Pasta with Pesto Sauce
- Salad &/or vegetables, free amount
- 2.8 oz. pasta (use quinoa, buckwheat or rice for a gluten-free option)
- 1 tsp. pesto diluted with some cooking water from the pasta, about 1 tbsp.
- 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil for the salad &/or vegetables
Pasta with vegetables
- Salad &/or vegetables, free amount
- 2.8 oz. pasta (use quinoa, buckwheat or rice for a gluten-free option)
- vegetables to use to dress the pasta, free amount (examples of these recipes are Pasta with squash, Garden Fettucine, Pasta with Zucchini, Pasta with Cauliflower) or you can create your own mix of vegetables which you stir-fry in olive oil and then pour over pasta.
- 3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil for the entire meal
Pasta with butter
- Salad &/or vegetables, free amount
- 2.8 oz. pasta
- 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil or butter
- black pepper
- 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil for the salad &/or vegetables
Rice with vegetables
- Salad &/or vegetables, free amount
- 1 cup cooked rice
- Free amount of vegetables to dress the rice
- 3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Pasta with red sauce
- Salad &/or vegetables, free amount
- 2.8 oz. pasta
- ½ cup home-made red sauce (preferably vegetarian)
- 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil for the salad &/or vegetables
Notes
- Prefer whole wheat pasta or for a gluten-free choice use buckwheat, quinoa or rice pasta, and soba noodles (buckwheat noodles are in fact delicious with red sauce).
- 2.8 oz. is raw weight. Different pasta shapes have different yields once they are cooked. Get a food scale and get in the habit of weighing the pasta before cooking it.
- Sprouted pasta is also another excellent choice.
- You can substitute pasta with brown rice, wild rice or Arborio rice. Arborio rice is excellent to prepare healthy risottos.
- On each pasta dish you can add a tbsp. of imported grated parmesan cheese.
- Spaghetti squash can also be a great alternative to pasta. Many people also enjoy zucchini pasta prepared with the mandolin.
- Substitutions: 2.8 oz. equals to 1 cup of cooked sweet potato. In any of the meals above you can substitute the pasta with any of the choices on the sweet potato exchange list.
