Mission: Light Macaroni and Cheese

I’m sitting on our futon watching Diary of a Mad Black Woman because I’m not only a gigantic sucker for Tyler Perry melodramas (you GO Madea), but I’m also too dang full to move. Our friends F and H were just here with their giggly, grabby nine-month-old, and we feasted together for the first time since the little guy started teething. (Which? Looks like it hurts. I’m kind of glad I don’t remember it.) The vittles, which were plentiful, included biscuits, Barefoot Contessa’s Roasted Carrots, and my lightened version of Alton Brown’s Stove Top Mac-and-Cheese.

Now, I know mac and cheese is NOT exactly health chow. But I love it more than any other food, including sushi, M&Ms, and even sweet potatoes, for which I would gladly give up my first-born. (“My beautiful child? The joy of my life? For a barbecued yam? … Deal.”) In fact, my passion for the dish is surpassed only by my adoration for Alton, so I was highly, HIGHLY hesitant to mess with the man’s recipe. But 37 grams of fat per serving seemed excessive, especially for H, who’s trying to drop some baby weight now that her boobs are finally returning to semi-normal. (a.k.a. Leaving the Land of the Nursing.)

This was my third shot at lightening this dish, and this time around, I think I got it. At least, it’s the best lower-fat mac and cheese I’ve ever had, and it stands up pretty well to full-fat versions. A few notes on the process:

1) To cut the caloric load, I reduced the butter by half, used egg whites instead of whole eggs, subbed in fat-free for whole evaporated milk, and grated six ounces of reduced fat cheddar cheese instead of eight ounces of full-fat. If my calculations are correct, these steps slashed about one-third of the calories, and 58% of the fat off Alton’s recipe. If my calculations are incorrect … hey! Look over there! A shiny thing! (*runs away*)

2) At first, I tried this with pre-shredded cheese. No good. It made the sauce floury and bland. The next batch contained cheddar grated from a block of Cracker Barrel ten minutes before it was added to the sauce mixture. This was MUCH better-tasting and made for a smoother consistency as well. Aces.

3) I paid a ridiculous amount for the cheese because I A) wanted a better-quality frommage, and B) was so eager to try the dish that I didn’t bother to wait for a sale. Thusly, I have broken the Rules of Frugality, and am available for flogging on Wednesday nights after Idol.

4) If I had to make one change at all, I’d add a little more salt. A half-teaspoon might be too much, but a quarter couldn’t hurt.

And that's it. If anybody out there has another stellar, inexpensive recipe for light mac and cheese, I’d LOVE to see (and try!). I entreaty you to please, please pass it on in the comment section - because the search for a good mac and cheese is the noblest search of all.

Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese
3 main servings or 6 side servings
Adapted from Alton Brown.

8 oz elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 egg whites
½ cup fat free evaporated milk
A few dashes cayenne pepper (a little hot sauce will also work.)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
½ tablespoon dijon mustard
6 ounces reduced fat block sharp cheddar, grated by hand (Cracker Barrel 2% rules here.)

1) Boil elbows in salted water until al dente. Drain. Turn heat to low and add pasta back to pot. Add butter and melt, stirring constantly to coat macaroni.

2) In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, cayenne, salt, pepper, and mustard with a whisk. Pour into pasta. Stir. Add cheese. Stir until sauce is creamy and cheese is totally incorporated, about 3 or 4 minutes. Serve.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
Main: 570 calories, 20.1 g fat, $1.50
Side: 285 calories, 10.5 g fat, $0.75

Calculations
8 oz elbow macaroni: 811 calories,4.1 g fat, $0.50
2 tablespoons unsalted butter: 204 calories, 23 g fat, $0.11
2 egg whites: 34 calories, 0.1 g fat, $0.30
½ cup fat free evaporated milk: 113 calories, 0 g fat, $0.25
¼ - ½ teaspoon hot sauce: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
¾ teaspoon kosher salt: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
Fresh black pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
½ tablespoon dijon mustard: 7 calories, 0 g fat, $0.09
6 ounces reduced fat block sharp cheddar: 540 calories, 36 g fat, $3.22
TOTAL: 1709 calories, 63.2 g fat, $4.51
PER SERVING MAIN (TOTAL/3): 570 calories, 20.1 g fat, $1.50
PER SERVING SIDE (TOTAL/6): 285 calories, 10.5 g fat, $0.75

