Domesticated

Believe it or not I was able to take an already low-calorie dish from Weight Watchers and cut the points by over HALF by replacing the white pasta with wheat, and subbing out half of the heavy whipping cream for fat-free milk. The key to this recipe is serving it immediately from the pan- and the best part is it tastes like it is chock-full of fat. I like to add a couple dashes or two of Cayenne pepper (for those of you like me that are watching your girlish figure- spicy food is a great addition to food that will fill you up faster and increase metabolism.)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 medium shallot(s), minced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
• 2 tbsp parsley, fresh, minced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, or other coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 3 tbsp canned tomato paste
• 2 oz vodka
• 1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste (for cooking pasta)
• 20 leaves basil, fresh, cut into ribbons (chiffonade)
• 12 oz cooked whole wheat pasta
• 1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
• 1/4 cup(s) heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over a medium-low heat.
2. Add butter, shallots and garlic; sauté until shallots start to caramelize, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add parsley, sea salt and pepper, stirring once or twice.
4. Add tomato paste and mix to form a paste. Cook for about 5 minutes, moving paste around pan occasionally; add vodka. Scrap bottom of pan with a wooden spoon and cook for about 5 minutes more.
5. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
6. Add milk/cream to tomato sauce; reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes.
7. Add pasta to sauce and mix to coat; top with basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Tagged: cooking light, healthy recipe, italian cooking, pasta, penne alla vodka