Family Favorite...PASTA

Pasta is a favorite family comfort food—it’s quick and easy to cook and always tastes good.

But with all those carbs can it be healthy too? You bet! The trick is to keep portion sizes under control and compensate by adding more lean protein and vegetables into the mix.

You might also skip the “regular” pasta, which is made from refined grains, and instead opt for whole-wheat varieties as we did in this recipe. Whole-wheat pasta is a good source of dietary fiber, and it hasn’t been stripped of the grain’s important trace nutrients and phytochemicals. So eat healthy this weekend try our Pasta with Procsiutto and Spinach recipe and tell us how you liked it!

Pasta with Prosciutto and Spinach

Cheese tortellini adds great creaminess and flavor to this dish, and makes it super-simple. Beyond the pasta, you just need to cook some spinach (chard, kale, or almost any other green will work too), and toss everything together. You can also substitute pancetta(my personal favorite) or bacon for the prosciutto, but if so, you need to cook it until crisp before adding to the pasta.

1 (9-ounce) package fresh whole wheat cheese tortellini (such as DiGiorno)
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 teaspoon olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup (1 ounce) preshredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Transfer pasta to a large bowl.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add nuts to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally. Add nuts to bowl.

3. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach to pan; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Add spinach mixture, cheese, and remaining ingredients to bowl; toss well.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)CALORIES 292 (28% from fat); FAT 9.2g (sat 3.2g,mono 2.3g,poly 1.1g); IRON 1.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 32mg; CALCIUM 103mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38.8g; SODIUM 618mg; PROTEIN 14.6g; FIBER 3.8g

Super easy recipe that tastes GREAT! Try it tonight.

Happy Cooking,

Linda and Rachel