Light Fresh Tomato Lasagna: We’ve Got the Means to Make Amends

While Sundays in Casa de CHG are usually peaceful, relaxing affairs, last night was particularly sweet. Laid up by a slight illness, The Boyfriend and I had a little wine, worked quietly in our living room/Giant Teal Box of Tealness, and listened to old Pearl Jam B-Sides (found here, at I am Fuel, You are Friends). PJ was one of my favorite bands growing up, and hearing Ten at any time, in any form, transforms me to that dorky, flannel-clad 15-year-old who thought Eddie Vedder held all the secrets to life. (Note: he does.)

I’m 30 now (Eddie’s 43!?!), and while they still holds box seats in my heart, I don’t run out and buy Pearl Jam albums on the first day anymore. In fact, I don’t buy ANY albums on release day, and haven’t for a few years. I don’t know why that is. Am I too busy? Do Pearl Jam and Radiohead and U2 mean less to me now than they did in 11th grade? Is this what happens when you’re 30?

I don’t have a great segue here. Just know that last night, as I was pondering these Questions of Great Importance, I was also chowing down on a mean slice of Cooking Light’s Fresh Tomato Lasagna, minus that tricky “fresh” part. On the suggestion of my friend M last year, I baked the dish with canned, whole peeled tomatoes (instead of off-the-vine), which has since made it cheaper, easier to prepare, and not at all lacking in taste. (Thanks, M!)

A few points if you decide to make one of your own:

1) Reducing the sauce to a chunky (not watery) consistency is incredibly important here, as it will make or break the lasagna. (I speak from traumatic experience.)

2) It’s worth splurging for a slightly nicer-quality brand of tomatoes, since it’s the highlight of the dish.

3) As always, Cooking Light is pushing it calling this an eight-portion meal. If I had company coming, I’d make sure I had a salad and some garlic bread waiting in the wings. Oh – and since CL calculated the nutritional numbers, only the price is added up below.

Now, I'm off to stew for awhile over aging, music, passion, and how a few scruffy-looking, Doc Marten-sporting dudes from Seattle can simultaneously define and upheave a willing listener's life. Tonight, while you're making this lasagna (hee), try it yourself: go home and listen to your favorite band when you were in high school. How did they make you feel, and when did it change? What does that answer mean to you now?

P.S. No Code is PJ's best album. I’m not kidding.

Fresh Tomato Sauce Lasagna
8 servings
Adapted from Cooking Light.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
2/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray
8 cooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil

1) In a small pot or Dutch oven, heatl oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. While this is happening, crush the tomatoes with a food mill or by hand and add them to the pot. (You could probably just buy crushed tomatoes, too, but I haven’t tried it.) Bring pot to a boil. Drop heat to a simmer. Cook 80 minutes, until sauce is a little thickened. Kill heat. Add "2/3 cup basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper." Stir. Set aside.

2) Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 13x9 Pyrex/baking dish with cooking spray.

3) In a medium saucepan, heat ricotta over medium heat. When hot, add mozzarella. Stir until mozz is all melted, and fully incorporated with the ricotta. Kill heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir.

4) Pour 2 cups tomato sauce in baking dish. Spread to cover bottom. Place 4 noodles over the sauce. Add all the ricotta/mozzarella and spread out on noodles. Place 4 remaining noodles on top of cheese. Spread last 2 cups tomato mixture on noodles. Sprinkle with the parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes, "or until cheese melts and filling is bubbly." Take out of oven. Garnish with basil. Give lasagna a few minutes to cool and set. Serve.

Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
290 calories, 11.8 g fat, $1.28

Calculations
1 tablespoon olive oil: $0.10
1 cup finely chopped onion: $0.18
4 garlic cloves, minced: $0.12
2 28-oz cans whole peeled or crushed tomatoes: $2.98
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil: $1.69
1 teaspoon salt, divided: $0.02
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided: $0.02
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese: $1.99
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese: $1.49
Cooking spray: $0.03
8 cooked lasagna noodles: $0.50
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese: $1.13
TOTAL: $10.23
PER SERVING (TOTAL/8): $1.28

Potato Gnocchi: A Primer

(Number of times the word "gnocchi" appears in this post, including the title and this sentence: 24.)

