If you want to feel satisfied while eating less pasta, the smart move is to prepare a sauce with lots of vegetables. Vegetables fill the “emptiness” of the plate, giving the impression of a very full dish! This is a trick to use especially at the start of a diet, when our stomach still needs a lot of food before registering the signal of satiety.
And since I love bell peppers I use them often: they bulk the plate up and have many good nutritional properties. I know the season is almost over, but fortunately I’m still finding them at a good price, so a few days ago I photographed my dish and here I am to share this little recipe with you!
No special effects here, just a few tricks to keep oil to a minimum. But please don’t eliminate it completely: a little oil is always needed so that the vegetables’ nutrients can be properly absorbed. Let’s see how to make this delicious recipe, which is also suitable for those following a vegan diet.
Here are a few more ideas with pasta and lots of vegetables:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn
Ingredients
In the photo among the ingredients you can see whole-spelt sedanini and in the other photos whole-grain rigate penne.
- 5.3 oz whole-grain pasta
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 red onion
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 measuring teaspoons)
- 3/4 cups tomato purée
- to taste basil (fresh)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- Points per serving = 8 WW points
Tools
- Pan Ballarini Cortina Granitium 2-Handle Pan, Aluminum, Speckled Gray, 11 in
Steps
First, prepare the vegetables: slice the onion thinly and cut the peppers into strips.
Sweat the onion with 1 teaspoon of oil and a little water in a large nonstick pan and, at the same time, bring the water for the pasta to a boil.
When the onion has softened, add the peppers and cook them over high heat for a few minutes; then lower the heat, cover and let cook for about 10 minutes. Check that the sauce does not dry out too much—if it does, add a splash of water.
As soon as the peppers have softened, add the tomato purée, some basil and salt. Continue cooking the sauce and, at the same time, add the pasta to the boiling water.
Add a little of the pasta cooking water to the sauce to prevent it from drying and to make it creamier.
At the end, when the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the sauce. Also add the second teaspoon of oil, more fresh basil and give one last stir to blend the flavors.
And here our whole-grain pasta with peppers light is ready to be served at the table!
Really great: very flavorful and light… just add a protein of your choice, perhaps a green salad with some legumes, to serve a complete meal for few Weight Watchers points.
Enjoy your meal everyone!
by Giovanna Buono
