There is so much misinformation about what you should and shouldn’t eat regardless of your goals. Pasta is one of those items that many people spend their whole life avoiding because somewhere down the line you’ve been told it’s bad for you.
This is simply not true. There are many ways to make your favourite foods like pasta a part of your regular nutrition routine without feeling guilty.
One of the main ways to do this is by paying attention to portion sizes. Most people when eating a dish like pasta (same applies to sandwiches, bagels, and other complex carbohydrate sources), will just have pasta, maybe a bit of sauce, and barely any protein or vegetables.
What we want to aim for is a well balanced meal, including moderate-to-high amounts of protein, 1-2 servings of vegetables minimum, in combination with the carbohydrate source you are having.
This is a SINGLE SERVING recipe. You can easily double or triple up on this recipe depending on how many people you need to feed.
Carbohydrate content can be increased or decreased depending on how much pasta you add.
Nutrition Info:
Per 1 serving:
Ingredients:
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 turkey sausage (approximately 130 grams, measured raw)
25 grams white onion, diced
50 grams green and red bell pepper, chopped
1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
65 grams fusilli pasta (or pasta of choice, I used organic whole wheat fusilli, measured dry)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (original flavoured, or milk of choice)
1 laughing cow light cheese wedge
Directions:
Add water to a pot and bring to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, salt the water and add the pasta. Stir occasionally until cooked. Before straining, reserve approximately 1/3 of a cup of the pasta water for the sauce.
While the water boils/pasta cooks, add a pan to medium-high heat. Add oil and let it heat up.
Cut a slit through the casing of the sausage, remove from the casing and add to the pan. As it cooks stir occasionally while breaking it up into smaller pieces until it is cooked through.
Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.
If the pan is dry, add a small amount of oil and the onions to the pan.
Once the onions start to soften, add the peppers and stir.
Once the peppers have started to soften, add the sausage back into the pan, along with the tomato paste, garlic, and seasonings.
Continue stirring until well combined.
Lower the heat to medium, and add the milk to the pan. Continue stirring until well combined and the milk has come to a boil. As you are stirring, deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom of the pan to get extra flavouring into the sauce.
Add the cream cheese wedge into the pan and stir constantly until well combined. (This will take less time if you break into smaller pieces first before adding to the pan.)
Add the cooked pasta, along with the reserved pasta water. Stir until combined.
Optional: top with fresh parsley, cheese, and/or black pepper.
