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Archive for the ‘Vegetarian Recipes’ Category

When it comes to eating healthily, many calorie-counting health and exercise freaks tend to treat pasta like it’s the plague, with big portions of carbs perceived by many to be as dangerous as the devil.

While steaming hot plates of pasta recipes piled with creamy, cheesy sauces can admittedly represent a fast track route to cellulite-laden thighs and unwanted love handles, there are healthy options that will allow you to indulge in a pasta dish without the associated element of guilt, even if you’re on a strict diet.

Perhaps the most important rule to follow in this respect is to avoid shop-bought pasta sauces. It’s incredibly quick and easy to make your own pasta sauce at home, with fresh ingredients and without the additives and artificial flavourings that often come with jars from the supermarket.

A simple tomato sauce can make for one of the tastiest and healthiest meals when combined with around 100g of penne. Simply fry some chopped onion and garlic using a spray oil (you can buy spray oils that contain just three calories per spray in most major supermarkets or health stores), add a can of chopped tomatoes (or, better still, buy a load of over-ripe tomatoes from your local market and whizz them up in the food processor before adding to the pan), season with salt and pepper, and leave to simmer for 25 minutes.

Chuck a little chopped parsley into the sauce five minutes before serving and combine the sauce with your cooked penne. If you want to add a little something special to your dish, throw in four or five black olives. You can find more pasta and vegetarian recipes such as this one on the internet. Make sure you cook the pasta in the sauce for a minute or two over a low heat, in order to allow the pasta to absorb the flavours of your sauce.

Avoid the temptation of parmesan cheese when serving and indulge instead in a simple side salad of cucumber, lettuce, and tomato. There you have it; a simple healthy meal perfect for a weekday evening when you’re in a hurry.