Pasta in 1tsp OIL

Penne in Tomato Sauce with Cheese

Penne is served best with tomato sauce or white sauce. It should be avoided in other dry forms of pastas as the empty hole of penne results in lack of taste when made dry.

There must be many many ways in which a pasta can be made but all will require a decent serving of olive oil and cheese. Even though olive oil is good for heath, it should be consumed in minimal quantity if possible. 1tsp oil has 40 calories. Cheese on the other hand is an irreplaceable ingredient especially for pastas. You can add half a cup of shredded cheese which will have 160 calories. This will give a lot of flavour to your pasta and will also bind the penne together. 100gm whole wheat Penne (for two) will have 130 calories. So the total calorie content of your food (per person) will come to less than 200 calories as opposed to 350 calories in usual pasta. This level of intake is not bad when you still have 1300 or more calories left to consume over the next few meals (I am assuming that you have a full 8 hr sitting job where you don't require more than 1500 calories)

Recipe (for two):

• take 6-7 red tomatoes and take off their skin. Cut then into small pieces. Put them in a non stick and let them roast without any oil for 10 mins. Add 1/2 cup water.
• Add oregano powder and salt (remember boiled penne also has salt) to tomato paste
• take 10-12 garlic cloves and cut them small
• take 2 medium sized onions and cut them small
• Pour 1tsp oil in a non stick pan and add 4-5 red dry chillies
• add garlic and onions to the pan and let the onion turn light pink
• add tomato paste to it and let it roast for 3-4 mins
• add handful of fresh coriander and parsley along with 6-7 leaves of basil
• add penne to the paste and toss well (look at my previous recipe for boiling pasta )
• sprinkle half cup shredded cheese to the mixture and garnish with olive and cheese .
• SERVE HOT with wine

Interesting Fact: With less than 200 calories in this meal, you can have 5 such meals in a day and still be under control. The story doesn't end here. A wholewheat pasta also brings roughage to your body and helps in controlling the sugar levels and improves digestion.