Here's a quick and easy dish that takes very little time to cook. While the water for the pasta is coming to a boil, you can chop the onion and spinach; once the pasta is cooking, you can go ahead and prepare the creamy sauce. Serve this delicious spinach and ricotta pasta with a slice of whole-grain bread or a green salad drizzled with your favorite low-fat dressing.
For people on gluten-free diets, simply replace regular pasta with your favorite gluten-free pasta. My husband likes Tinkyada brand pasta, which holds its texture.
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni, penne or shell pasta
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 10 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 ounce basil, chopped
- 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup nonfat milk
Preparation:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet saute onions and garlic until onions are soft and fragrant.
Add spinach and basil to the skillet, and stir until wilted. Then add ricotta cheese and milk to skillet and stir well.
Drain pasta, reserving a 1/4 cup or so of cooking water. Combine cooked pasta and ricotta mixture in a large bowl. Add the 1/4 cup of cooking water to mixture if needed.
Serve immediately with some freshly ground black pepper.
Serves 6
Per Serving: Calories 296, Calories from Fat 52, Total Fat 5.9g (sat 2.3g), Cholesterol 13mg, Sodium 97mg, Carbohydrate 47.2g, Fiber 3.1g, Protein 13.8g
