Lightened-Up Carbonara Pasta

This dish right here is the definition of a happy accident. I hadn't gone food shopping this week and worked late a few nights and needed to make something quick. I boiled some pasta and was rummaging through my fridge to see what I could add to it. I had some bacon, an onion, and a pepper. I found some peas in the freezer, added a makeshift cheese "sauce," and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

It wasn't until later that I realized it resembled a carbonara. I knew I needed to add it to the blog.

It's really quite easy to make. Start by chopping and cooking your veggies.

While they're cooking, prepare the pasta. Add the cheese wedges and mix - this will serve as your "sauce."

Now, I'm not a professionally trained chef (shocking, I know). I make meals that are easy, tasty, and diet-friendly. Maybe one day I'll learn how to cook a real, professional sauce but until then, these The Laughing Cow cheese wedges work just fine.

When the veggies are done, add them to the pasta and stir to combine.

If your cheese wedges didn't melt fully before, they'll definitely melt when you add the hot, cooked veggies and stir. 

Next up, BACON. I never liked bacon as a kid, but as an adult I've developed a taste for it. I'm late to the game, I know. But the point is, I like it now and I use it in lots of recipes and it really just takes them from good to great. For this recipe, cook the bacon, then crumble it over the pasta and stir to combine.

Finally, add the grated cheese, season with salt and pepper, and BOOM. Lightened-up carbonara pasta. 

I made this tonight (Sunday) and plan on bringing it to work for lunch this week. It can be microwaved and eaten hot, or eaten cold as a pasta salad - it's great both ways.

As always, feedback is appreciated!

Until next time!

Ingredients

• 12 oz (1 box) shell pasta, cooked according to package instructions
• 1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 5 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese
• 10 slices Oscar Mayer center cut bacon (or brand of your choice)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Serving size: 1/5 of recipe

Weight Watchers PointsPlus value: 9

Instructions

1. Spray a large frying pan or skillet with no-calorie nonstick cooking spray. Place it on the stove on medium/high heat and add the green pepper, onion, and peas. Stirring occasionally, cook until the veggies are soft and slightly brown, about 10-12 minutes. (Note: It saves time if you cook the pasta while the veggies are cooking).
2. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and then transfer to a large bowl.
3. While the pasta is still hot, add the cheese wedges to the bowl and stir immediately to melt and combine. If the cheese doesn’t melt fully, don’t worry – you’ll stir again after you add the cooked veggies.
4. When the vegetables are done cooking, add them to the pasta and stir to combine.
5. Cook the bacon according to package instructions (I always microwave mine, it’s fastest and easiest). Crumble the bacon over the pasta and then stir to combine (I usually just wait until the bacon cools off and then break it into pieces with my fingers).
6. Add the grated cheese and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, give it one final stir, and serve!

Nutritional Information

Slimmed-Down Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

I wanted to post something extra delicious for my first recipe, and this is it. Chicken. Mozzarella. Pasta. With sun-dried tomatoes. And sauteed veggies. It's creamy, just the right amount of spicy, and filling.

Bear with me, my photography skills are somewhat lacking. And I was so excited to make this that I forgot to take pictures of the different steps along the way and only took a picture of the finished product. I'll try to do better next time, I promise.

I wish I could take full credit for this, but the original idea is from Julia's Album. Her Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes looked SO good that I knew I needed to make it. I plugged the recipe into the Weight Watchers recipe builder, and the stats weren't bad - 14 PointsPlus for 1/4 of the recipe. For something so thick and filling, that's not that bad. But I wanted to see if I could get that a bit lower. So, here's my slimmed-down version!

Ingredients

• No-stick cooking spray (like PAM)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 oz sun-dried tomato halves (dry - not in oil)
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 of a medium vidalia onion, thinly sliced
• 4 oz ziti pasta (about 1 1/3 cups), cooked according to package directions and drained
• 8 oz skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• Salt (to taste), to season chicken
• Garlic powder (to taste), to season chicken
• Paprika (to taste), to season chicken
• 3/4 cup fat-free half and half
• 1/4 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage Total 2%)
• 1 cup fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp ground basil (or more to taste)
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

Servings: 4 medium servings or 3 large servings (nutritional information provided below for 1/3 of recipe)

Weight Watchers PointsPlus value: 7 (if you split into 4 servings) or 10 (if you split into 3 servings)

Instructions

1. Spray a large pan or skillet with no-stick cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion. Stirring frequently (but not constantly), cook until garlic is fragrant and vegetables are soft. TIP: If veggies start to stick to the pan, give them a quick spray with no-stick spray and stir.
2. While the veggies are cooking, season the chicken with salt, garlic powder, and paprika.
3. Once cooked, remove the veggies from the pan and transfer to a plate (you'll add them back in later). Place the pan back on the stove. Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken. Cook for about a minute on each side, flipping frequently as to not burn. When chicken is fully cooked, remove the pan from the heat.
4. Add the cooked veggies to the pan with the chicken. Add the half and half, yogurt, and cheese. Return the pan to medium heat and stir to combine.
5. When the mixture starts to boil, lower the heat. Stir constantly until the cheese melts and a creamy sauce forms.Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine. TIP: If sauce is too thick, add water, 1 tsp at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
6. When the sauce is of the desired consistency, remove the pan from the heat. Season with basil and red pepper flakes and enjoy!

Since I'm just getting started, I'd love comments and/or feedback! If you have any questions about the recipe, or any suggestions on how I can make my posts better/more helpful, please let me know.


Until next time!

Nutritional information