(Rejected suggestions for post title: "Gnocchi Dokey," "Gnocchi Country for Old Men, " and "Point of Gnocchi Return.")

I love gnocchi. For lunch, for dinner, for breakfast - doesn't matter. In fact, if a survey was administered, and four out of five dentists preferred gnocchi to other Italian foods, I would pummel that fifth dentist until he acquiesced to gnocchi's inherent goodness. (Or, maybe I'd just feed him more gnocchi. That "pummel" thing is pretty violent.)

For those unfamiliar with gnocchi, they're little pillows of potatoes and magic, held together with flour and egg, and ever-so-slightly flavored with salt and pepper. While their vitamins and minerals are somewhat lacking, they're virtually fat-free, and a nifty twist on plain ol' pasta. Even better, gnocchi is inexpensive and can be paired with just about any sauce on earth, except maybe those of the barbecue variety. (Which, on second thought, might not actually be so bad.)

Before last year, I tried making gnocchi a few times on my own, and they came out okay. A little gummy maybe, but edible. (Gumminess, by the way, is brought on by too much moisture and is the mortal enemy of gnocchi.) Then, in March 2007, I took a gnocchi class at a local cooking school, and - oooooo. My gnocchi are much better now, due in large part to Chef Gerri, who taught us to roast the potatoes instead of boil them. It reduces the amount of moisture to which the potato is exposed, giving the gnocchi a better chance of surviving the tumultuous boiling process.

The dumplings improved even more when I caught a gnocchi-centric episode of Lidia's Italy. In her awesomely competent way, Ms. Bastianich demonstrated another ace method of reducing moisture: after the hot potatoes were put through her food mill, she spread the results out as much as possible. That way, the steam escaped and the possibility of gnocchi-destroying gumminess was severely reduced.

With that in mind, attached below is my recipe for gnocchi, replete with poorly-lit step-by-step photos. You might notice I skip the beautifying forkmark process. This is for two reasons:

A) I'm lazy. There are almost 200 of those suckers.
B) I'm really, really bad at it. Like, almost as bad as I am at driving, which is pretty bad.

I plan on trying butternut squash and/or spinach gnocchi at some point, so look for that in the future. (The NEAR future, I'm not sure.) In the meantime, enjoy.

Potato Gnocchi
Makes about 150 gnocchi, which serves 4 generously and 5 very well

2 ½ lbs starchy white potatoes (Russets)
2 cups flour
1 large egg
salt and pepper

1) Preheat oven to 400F.

2) Scrub and dry potatoes, then pierce each one several times with a fork. Place them on a cookie sheet and roast until tender/easily pierced through with a knife. (Probably 45 minutes to an hour.) Remove from oven.

3) While potatoes cool slightly, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

4) Once potatoes are cool enough to handle (but still hot/very warm), peel the skins off with your hands. The earlier this happens, the better. A pair of rubber gloves (or sandwich bags slung over your hands) should help you handle the spuds.

5) When the potatoes are peeled, put each one through a ricer or food mill (medium grate). Make sure you spread the riced potatoes out as much as possible, as this will help moisture evaporate.

6) Once the tubers have cooled, place them on a clean, dry surface. Then, sprinkle salt, pepper, and 1-1/2 cups of flour over the top.

7) Form the potatoes and flour into a small mound with a well dug out in the center.

8) Whisk the egg in a bowl and pour it into the well.

9) Using either a pastry scraper or your bare hands, gently knead the entire mound together into a big ol' ball. This shouldn't take longer than ten minutes, but will probably take far less. If the dough still feels sticky or tacky as you go along, add more flour.

10) Once you have your dough ball, break off about an eighth of it. Using your hands, carefully roll this piece into a long, thin log, about 1/2 - 3/4 inch in diameter.

