For tonight’s spaghetti dinner I wanted to do something familiar but different. Instead of tossing the pasta and sauce together I decided to make an herb and lemon pesto and dress the pasta with that and then top it with a little sauce. This worked great and I love the contrast of colors, red on light green. The fresh herbs and lemon added a nice brightness which was a good contrast to the slow cooked sauce.
This dinner was packed with antioxidants and fiber from the vegetables. The whole wheat pasta added a lot of protein to the meal. I love a healthy dinner that fights disease and tastes great, that is my favorite combination. Here is what I did.
Whole Wheat Spaghetti Dressed with Herb and Lemon Pesto and Topped with Eggplant Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients:
16 ounces of whole wheat spaghetti
6 quarts of salted water
¼ cup of fresh basil (leaves only)
¼ cup of fresh parsley (leaves only)
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 lemon juiced and zested
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
4 cups of eggplant tomato sauce
Directions:
Cook the pasta according in the salted water until it is al dente.
While the pasta is cooking make the herb and lemon pesto. Combine the basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil in your blender and process until completely smooth. Hold the sauce until the pasta has finished cooking.
Toss the pasta with herb and lemon pesto and put that in the bottom of the bowl. Top the pasta with the eggplant tomato sauce and serve hot.
Nutritional Information:
Amount Per Serving
Calories - 508.93
Calories From Fat (12%) - 60.77
This dinner was packed with antioxidants and fiber from the vegetables. The whole wheat pasta added a lot of protein to the meal. I love a healthy dinner that fights disease and tastes great, that is my favorite combination. Here is what I did.
Whole Wheat Spaghetti Dressed with Herb and Lemon Pesto and Topped with Eggplant Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients:
16 ounces of whole wheat spaghetti
6 quarts of salted water
¼ cup of fresh basil (leaves only)
¼ cup of fresh parsley (leaves only)
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 lemon juiced and zested
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
4 cups of eggplant tomato sauce
Directions:
Cook the pasta according in the salted water until it is al dente.
While the pasta is cooking make the herb and lemon pesto. Combine the basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil in your blender and process until completely smooth. Hold the sauce until the pasta has finished cooking.
Toss the pasta with herb and lemon pesto and put that in the bottom of the bowl. Top the pasta with the eggplant tomato sauce and serve hot.
Nutritional Information:
Amount Per Serving
Calories - 508.93
Calories From Fat (12%) - 60.77
Total Fat - 7.05g
Saturated Fat - 1.06g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 259.66mg
Potassium - 864.66mg
Total Carbohydrates - 101.67g
Fiber - 5.17g
Sugar - 6.81g
Protein - 19.55g
MyPoints - 11.57
Comments:
Dressing the pasta in the fresh herb and lemon pesto added a lot of fresh flavor to the pasta dish. Normally I would have used these elements to make a gremolata topping, but for a change this is also nice. I can’t decide which I like better this, or the gremolata. They are both good options (the gremolata or the pesto). I think the family enjoyed dinner tonight; there was not a strand of pasta left when they were finished.
Saturated Fat - 1.06g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 259.66mg
Potassium - 864.66mg
Total Carbohydrates - 101.67g
Fiber - 5.17g
Sugar - 6.81g
Protein - 19.55g
MyPoints - 11.57
Comments:
Dressing the pasta in the fresh herb and lemon pesto added a lot of fresh flavor to the pasta dish. Normally I would have used these elements to make a gremolata topping, but for a change this is also nice. I can’t decide which I like better this, or the gremolata. They are both good options (the gremolata or the pesto). I think the family enjoyed dinner tonight; there was not a strand of pasta left when they were finished.
OMG, this sounds and looks really yummy.
ReplyDeleteI'm making dinner right now...using some of your Vegan Cheddar...I"ll post about it later in the week, meanwhile, I know what's on tomorrow's menu...whole wheat pasta with herb/lemon pesto and Eggplant sauce. YUM!
Rose,
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear what you think of the vegan cheddar, and what you did with it. When I first made vegan cheese I also made a lot of variations very rapidly. You have convinced me to give vegan mozzarella another try. If I have time that will be on my to do list tomorrow after the farm market. I am hoping to make something with a texture close to buffalo mozzarella which was my favorite.
I am glad you liked the sound of the pasta. I was just playing around and looking for something a little different. Many of my better ideas seem to come from my restlessness. My husband thought this one was good (but sometimes I think he has a bit of bias).
Alicia