Friday, March 16, 2012

Quick, Fresh and Delish - Easy Healthy Pasta Dish


I have a confession. I love pasta. My inner Italian yearns for it on a weekly basis. When I joined WW I knew that pasta was going to continue to be a part of my life, but I had to find a way to control myself around it. Meet pasta nests - these pre-portioned fast and easy to cook nests make portion sizing easy! For me 2 small frozen pasta nests = 1 cup of pasta at a 5 pp value, that cooked in 3 minutes!  Have dinner on the table in 10 minutes - with this simple, fast and delicious pasta dinner.
What you'll need:
2 Cup of Linguine (serves 2) - I used 4 fresh-frozen pasta nests (but you can find them in the dry goods at the grocery store).
1 cup of fresh tomatoes cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of zucchini
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 (about a cup and 1/2) of artichoke hearts (cut them in half if they are full)
capers (to your liking)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1/2 slice of lemon (a small squeeze at the end)

What to Do:
Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add salt to pot (pasta water should be as salty as the ocean) drop pasta and set a timer for 2/3 min (so you don't over cook it). In a small pan, place the olive oil in the pan on low heat.  Simmer sliced garlic in the pan, as it becomes fragrant add your tomatoes,  zucchini, and capers to taste. As your pasta timer goes off turn your heat off on both pan/pot and grab some tongs.  Pull pasta straight from the boiling water and into the pan. The small amount of extra starchy pasta water clinging to the noodles will add to the sauce of your dish and will help you use less oil. Lightly toss pasta in your olive oil mixture until its coated evenly, and add in your artichoke hearts. Plate your pasta and squeeze a little fresh lemon over the top.  Viola! An easy-guilt free -fast -filling pasta dinner. enjoy!

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