Receta Sausage & Peppers over Pasta
What I like most about the Weight Watchers Simply Filling program is that I don't have to weigh and measure or track points for foods that are on the Power Foods List. When I cook meals that contain items that have a PointsPlus value, I usually make a smaller portion for myself in a separate pan while making Joe a larger portion in another pan.
I also cook our pasta separate. While Joe is still eating regular white pasta, I've switched to whole grain varieties. For Joe, I'll usually make a large pot of pasta to keep in the fridge for quick meals or lunches. For me, pasta is a weakness and I just pile it onto my dish without thinking, so I weigh out a portion of dry pasta and only cook that single portion for myself to help keep me from over eating. Normally, I eat two ounces of pasta, but for this meal I served three ounces.
Sausage & Peppers over Pasta
Serves 1
Ingredients:
Directions:
Begin cooking pasta as directed on package, reserve 1/4 cup the cooking water before draining.
Cook peppers and onions over medium heat in 1/2 tsp. hot oil until they starts to get tender.
Stir in spinach and basil. When it starts to wilt, add in the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, cook for about a minute longer then remove the veggies from the pan and set aside.
Add the other 1/2 tsp. of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage a bit.
Add the veggies back to the pan and stir in the reserved cooking water from the pasta, stir well and cook for a minute longer.
Serve over pasta.
Notes:
This is a delicious, low PointsPlus value meal. (2 pts. for the sausage)
While this is a hearty portion, you could probably split this into two servings if you are looking for a lighter meal or serving a salad on the side.
I didn't use a lot of oil in this dish. I hate using my "indulgence points" for oils, so I keep my daily oil at the 2 tsp. recommended healthy oils. If you've already used your recommended oils or are following the PointsPlus program, be sure to calculate points for the oil.
To eliminate points completely (when following Simply Filling) use water instead of oil to cook your vegetables. Also, skip the sausage and use a lean meat (like chicken, turkey or pork) to keep it point free. Of course, this dish would also be delicious meat-free!