Category: Pasta

Smoked Bacon, Kale and Gorgonzola Pasta – 13sp

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I have had a few requests for a healthy and tasty carbonara recipe so I thought it was about time I obliged! Now I’m not the biggest fan of carbonara as I find it rather carb heavy and plain so I decided to pump up the taste factor as well as the veg component and the result was delicious and tasted exactly like something you would have in a restaurant. The gorgonzola added a lovely distinctive flavour which both the OH and I really enjoyed but if you don’t like gorgonzola, feel free to replace this with some low fat crème fraiche. This was my first time cooking with kale and I really enjoyed it. It added a lovely texture to the dish and a lovely pepperiness (plus its so good for you!!)

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Gorgeous Green Fusilli with Bacon

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This delight of a dish involves hardly any cooking and the sauce  is so quick and easy (it takes around the same length of time to prepare as the pasta takes to cook). This is one of my favourite recipes as usually when you are trying to find low point pasta meals, you would stick to tomato based pastas as they are lower in points. This recipe however, is a nice low point tomato free alternative. Depending on how hungry I am I sometimes add an extra handful of spinach leaves whole at the end and let it wilt in the heat.

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Spinach, Ricotta and Chorizo Cannelloni – 13sp

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I love a good meal in an Italian restaurant and there’s nothing better than some oozing, cheesy cannelloni however its always off the cards these days as it is just no good for the old waistline.  That’s why this week I decided to try and make a low point version of this delicious treat that was bursting with flavour yet not too heavy on the points. The result was delicious. The cannelloni was stuffed full of goodness as well as cheese and chorizo and the sauce on top really set it off.

Instead of using cannelloni tubes, I used fresh lasagne sheets as they are half the hassle and really cheap. A 250g pack of fresh lasagne (which is enough to feed 4-6 people) is just £1.

I served this with some fresh salad leaves and a tea spoon of balsamic glaze on top. If you are a vegetarian, this would be equally as delicious without the chorizo. Simply leave it out and the points work out at 10sp per person.

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Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pasta – 9sp

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I love a nice quick and easy pasta and whack one together a regular occasion but sometimes its nice to have a change from the quick and easy tomatoey pasta sauce. This is a great recipe that my lovely mam created when she first started Weight Watchers a few years ago and it’s something I still make on a regular occasion. It’s lovely and creamy but nice and light at the same time and is lovely with a nice glass of white (careful to add the extra points !).

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Smoky Sausage Pasta by Skinny Kitchen Secrets

Hunter Sausage Bake

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I always head down the ‘world foods’ aisle in my local supermarket whenever I’m in need of a spice refill (you get twice as much for half the price just one aisle away from all the regular supermarket range!) Many a time I’ve walked down there and looked at the polish food range and all the lovely meaty goodness they have on offer but I’ve never know what to try. Then I came across a recipe that used these lovely smoked sausages and so I used it for a bit of inspirations to make this quick and easy dish. The sausage I used in this recipe was from Aldi and is a lovely smokey delight. I always thought smoked sausages would be a bit pointy but when I worked it out it was actually way less than I anticipated meaning a very filling, low sp dish!

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Venison Meatballs in a Red Wine Ragu Sauce – 6sp

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I noticed that Aldi had started selling some lovely venison meatballs a while ago and for only 40kal a meatball, I knew I had to give them a go! The venison is a lovely different flavour, and the ragu sauce, which usually would take hours to simmer and reduce, is both quick, easy and packed with veg! I added a little cream (1 tbsp) but this is optional, I find it takes a little of the tang of the tomatoes away, but it’s lovely without it too. It’s a great way to use up lots of veg and get a nice portion of sauce for not many points at all!

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Spaghetti Bolognese – 5sp

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I love a nice, quick and easy spaghetti bolognese and I’ve been making this one for a good while now. It’s a recipe which, I think, is unaffected by the fact I am on a diet as I’ve never used anything too bad in there. I think it’s worth making sure you are using extra lean mince as that is such an easy way to grab a few sp back and put them towards some extra pasta or a little cheese. I use this exact recipe when I’m making lasagne too but I usually add around half a box of tomato passata (at the same time as the tomatoes) to make it slightly more saucy and rich, perfect for baking in the oven!

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Smoky Bacon, Tomato and Chilli Pasta – 12sp

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The OH loves a nice bacon sandwich at the weekend and there always seems to be a few rashers left over after so this weekend I thought I would whip up something with the left overs. A hearty pasta dish on a Sunday evening always goes down well so I thought I would put together a new recipe with the left over bacon and other bits left over from the weekend. Its amazing how luxurious just 2 tbsps of single cream make a dish taste for barely any points and the end result really does not seem like something that you would equate with a low sp dish, but it really is!

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Pea and Ham Orzo – 14sp

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I’ve seen orzo kicking about in the shops for a while now and really fancied giving it a go. After doing a bit of research I came across this Jaime Oliver recipe which looked delicious so I thought before I went ahead with my own invention, I would give this a go as a tester and try and make a nice low pp version of it. The results were delicious. It was so tasty and the texture even better than risotto with less than half the cooking time! I roasted a gammon joint the night before (they are so cheap in Aldi and the OH and I use it in salads and sandwiches through the week) but if you don’t have gammon you could replace it with 6 rashers of bacon (rind trimmed off) for the same amount of points, just be sure to fry it off before your onions!

 

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