11) This is the most important part: using a knife or a pastry scraper, cut off a 3/4-inch piece (not the end piece) of the roll. It should look like a tiny pillow. Drop the piece into your pot of boiling water. When it rises to the top, it's finished.

12) Eat the piece. If you like it, go ahead to step 13. If it's gummy or falls apart in the water, that means there's too much moisture in the dough. Add more flour (1/8 - 1/4 cup) to your dough ball, knead it in, and try again until you get the result you desire.

13) Chunk by chunk, roll the remaining dough into logs. After each log is made, cut them into 3/4-inch pieces. Each piece should be about the size of the top of your index finger, from knuckle to nail.


14) Place each piece of gnocchi on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. This will give you an idea of their numbers AND set them up for freezing later.

15) Drop a full serving (between 20 and 30 gnocchi) into the pot of boiling water. When the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon (or other hole-y implement) and place them into a serving bowl. This should take between 3 and 5 minutes per serving. You may have to drain extra liquid from each bowl at the end.


16) Add sauce, parmesan and dig in.

NOTE: To preserve uncooked gnocchi, simply chill the pan from step #14 in your freezer. When gnocchi is frozen through, dump 'em in a plastic bag, squeeze the air out, and seal. Voila.

Approximate Calories, Fat and Price per Serving
387 calories, 1.7 g fat, $0.53

Calculations:
2 ½ lbs starchy white potatoes (reduced to 2 ¼ after peeling): 950 calories, 1 g fat, $2.37
2 cups flour: 910 calories, 2.5 g fat, $0.10
1 large egg: 74 calories, 5 g fat, $0.15
salt and pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.04
TOTAL: 1934 calories, 8.5 g fat, $2.66
PER SERVING (TOTAL/5): 387 calories, 1.7 g fat, $0.53

Feeding a Vegan: Ellie Krieger’s Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce

Though I’m a proud chicken devourer, vegetarianism always seemed like something I could handle. Like, if a doctor told me, “Kris, you have a terrible spleen disorder. We call it Spleenism, and it means you can’t eat, look at, smell, or make out with meat for one calendar year. What does the spleen have to do with meat, you ask? I don’t know. But let’s pretend for the sake of this essay,” I’d be fine. There are enough substitutes and options on this crazy, crazy planet to make me forget about animal flesh for at least a little while. (Well, except maybe bacon.)

Going vegan? That’s another story. I know there are a billion agave nectar muffins and triple bean chilis out there, but I’m not sure a life without cheese is worth living. What’s more, since 1977, I know exactly one successful vegan. I have a few college friends who tried it out way back when, but among them, even the crunchiest of Phish fan hippies failed miserably. A butterless universe seemed meaningless, and within a month or two, they always went back to the wide world of mozzarella sticks. (It sounds like I’m knocking veganism here, but I swear, I’m not. I respect and admire anyone who can hack it without resorting to rice 24/7.)

Incidentally, my one successful vegan friend, S, came over for dinner last night. Now in his ‘30s, S has been a vegan for years and years, and by god, I didn’t want to poison him. I figured pasta was safe, so I began by researching veggie-heavy noodle dishes. Then, I remembered Ellie Krieger’s Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce, which I made for one of my mom’s rare sojourns to Brooklyn last year. Thanks to the peanuts, chilis, and lime, it has a slight Thai flavor, and the mixture of snow peas, broccoli, and peanut butter sauce gives it a moxy lacking in an average pasta primavera. Mom liked the dish, and that was good enough endorsement for me.

It was good enough for S, too. He went home full and un-poisoned, which is a main goal of mine nowadays. (Oh, also the cheap and healthy thing.) After the experience, I’m ready for other vegans now, as well. At the rate I meet them, though, that won’t be ‘til 2037.

On a side note, the more I see of Ellie, the more I like her. She’s knowledgeable, reliable, and soothing-er than a Sarah McLachlan record. It’s a nice counterpoint to Ray-Ray, Ingrid Hoffman, and The Banshee That Ate Paula Deen. Here’s hoping she never gets hit by the “Turn it Up to 11” flu.

Only the pricing info is included below, since Food.com so graciously provided nutritional listings.

