Pasta would have to be a staple in most households I know. Super quick and easy to prepare, it’s family friendly, cost effective and can help sneak veggies in to otherwise veggie resistant little ones.
Carbohydrates like pasta though, have gotten a bad rap over the past few years, due in large part to the high protein, low (low) carb diets that have swept through the world of weight loss.
When trying to lose weight and follow a healthy eating plan, it’s easy to think that you need to avoid dishes like pasta, rice and noodles, as they’ll sabotage your weight loss with their high carb and low protein count.
Eliminating whole food groups is never a good idea. This is especially true of a food group like carbohydrates which are responsible for supplying our bodies with much needed energy so that we can function at optimum levels and do things like exercise.
The kind of pasta you eat AND what you top it with makes all the difference and means that pasta can remain on the menu while you continue to lose weight.
Choosing wholemeal pasta or spaghetti varieties is your best option when following a healthy eating plan, due to the low GI and high fibre content of these kinds of foods (very similar to choosing brown or basmati rice over white varieties).
What you serve your pasta with has the most potential for adding calories. Cream based sauces or those with processed meats like bacon, tend to have a very high calorie count.
Creamy sauces also tend to have less vegetables than their tomato based counterparts making them tasty, but devoid of much nourishment.
Sticking with a tomato based sauce is your best option. Not only are tomatoes extremely rich in antioxidants, they’re also low in fat, salt and sugar and very yummy atop a bowl of well cooked pasta.
This sauce adds a twist to your usual pasta sauce by roasting the tomatoes as opposed to boiling or cooking in a saucepan. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and gives a lovely smoky flavour. Adding a carrot to your roasting pan also adds flavour and ups the veggie count!
The addition of powerful anti-inflammatory garlic makes this a great dish to serve when you’re under the weather or hoping to give your immune system a boost.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 kg ripe tomatoes, cut in half – I use a combination of vine ripened and truss tomatoes but you can use any that take your fancy, even cherry!
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into three pieces
- 1 brown onion, peeled and cut into four chunks
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes (I use Maldon sea salt flakes)
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 170C.
- Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
- Evenly space tomatoes cut side up on the baking tray.
- Add carrot, onion and garlic cloves to the tray.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on sea salt and parmesan.
- Roast for 50 minutes or until veggies look slightly brown on top and tomato skins are starting to blister.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before removing tomato skins and discarding.
- Place the veggies and fresh basil leaves in a food processor or blender (or use a stick blender) and process until smooth.
- Serve with your favourite wholemeal pasta or spaghetti.
Yum!
* This sauce will also freeze really well and can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.
Makes approx 6 servings – Cal per serve (sauce only) – 106
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