 points for 1/2 of the recipe) I think that this recipe works better if there is SOME fat. Frankly, you could use whole milk and regular cream cheese, and you would probably still save fat grams over the original cream-based sauce.

[XUfan]

Thanks everyone!! I had totally forgotten that I posted this! LOL!! Of course, after trying to get into my summer clothes, I might be feeding pasta to the dog, instead of eating it myself!! It's gonna be a long summer if I'm wearing jeans in 90 degree, humid Ohio heat!!

[jedda]

Thanks everyone!! I had totally forgotten that I posted this! LOL!! Of course, after trying to get into my summer clothes, I might be feeding pasta to the dog, instead of eating it myself!! It's gonna be a long summer if I'm wearing jeans in 90 degree, humid Ohio heat!!

Hah. I feel your pain. I live in Florida, it's already blazing hot. 7:20am and 80*, 74% humidity. Ugh.

I just went to kmart and bought new shorts for this summer - I haven't gained weight this winter, just redistributed it. My son asked me "How did you make your butt look like that? it's really round and squishy." He isn't being rude; just observent (at least that's what I'm telling myself.)

I took it as a sign to stop wearing shorts from the juniors department, and finally cave in to the tantilizing call of the "mom shorts".

[hopeky94]

Here's a couple I've been meaning to try, from kraftfoods.com-- plus there are tons of reviews and suggestions from others who tried and loved both dishes!
-Low-Fat Zesty Shrimp and Pasta (You could take out some of the veggies before adding the shrimp, or even cook the shrimp separately)
-Spinach Lasagna

And here's one from tasteofhome.com for Pasta Pizza, which is written as meatless.

Then this one has the WW points listed for it and got good reviews on recipezaar.com-- Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta

And finally... I'm not sure where I found this one, but I'm guessing it might have been from a Yahoo group I used to subscribe to (Frozen Assets), since it has freezing instructions. Sounds like a great use for leftover spaghetti!

Spaghetti Pancakes

2 eggs
2 tbsp finely minced onion
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 1/2 cups cold cooked spaghetti
3 tbsp butter or margarine
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)

In medium size mixing bowl, beat together eggs, onion, oregano, salt & pepper. Add spaghetti and toss well. In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat until foam goes. Add spaghetti mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Cook until bottom lightly brown. Turn out. Melt remaining tbsp butter in skillet. Put spaghetti back into skillet, uncooked side down. Cook until lightly brown. Note: May use spaghetti with sauce and/or meatballs (cut or break up the meatballs; it'll cook better).

For freezing: Make single serving sized pancakes. To thaw, microwave uncovered about 1½ minutes on high.

[hbaqueen]

I know its not exactly what your looking for but I love just throwing frozen chicken in the crockpot with spaghetti sauce of any kind and any veggies and then cook on low for 8 hours take it out shred it and add it to pasta.
Might work for the fam when you were having something else and its so easy and simple but so yummy and good.