P.S. #1: Reviewers on the Food Network site substituted all kinds of veggies and protein for the peas (which tend to be expensive) and broccoli. You can, too. The star of the recipe is the peanut sauce, so go nuts.

P.S. #2: I was worried at first, and we had side salads just in case, but this really did feed six people.

P.S. #3: Not all pasta brands and types are safe for vegans. Read the labels to make sure.

Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce
Makes 6 servings (1 cup pasta, 1 cup veggies, 2.5 T sauce)
Adapted from Ellie Krieger.

3/4 pound spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti
2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets
2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed
2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 scallion, cut into pieces
3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts

1) Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop cooking process, and set aside.

2) While pasta is cooking, steam broccoli for 3 minutes in a medium saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat when finished.

3) Toast peanuts until fragrant, around 3 minutes. Set aside. Chop when cooled.

4) Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar, and red pepper flakes in a food processor. Puree until smooth.

5) In a large serving bowl, mix pasta with 3/4 cup peanut sauce, stirring thoroughly to combine. Top with veggies and pour remaining sauce over everything. Serve with roasted peanuts on top.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
451 calories, 19 g fat, $1.58

Calculations
3/4 pound spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti: $1.12
2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets: $0.99
2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed: $1.60
2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed: $2.74
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter: $0.42
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce: $0.38
1/4 cup water: $0.00
2 tablespoons rice vinegar: $0.48
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice: $0.60
1 scallion, cut into pieces: $0.20
3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated: $0.20
2 tablespoons brown sugar: $0.06
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes: $0.01
1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts: $0.70
TOTAL: $9.50
PER SERVING (TOTAL/6): $1.58

Guest Post From Rachel, The CHG Gourmet: On Pasta and Improvisation

Have you ever had a day where your insurmountable project is due in 48 hours, and you have about a thousand calls to make, and equally as many errands to run, and you just haven't had the time to food-shop or clean the house (much less yourself), and you keep saying to yourself, "If I can just not sleep until [*flips through calendar*] a week from Saturday, everything'll be fine..."?

(I'm sure a lot of you out there could add, "...and the kids are sick, and I need to get my transmission fixed, and the dog ate something florescent blue--please don't ask how we know." To you fine people, I tip my hat.)

Whatever your circumstances, we've all hit the wall from time to time. I don't know about you, but in these instances, hunger and frugality forces me to break out the dreaded "I" word: improvisation.

Since I'm doing my best not to order out, and Jeff and I are both so swamped that we don't really have time to spend on a grocery store visit, I've been trying to mine the depths of the pantry and overcome my quasi-fear of full-on meal improvisation. So far, so good.

While I wouldn't say my "I"-word recipes are particularly upscale, they've been fast, tasty, satisfying, up to CHG standards, and have somehow enhanced my feeling of resourcefulness. Over the past few days, it's kind of like I've earned my Eagle Scout merit badge for fridge-foraging.

Case in point:


Whole Wheat Penne With Grape Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Navy Beans, and Sausage
Makes 1 entree serving, or two large side servings
[Note: This recipe could be altered in a thousand different ways based on what you've got lying around. Me? I just used what I had on hand, so don't feel beholden to the ingredients list. Experiment, have fun, and don't be afraid of the "I" word! -- Rachel]

3 oz. whole wheat penne (or any non-spaghetti whole wheat pasta)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup canned navy beans, drained
1 link Aidells Portobello Mushroom Chicken/Turkey Sausage, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
Several sprays of Pam

1) In a medium pot, cook the pasta in boiling water for about five minutes.

2) Heat a medium-sized pan coated with cooking spray over a medium flame, until hot. Lay the sausage in the pan in one even layer, and cook until the first side browns, about five minutes. Flip to cook the other side until just brown, several minutes more, and remove to a separate bowl.

3) Pour a small amount of pasta water into the sausage pan, and over lowered heat, scrape the fond (that awesome brown gunky residue) off the bottom with a wooden spoon to form a murky brown liquid that just covers the bottom of the pan.
[Note: I know it looks a little gross, but trust me--the flavor it imparts is worth it. - Rachel]

4) Add the tomatoes and mushrooms to the sausage pan, and simmer until softened and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.

