Pasta

Skinny Mac and Cheese

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Pasta, Posts, Recipes

Skinny Mac and Cheese_3

 

Mac and cheese, the ultimate comfort food, right? I’m a total sucker for Velveeta, too. At our house, as a kid we used to have macaroni & cheese and hot dogs. Healthy. Unfortunately, comfort food equals an unsightly amount of calories. Calories we, quite frankly, can’t afford to be consuming. Not if we want to fit into our super cute, bought it a little-too-tight because I know I can lose weight before the event dress, for example. I can’t tell you how many of those I own.

Total sucker for comfort food. Yes, I’m the one in the Kenmore Fridge ad – the one who grazes. Regularly. That’s why I try to keep my fridge as snack-free as possible. But not all mac and cheese is bad for you. Honestly. (more…)

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Clam and Parsley Linguine

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Pasta, Posts, Recipes, Seafood

Clam-and-Parsley-Linguine

Since I got back from Sydney, Australia, I have been on this crazy seafood kick. I loved seafood before – I’m talking crab legs, oysters, lobster, salmon, snapper, shrimp, you name it I’ll eat it. But after the trip, I have been craving it almost daily. While in Sydney, I had the pleasure of trying Australian Barramundi, native to Northern Australia. I’ve found that in general, people in the U.S. like to have their fish filleted before they eat it. I, on the other hand, find it more appetizing to order grilled fish and have the whole fish handed to me on a platter. Some may say, “ew, how can you eat it when it’s looking at you?” Well, I don’t really think too much into that. The eyes don’t really catch my attention as much as the rest of the fish. I’d say, if you haven’t tried it that way, give it a try. You may surprise yourself and actually like it. (more…)

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Skillet Lasagna

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Pasta, Posts, Recipes

 

Lasagna, comfort food at its finest. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or patience to boil noodles, and then layer and wait for baking time. This week seems to be dragging. Midweek can feel either closer or further away from the weekend, depending on how Monday and Tuesday panned out. This week, Wednesday felt a long way away from Friday. The thought that Friday wouldn’t get here any sooner only made me lazier, not wanting to run errands or tidy around the house. Instead, I started dinner, and curled up with my new favorite app – iBooks. (more…)

Sea Scallops with Lemon Pepper Pasta

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Pasta, Posts, Recipes, Seafood

 

I have not abandoned Measuring cups, Optional.

I know it’s been over a week since I’ve posted new recipes – but all for good reason. It’s been a hectic two weeks around here. I started a new job with tons of new responsibilities. With a background in communications and public relations, I wanted to branch out of the agency world and move to an in-house position where I can focus all my efforts on one client – rather than seven, or more, at a time. Week one went great (for those of you interested)! With the earlier hours, I now have time to go to the gym (something I’ve been slacking on) and make dinner, with time to see my family, watch TV or blog.

I have been living on a combination of eating out, and quick meals. But I was able to make this light pasta dish with sea scallops – a seafood I’ve been wanting to experiment with.

Sea Scallops with Lemon Pepper Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

10 large frozen Sea Scallops
1/2 package Spaghetti Noodles
4-5 tablespoons I can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light
Lemon Pepper spice, to taste
Sea Salt, to taste
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
 

Directions

Defrost sea scallops in the microwave.
Meanwhile, boil spaghetti noodles, as directed on the package.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and spray with olive oil cooking spray.
Sprinkle salt on the sea scallops, then pan sear 3 minutes on each side.
Remove from heat.
Drain the spaghetti noodles, then mix in I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light and Lemon Pepper to taste. 
Serve the sea scallops on top of the pasta – or mix them in (but be careful not to break the scallops).
 

 

Servings: 2

Nutrition Information: Cals 370. Carbs 36g. Fat 12g. Protein 28g. Sodium 386mg.

 

 

 

 

 

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Fish Lasagna

categories: Pasta, Posts, Recipes, Seafood

Bet you’ve never heard of fish lasagna before this blog post. Well, this isn’t your average red-sauce, ground beef lasagna. It’s so much better. It basically consists of tilapia, lasagna noodles, lots and lots of cheese and a creamy alfredo sauce. This recipe is brought to you by my mother. It’s one of my favorite dishes from home. And I just found out – the day I recreated this dish – that it’s one of my mother’s own creations.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mom’s Fish Lasagna Recipe
 
Ingredients
2 jars Light Creamy Alfredo Sauce
9 Lasagna Noodles
2-3 Tilapia Filets
2 tablespoons I can’t Believe It’s not Butter
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Sea Salt, to taste
Lemon Pepper Spice
Mozzarella Cheese, to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese, to taste
 
 
Directions
Rub each tilapia filet with butter and lemon pepper sauce, then broil for 15 minutes until flaky
Meanwhile, boil the lasagna noodles with olive oil and sea salt
Once the lasagna noodles are done boiling, lay flat onto paper towels to dry. 
Break the tilapia into pieces.
Layer the Lasagna in a baking dish as follows: Alfredo Sauce, Noodles, Tilapia, Alfredo Sauce, Mozzarella, Parmesan – Noodles, Tilapia, Alfredo Sauce, Mozzarella  Parmesan – Noodles Tilapia, Alfredo Sauce, Mozzarella, Parmesan. Don’t put tilapia over the top layer of noodles. Just use Mozzarella and  Parmesan Cheese. 
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. 
Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes to melt the top layer of cheese. 
 
 
 
 
Servings = 6-8
 
Nutrition Information: Cals 347. Carbs 23g. Fat 19g. Protein 24g. Sodium 938mg. Sugar 2g.

Baked Pasta and Meatballs

categories: Pasta, Posts, Recipes

 

We’ve had a pretty busy Sunday running errands and getting ready for the upcoming work week. I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks weekends are way too short. If it were up to me, we’d have five-day weekends and two-day weeks. Doesn’t that sound much better? If only …

Since I made it to the grocery store and filled our fridge and non-pantry up with goodies for the week, I thought I’d throw together a laid-back early Sunday night dinner. It’s a little twist on the average pasta.

Baked Pasta and Meatballs

Ingredients

Pasta of Choice (I used Bow Tie Pasta)
Tomato Sauce of Choice (We had some Tomato Sauce with Garlic and Basil)
1 can Mushrooms
Mozzarella Cheese
Beef Meatballs 
 
 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil pasta as directed.
Saute drained mushrooms in a small saucepan, add pasta sauce and simmer. 
Drain noodles, mix together pasta sauce and noodles, then pour into a baking dish. 
Place meatballs on top of the pasta, add thick layer of mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes, until cheese is fully melted.
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