I’ve always been drawn to the more fattening types of foods. (And sugary, too). Doesn’t mean I eat them all the time, but boy do I have a hankering sometimes for a bowl of golden baked Mac-n-Cheese with bread crumbs. The texture, taste, mouthfeel — it’s just so satisfying and yummy. But since I don’t like the excess fat and calories, I’m always game for trying a lightened version.
Did you know?:
There are actually “rules” for choosing your pasta, specific to your type of dish??
These are Gemilli noodles (pictured above). This type of pasta works well with pesto and beans (a more common type dish in Northern Italy).
Not to long ago, my hubby bought me a book on various pastas – it details how the shape, size makes a difference in how we perceive it in taste. For instance a macaroni or a corkscrew pasta will be denser and feel more satisfying than a Capellini (thin) spaghetti, not to mention it holds onto (heavier) sauce better. So, for starters I chose a denser, compact pasta most similar to Casarecce because I didn’t have corkscrew (proper name: Fusili) or any macaroni. The book is entitled: Pasta by Design. Very helpful for knowing the best suited combos, seasonings and/or sauces to accompany the pasta you are using.
A lightened, yet still satisfying, pasta dish
Now the easiest way to lighten up a pasta dish is to add in fresh veggies into the mix. That means per serving you end up with less pasta carbs and include nutrient-dense veggies that don’t affect the flavor. In fact I think they enhance it! My lightened baked Mac-n-Cheese is all this and a secret ingredient to replace the breadcrumbs. It was all an accident. Honestly I don’t mind breadcrumbs sprinkled on my healthy meal combos, but I didn’t have any bread or bread crumbs available. So I hunted through my cupboard and choose wheat germ – because it roughly has the same texture and it has a mild, nutty sweetness for very little calories (and ADDED FIBER, I should add).
Here I’ve used a noodle similar in shape to Casarecce noodles.
So here’s how I got cookin’ on this recipe:
- 2 cups of cooked corkscrew pasta
- 2 Tablespoons Smart Balance Light
- 2 Tablespoons Wheat Germ
- 1 cup Broccoli
- 1/2 cup garbanzo beans
I started off with my corkscrew noodles. A great choice, because as I mentioned these denser bits of pasta hold onto any type of sauce and/or seasoning much better than thin spaghetti strands. I lightly steamed broccoli. Then, in a pan I heated up Smart Balance Light and added the Wheat Germ – I tossed in garbanzo beans to heat and season. The garbanzo beans add a little more heartiness to the dish (both in satisfaction and plant-based nutrient content). Then I mixed everything together. Now I know this doesn’t sound much like Mac-n-Cheese but the texture and taste had a similar satisfaction that I get from the traditional comfort food. I was going to prepare a dairy-free “cheese” sauce*, but it tasted so good already, so this dish is actually lightly seasoned without the sauce. Probably because in the pasta I chose – Casarecce – is well suited with a sprinkling of pepper and Parmigiano-Regianno cheese (very similar to the simplicity of the seasoning and the texture of the Wheat Germ).
Nutritional Info. to come.
*Note: If you’d like a delicious sauce to make it more creamy, I think this is a very good vegan “mac-n-cheese” sauce from VegKitchen.com by Nava Atlas. And maybe use the Fusili or a Macaroni noodle for best results!!
Enjoy!
Filed under: Build-a-Recipe Inspired, Challenges, diet, healthy lifestyles, kids and toddlers, Nutri-Savvy, nutrition, Recipes, Simple Meals