5) In the pasta pot, replace the water with the vegetable broth. Simmer the pasta in the broth until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
[Note: If your veggies are starting to dry out, you can add in some of this broth.]
[Other note: The whole wheat penne I use tends to be pretty tough, so even a longer submersion still leaves it pretty al dente. Feel free to adjust times according to your texture preferences. - Rachel, again.]

6) Drain the pasta, and add to the tomato/mushroom mixture. Add the beans and sausage, and cook to warm through, about two minutes. Combine and serve.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Weight Watchers Points Value and Price per Serving
about 273 calories, about 5.9g fat, Points Value: 9, $2.13

Calculations
3 oz. whole wheat penne: 270 calories, 2.3g fat, $0.47
1 cup grape tomatoes: 30 calories, 0g fat, $0.75
1 cup mushrooms, sliced: 15 calories, 0.2g fat, $0.45
1/2 cup canned navy beans: 90 calories, 1g fat, $0.23
1 link Aidells Portobello Mushroom Chicken/Turkey Sausage: 140 calories, 8g fat, $1.75
1 cup vegetable broth: 10 calories, 0g fat, $0.16
Several sprays of Pam: negligable calories and fat, $0.02
SINGLE SERVING TOTAL: 555 calories, 11.5g fat, $3.83
DUAL SERVING TOTAL: 277.5 calories, 5.75g fat, $1.92

Classy, Squared: Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms

(First, a very happy 30th birthday to Rachel, the Cheap Healthy Gourmet. Judy Longhair, you are truly flopacetic.)

When I started on Weight Watchers, the hardest obstacle to overcome was the strict limitation on all things white and starchy. See, while carbs are filling, delicious, and generally good for society, they’re also super-high in calories. Not good for smaller butts and such. Thusly, my Giant Bowl of Spaghetti Days were officially put on notice. Bummer.

But … but … I love rotini. I adore penne. Given the chance (and a large dowry), I would elope with a piece of linguini. Subsequently, my first dietary mission was to discover a pasta dish that:

A) Would fit into the plan,
B) Was relatively affordable, and,
C) Didn’t taste like a salad sprinkled with bits of macaroni.

WW Online yielded some good options, but ultimately, it was (*gasp*) AllRecipes to the rescue. Normally, the average AR dish contains enough butter, oil, and/or lard to make Paula Deen insane with envy. (“AH’M so JEALOUS of y’all. *cackle cackle cackle* It’s makin’ me lose MAH MIND.”) Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms was a glaringly classy exception.

Simple and even elegant, it's a filling dish that tricks you into eating almost-crazy amounts of vegetables. (Devious.) I’ve played with the recipe a bunch over the last year or two, and found that fresh mushrooms, good parm, and a heavy hand with the red pepper help immeasurably. Some of the other reviewers suggest adding onions. I tried it, and it, and … foul. Blech. No good. Don’t do it.

One slight disadvantage: if you're on WW, the serving size is perfect, and makes for a full dinner. If you're not dieting, the portions are a tad small. You might want to serve a soup alongside. Perhaps THIS ONE? Aw, yeah.

Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms
4 servings
Adapted from All Recipes.

1 to 1-1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (not super-thick), trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
8 ounces thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1) Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

2) While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. add broth and mushrooms. Cook another 4 minutes, or until both asparagus and mushrooms are tender. When finished, kill the heat entirely.

3) Pour pasta into skillet and toss with vegetables. Add parmesan and crushed red pepper and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with a little more parmesan

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
342 calories, 9 g fat, $1.25 each

Calculations
1 pound fresh asparagus: 150 calories, 1.5 g fat, $1.76
1/4 cup chicken broth: 22 calories, 0.7 g fat, $0.04
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms: 50 calories, 0.8 g fat, $0.98
8 ounces angel hair pasta: 811 calories, 4.1 g fat, $0.25
1 tablespoon olive oil: 120 calories, 14 g fat, $0.08
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese: 216 calories, 14.3 g fat, $1.50
TOTAL: 1369 calories, 35.4 g fat, $4.99
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 342 calories, 9 g fat, $1.25 each