A Side of Spaghetti Al Pomodoro, Two ways….

Spaghetti Al Pomodoro is a simple, yet classy and tasty dish that you will find at most any Italian restaurant. As I pointed out in a previous post, pasta dishes can be full of calories and fat and therefore not figure friendly to those watching weight or trying to eat healthy. Try this version that cuts the fat by using less oil and adding more flavor with dialed up doses of tomato, garlic and basil. Want to cut calories and carbs even more? Try it with spaghetti squash instead (recipe also listed below). You can also do the spaghetti squash version if you are on a gluten-free diet! Serve this as a side dish with chicken or fish, or have two servings with a salad if you want to make it a meal.

Ingredients:

4 oz whole wheat spaghetti or spaghetti squash (2 cups cooked)*use spaghetti squash if you are on a gluten-free diet)
2 cups chopped tomato
2 cloves garlic, diced or 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Recipe using whole wheat pasta:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Two ounces of dry long pasta bunched up in your hand, such as spaghetti, thin spaghetti, linguine or vermicelli, is about the same size as the diameter of a quarter. Two ounces of dry pasta yields about 1 cup of cooked pasta. You will need twice that amount for this recipe.

While the pasta is cooking, put the oil and garlic in a medium pan and add the tomatoes and sauté on low heat for 3-5 minutes until tomatoes begin to soften slightly, then remove from heat and set aside. Drain the cooked pasta and add to the pan with the tomatoes. Cook on low to medium heat for a few minutes stirring occasionally. Toss in the fresh basil and cook one more minute- then serve.

Recipe using spaghetti squash:

An average four pound spaghetti squash will yield about 4-5 five cups so you will need a half that for this recipe. Cook the spaghetti squash by piercing it a few times with a fork, place in a shallow pan and bake it whole in a 375 degree oven for about 60 minutes. Or it can be cooked by microwaving whole (after pierced with a fork a few times) for 20-30 minutes. The squash is done once it is very soft when pierced with a knife. Let the squash cool for 10 minutes then cut in half, scoop out seeds and discard. Then scoop out the flesh of the squash which will be stringy like pasta and set aside.

Once the squash is done cooking and it is cooling, put the tablespoon of oil and garlic in a medium pan and add the tomatoes and sauté on low heat for 3-5 minutes until tomatoes begin to soften slightly. Add the cooked squash to the pan with the tomatoes. Cook on low to medium heat for another five minutes stirring occasionally. Toss in the fresh basil and cook one more minute- then serve.


Makes 3 cups, four servings

with whole wheat pasta:

Serving size: ¾ cup Calories 140 Protein 5 g Carb 22 g Fiber 4 g Sugars 3 g Fat 4 g saturated fat <1 g Sodium 5 mg

with spaghetti squash instead of pasta

Serving size: 3/4 cup Calories 70 Protein 1 g Carb 9 g Fiber 2 g Sugars 4 g Fat 4 g saturated fat <1 g Sodium 20 mg