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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

We all know that pasta is great for you, but can be very fattening depending on what's added. It doesn't have to be such a struggle though. Just follow these steps to get a quick low fat pasta meal.
Ingredients:

1 small red onion peeled and finely chopped (for a sweeter sauce, use a larger white onion instead)
1 can tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 to 2 cups pasta or about 20 to 30 sticks of spaghetti/angel hair
spices to taste, including salt and pepper

1. Cook your choice of pasta in a large pan of boiling water (add a touch of salt to raise the boiling temperature). Angel hair pasta is especially healthy for you, but be careful - just because it's thin and light doesn't mean that you can eat more.
2. Heat a heavy based pan with your choice of tomato sauce. Don't use pre-made sauces like Ragu, instead buy cans of diced tomatoes or even just tomato sauce. These can also come flavored/spiced like Ragu, but are much healthier and give you more options about what to add.
3. Cook for two minutes, then add the onion and simmer until transparent. Throw in any form of spices that you like, things like paprika, salt, pepper, and anything you want to experiment with (all in moderation). Cook for a further 2-3 minutes, then stir in parsley and pull off the heat.
4. Drain the pasta and serve immediately. Keep separate from the sauce until it's in your plate. You will tend to eat more if they are pre-mixed because you will subconsciously think that the sauce is taking up more room.

Throw in fresh vegetables like broccoli or mushrooms to add extra flavor and not many calories. You can also make a thicker sauce without adding fat by chopping up small red potatoes and cooking them in the tomato sauce until slightly soft.
To add protein, throw in lean ground beef with the tomato sauce and onions and cook until brown, then continue with the spices.
Another way to make it even more fresh is to buy whole tomatoes and blend them. This however makes the sauce very watery, so you will have to be sure to cook it over a lower heat for a longer time so that it evaporates without burning.
Spices can be hard to add without going overboard, so when first starting out, it’s ok to use pre-mixed spices like the “Magic Pizza and Pasta” spice mix you can find in any grocery store. However, if you’re using pre-mixed spices, check the label. Most of them already have salt and pepper in them, so you don’t want to add any more of your own, or it will be overdone.

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