Garlic and Red Pepper Pasta

I think summer is upon us! It's near 90 degrees today, then sun is out, and barely a cloud in the sky. Yay, summer!!! I've anxiously been awaiting its arrival for how many months now?!? It's good to have it back again!

This recipe was quick, easy, light, and tasty! Seriously, is there anything better than pasta, garlic, red pepper flakes, and Parm? MMMMM! Delish!

I used "real" butter, so I adjusted the points to 8 in my case. Worth. Every. Bite.

Garlic and Red Pepper Pasta
from eat-yourself-skinny.com

Servings: 6 Serving Size: 1 cup Calories: 301 Fat: 15 g Carbs: 6.8 g Fiber: 0.8 g Protein: 4.3 g Old Points: 7.1 pts Points+: 5 pts

1 box of spaghetti
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
3/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. light butter
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil water and cook pasta per box instructions until al dente. Meanwhile, saute olive oil, butter, garlic and red bell pepper on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and allow to simmer until ready to toss.

Drain pasta and immediately toss with Parmesan cheese. Add the sauteed garlic sauce, sprinkle some extra Parmesan cheese on top and garnish with some fresh parsley.

Spinach Stuffed Shells

Who doesn't like stuffed pasta shells! It's been years since I've made them, and in my hunt for low fat, low calorie recipes, I found this recipe. I made the sauce and cooked the shells last night, so that when I got home from work today, all I had to do was mix the spinach/cheese mixture and stuff 'em and then throw them in the oven. They'll be done in about 5 minutes, and they SMELL FANTASTIC!!!

This is adapted from yet another new-to-me site, www.skinnymom.com. It makes 10 servings - TEN SERVINGS!!! I'll be doing some freezing tonight!

First, the sauce:

Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Serves 10

•1 pound lean ground sirloin
•1 onion, chopped
•1 green pepper, chopped
•1 tbsp minced onion
•2 6 ounce cans tomato paste
•1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
•1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
•1 tbsp Italian seasoning
•2 basil leaves
•2 tablespoons Splenda granulated sweetener
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 teaspoon garlic powder

1.In a large skillet, brown lean ground sirloin for 4-5 minutes.
2.Add chopped onion, green pepper, and garlic and continue cooking meat until no longer pink and the onions and peppers start to soften.
3.Next, add tomato paste, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes to meat and onions. Add in 1/4 cup water and stir sauce.
4.Add garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and Splenda to sauce and stir until well mixed.
5.Add in basil leaves and turn heat down to low. Cover and let simmer for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with pasta immediately or

freeze or refrigerate for later.

Nutrition Info Per Serving: Calories: 165.9, Fat: 4.9g, Carbohydrates:19g, Fiber: 3.5g, Sugars: 9g, Protein: 13.3g; WW Points 3



.... and now the shells:

Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

Serves 10

•1 box Barilla Jumbo Shells Pasta
•1 10 oz bag frozen spinach
•16 ounces Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
•1 tsp salt
•1 tsp pepper
•1 tsp garlic powder
•1/2 cup Tbsp reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
•1 Tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, grated
•10 Servings Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Directions:
1.Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Add pasta shells to boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes until almost al dente.
3.Drain pasta shells and spread pasta shells onto a sheet of wax paper to dry.
4.Place spinach in microwave and cook for 5-6 minutes
as directed on package.
5.Drain spinach and make sure to remove all of the moisture from spinach until it is dry.
6.In a medium sized bowl, mix spinach, fat-free ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
7.Using a 9×13 casserole dish, spoon a small amount of Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce to cover the bottom of dish.
8.Next, fill pasta shells with spinach mixture by using a spoon to place mixture inside each pasta shell.
9.Place filled pasta shells face up into casserole dish.
10.Top filled pasta shells with Skinny Spaghetti Meat Sauce and sprinkle reduced-fat Mozzarella cheese on top.
11.Heat pasta shells in oven for 15-20 minutes and serve hot.

Nutrition Info (3 stuffed shells with meat sauce): Calories: 323.4, Fat: 7.2g, Carbohydrates: 48.1g, Protein: 22g, Fiber: 5.1g, Sugars: 11.3g; WW Points 7