Q: How do pasta dishes fit into eating better?
A: Pasta CAN fit into your plan! The key is to mix it with fruits and/or vegetables for a balanced meal that offers great nutrition for a controlled amount of calories. A serving of pasta (1/3 cup cooked) has 80 calories, fruit has 60 (small whole piece), and non starchy veggies have 25 (1 cup raw, ½ c cooked). Use smarter sauces to make dishes better, too. Here’s a tasty example to try this week!
Turkey Cherry Pasta Salad courtesy of Jewel Food Stores
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: several hours
Amount: 10 servings
Ingredients:
1 (12 ounce) package Essential Everyday™ Farfalle
1 (6 ounce) package dried cherries
3 cups torn up leftover turkey (12 ounces)
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped red onion
¾ cup prepared creamy poppy seed dressing
½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Directions:
- Prepare pasta according to package directions; rinse with cold water and drain.
- In large bowl, combine cooled pasta, cherries, turkey, celery and onion. Toss with dressing, until well coated.
- Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight. Toss with walnuts just before serving.
Nutritional Information:
Serving Size 1/10 of recipe; Calories 370; Total Fat 15g; Saturated Fat 1g; Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 450mg; Carbohydrates 47g; Fiber 3g; Protein 13g