Recipe #8 Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese

Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese

I decided to do a "Meatless Monday" recipe and combine it with comfort food.  I did not use the bread crumbs, although I think the dish could have benefited from it.  I also didn't have enough parmesan cheese, so I substitued Mexican Jalesco cheese - interesting, but think the recipe as is would be much better.  Finally, I used frozen spinach.  Thanks to Kathleen for being the brave soul who is actually commenting on the site :).  Also, not sure what happened this time, but can't find my fabulous photos.  Happy Cooking!

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Casarecce pasta is a short noodle with a curled edge that provides a large groove to hold the creamy sauce. If you can't find it, use fusilli, campanelle, or radiatore. Use a large, deep pot for the pasta so the spinach will fit inside, as well.

Yield: 6 servings

Total: 1 Hour, 33 Minutes

Recipe from Cooking Light

Recipe Time

Total: 1 Hour, 33 Minutes

IngredientsFind local grocery deals. Edit your ZIP code and select your favorite grocery stores to see what ingredients are on sale right now.

10 ounce casarecce pasta or fusilli (short twisted spaghetti)
1 (5-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups chopped onion
1 1/10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)
4 garlic cloves, minced 
2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/2 cup dry white wine

Click to see savi1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

3/4 teaspoon salt

Click1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Click to see savi1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cooking spray

Click to see savin3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided

·          

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

· Calories: 396

· Fat: 8.2g

· Saturated fat: 3.5g

· Monounsaturated fat: 3.1g

· Polyunsaturated fat: 0.5g

· Protein: 18.4g

· Carbohydrate: 63.3g

· Fiber: 4.9g

· Cholesterol: 17mg

· Iron: 3mg

· Sodium: 611mg

· Calcium: 325mg

Click to see savings

Preparation

1.     1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2.     2. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes or until almost al dente, omitting salt and fat. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Let stand for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Drain pasta mixture well.

3.     3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Gradually add milk and wine; cook 8 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Stir in 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and rind. Remove from heat; stir in pepper. Add pasta mixture to onion mixture, and toss gently to coat.

4.     4. Spoon the pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle half of panko breadcrumbs over pasta, and top evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Sprinkle the remaining half of panko breadcrumbs over cheese. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Jeanne Kelley, Cooking Light
MARCH 2011

Recipe #7 WW Pork Picatta

This week I cooked a Weight Watcher's Recipe.  I like to initially make a recipe as close to the recipe as possible, but I found this needed a lot of extra additions in order to be flavorful to me (of course, that probably means a few extra points).  I doubled the capers, the oil, I used Monterey steak seasoning instead of salt and pepper and I added extra lemon juice.  Normally, I would want to add pasta, but it was really quite filling without.  All in all another yummy recipe. 

Hopefully, some of my followers will figure out how to actually comment on this blog (really, not too difficult), but I have had some comments.  I used a nice pinot noir with this dinner; while I am a wine lover I am not a wine snob; I usually drink the wine that my guest brings to the dinner!

Happy Cooking!

Pork Piccata

(their picture)

Weight Watchers Recipe

Ratings (1460)

5PointsPlus Value

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10 min

Serves: 4

Lemon, butter and capers give this dish delicious flavor. A side of garlicky spinach - made in the same pan - makes it an easy weeknight meal.

Close

Select "Post" to show off your original recipe and let others in the Community Recipe Swap try it for themselves. If you want to make this recipe available to only your Community friends, select "Save to my Profile."

Save to my Profile

Please Wait...

IMPORTANT: You should only swap recipes that are your own and not someone else’s. For more information, please review our Terms and Conditions and Community Recipe Swap Official Rules.

This recipe cannot be posted due to an inappropriate word. Please edit your recipe and post again.

Your recipe cannot be posted at this time. Please try again in a few minutes.

Oops! The Community is currently unavailable. Please check back later to post your recipe. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.

Ingredients 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour 1 tsp table salt, divided 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, divided (or less to taste) 1 pound(s) uncooked lean pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 16 thin slices 2 1/2 tsp olive oil, divided 3/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth, reduced-sodium 1/4 cup(s) fresh lemon juice 2 tsp cornstarch 2 tsp salted butter 1 Tbsp capers, drained 1/2 tsp minced garlic 12 oz fresh spinach, baby-variety Instructions In a small bowl, combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sprinkle over both sides of pork, shaking off excess. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork (in 2 batches if necessary) and cook until just cooked through and golden, about 1 1/2 minutes per side; set aside on a serving plate and cover to keep warm. In a cup, whisk together broth, lemon juice, cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until blended. Pour into same skillet and whisk to combine with pan drippings; simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat; stir in butter until melted. Stir in capers and spoon over pork; cover to keep warm. Heat remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach to skillet in batches, tossing mixture and adding more spinach as some of it cooks down; cook, tossing, until wilted and tender, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper and serve with pork. Yields 4 slices pork, about 3 tablespoons sauce and 1/2 cup spinach per serving.

© 2012 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2012 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WEIGHT WATCHERS and PointsPlus® are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.

Recipe #6 General Tso's Slow Cooker Pork

This recipe is from a site called Snappy Gourmet; the recipe did not have nutritional information.  I "built" the recipe on Weight Watchers and I would guess that it is around 8 points.  It is delish; got to serve it for special out of town guests Joyce and the future star of stage and screen, Ali who have been anxiously awaiting this post. 

