Tuesday, May 17, 2011

80--- Poor Man's Pasta with 15-Minute Light Tomato Cream Sauce

No money? No problem. This dish will feed your family and get you a few servings of veggies. I did not do the math, but I promise it is CHEAP!
Beans in pasta? My husband was concerned as well. But he was pleasantly surprised. You will be too.

Eating healthy typically eliminates creamy sauces. But with this addition to your pasta repertoire you won't go hungry! And it only takes 15 minutes to create.



Poor Man's Pasta with 15-Minute Light Tomato Cream Sauce
Serves 5-6


SAUCE
8 oz canned tomato sauce
14 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed and finely minced
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp red wine
1 tsp olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh sweet basil, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup light sour cream



In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until fragrant, ~3 minutes. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, red wine, sugar, basil, salt and pepper and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Whisk in sour cream and heat through for 2-3 minutes.


PASTA
8 oz uncooked whole grain pasta of your choice, prepared al dente, drained and rinsed
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 clove garlic, pressed and finely minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
14 oz canned white beans, drained and rinsed



In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and zucchini pieces and saute until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add baby spinach leaves and saute until wilted. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans, stirring gently until heated through, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

To serve: Add cooked pasta to tomato cream sauce and turn gently with a pair of tongs. Place ~1 cup of pasta on each plate and top with zucchini mixture. Garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutrition info per 1 serving: 390 calories, 5 g fat, 19 g protein, 60 g carbohydrates, 10 g fiber

1 comment:

  1. Hi. I just found your blog through Tasty Kitchen. I love the concept and your recipes look awesome! I definitely qualify as a "poor man" (or woman), and one of my biggest challenges is feeding my family well on a budget. I am excited to try many of these!

    ReplyDelete