I’m a carb addict. I love all things carby and delish. When I was pregnant I was known to eat large loaves of crusty bread with fresh French butter. Now that I’m not, there’s really no excuse for me to be eating nearly as much pasta as I do. I recently tried the new Atkins penne pasta and was seriously wowed. I expected it to be nothing like the penne I know and love. The Atkins version takes longer to cook (about 13 minutes), so I assumed it would be like soggy cardboard. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I boiled the pasta and mixed it with my favorite pink sauce (recipe below), added some fresh basil and just-grated cheese and I was in heaven. When I looked at the back of the box, I was floored. One bowl of Atkins pasta has LESS calories than a traditional bowl, but somehow packs in a whole day’s worth of fiber (sidenote: drink a lot of water).
It was so good that even Matt ate two bowls without noticing that it was “healthy” pasta. He repeatedly mentioned that it was the best dinner he’s had in a while and that it was “really delicious.”
A box of Atkins penne is a steal at $3.99… regular whole wheat pasta is typically $2-4 a box anyway, so why not get something that tastes better and helps you control cholesterol, weight gain, and helps curb hunger!
My super pink sauce recipe…
Ingredients:
- 1 large can or jar of crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 cup of half & half
- 1/2 cup of fresh basil
- 1/2 cup of grated Fontal cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
- fresh ground pepper (you probably have enough salt from the cheese)
Sweat the chopped onion in a sauce pan with a little olive oil, just till translucent. Add the canned tomatoes, simmer 5 minutes. Add the fresh basil and half & half, bring to a boil and immediately reduce the flame to the lowest setting. Add cheeses and pepper to taste and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and reduce. Stir occasionally.