I used a pork tri tip (found at Costco).  The recipe called for serving it on tortillas, but I served it on brown rice and we all agreed that the broccoli slaw tasted really good on top of the pork and rice. As you can see, you can substitute chicken for pork.  Happy Cooking!

Bottom of Form

A fun twist on my favorite Chinese dish! Shredded pork in a General Tso sauce, served on tortillas with a broccoli slaw.

• Servings: 8-10
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 8 hrs

Total Time: 8 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients:

2 cups	Chicken Broth
1	(8 Oz.) Bottle Hoisin Sauce
⅓ cup	White Vinegar
¼ cup	Reduced-sodium Soy Sauce
¼ cup	Granulated Sugar
¼ cup	Cornstarch
5	Garlic Cloves, minced
3 Tbsp	Minced Fresh Ginger
1 tsp	Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2½ lb	Pork Tenderloin
⅔ cup	Orange Juice
⅓ cup	Olive Oil
½ cup	Chopped Fresh Cilantro
2	(10 Oz.) Packages Broccoli Slaw, or cabbage slaw
	Soft Tortillas

	Directions: Whisk together broth, hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, garlic, ginger, and red pepper in a slow cooker until well combined. Add pork to slow cooker and spoon some sauce over top. Cook on low heat setting for 6-8 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker and shred with 2 forks. Place pork in serving dish and coat with desired amount of sauce from slow cooker. Meanwhile, as pork is cooking, whisk together orange juice, olive oil, and cilantro in large bowl. Stir in broccoli slaw. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, top tortillas with pulled pork and slaw. Helpful Tips: I would suggest sticking with the reduced-sodium soy sauce so that the dish doesn’t taste too salty. You can serve the pork and slaw in tortillas or you can also serve the pork with rice or noodles. You could use chicken legs/thighs instead of the pork. Instead of the broccoli slaw you can substitute shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix. Recipe By: SnappyGourmet

#5 Crock Pot Chicken Taco Soup

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Soup

This week, I made a Weight Watcher recipe with some substitutions/additions. I hope some day that people quit "stalk" blogging this site and actually add their comments :)! I know you are out there watching, but have you tried any recipes, do you have any suggestions?

I have put my changes to the recipe in parentheses and bold. Happy Cooking!

Community Posted Recipe

Posted on 10/25/2011 by TMONHOLLON

Ratings (1)

3PointsPlus Value

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 300 min

Serves: 15

Easy slow cooker soup with a spicy flair, great and filling as a whole meal the entire family will love. Great for entertaining in the fall and winter. Also great served with steamed rice.

Close

Select "Post" to show off your original recipe and let others in the Community Recipe Swap try it for themselves. If you want to make this recipe available to only your Community friends, select "Save to my Profile."

Save to my Profile

Please Wait...

IMPORTANT: You should only swap recipes that are your own and not someone else’s. For more information, please review our Terms and Conditions and Community Recipe Swap Official Rules.

This recipe cannot be posted due to an inappropriate word. Please edit your recipe and post again.

Your recipe cannot be posted at this time. Please try again in a few minutes.

Oops! The Community is currently unavailable. Please check back later to post your recipe. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.

Ingredients 1 cup(s) canned pinto beans, Drain and add can 1 cup(s) canned white corn, Drain and add can 2 cup(s) canned tomato sauce, Add one 16 ounce can 2 cup(s) canned diced tomatoes, Add 1 16 ounce can diced tomato, not drained 1 cup(s) Eden Organic Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, Add 1 10-ounce can of rotel (I did not use Eden Organic, I used Ralphs) 3 breast(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), Trim fat off of chicken breasts (I used 6 skinless bone in chicken thighs) 1 serving(s) Blue Moon Beer (I used Coors Light) 1 tsp ground cumin, Add cumin - 1-2 tsp to taste 1/4 cup(s) Ortega Taco seasoning, Add one packet of taco seasoning (I made my own taco seasoning mix from a recipe I found on line) 1 cup(s) (sliced) uncooked red onion(s), Chop onion (Used white onion) 2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), Mince garlic finely 1/3 cup(s) ground coriander, Chop cilantro coarsely (didn't have coriander) 4 Tbsp fresh lime juice, Fresh squeeze two whole limes (didn't have limes) 15 oz canned diced tomatoes, Add 1 15 ounce can diced tomato, not drained   (I think this was repeat and did not do) 10 oz Eden Organic Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, Add 1 10-ounce can of rotel   (I think this was repeat and did not do) 1 cup(s) canned black beans, Add whole can, undrained 1 cup(s) canned hominy, Drain and add can 1 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray, Spray crock pot Instructions Spray cooking oil lightly in 4-quart or larger crock pot. Combine all canned ingredients and spices together, along with chopped onion and garlic. Stir and season to taste. Then, add can of beer to the mixture. Finally, lay the three chicken breasts on top of the mixture. For shorter cooking, set crock pot to high for 3-4 hours. For longer cooking time, set crock pot to low for 5-8 hours. Then, remove chicken, let cool, and shred with a fork. Return to crock pot to simmer. Serve with additional lime and cilantro, to taste. Optional (not included in points total): Top with reduced fat shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado. You can also toast low carb tortillas in the oven with a spray of olive oil and dash of kosher salt to add a little crunch. Yeilds 12 1-cup servings. (I cooked on high for 5 1/2 hours, took chicken out and removed bones and shredded it; I put in corn tortilla strips and cheddar cheese - yummy!)

© 2012 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2012 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WEIGHT WATCHERS and PointsPlus® are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.