A guide to making pasta healthy

1. Eat Pasta Like An Italian
How to make healthy pasta

2. It’s All About Italian Cooking
❖ Pasta can be part of a healthy diet; considered the crown jewel of italian
cooking
❖ Mediterranean-style diet can reduce heart disease and risk of stroke
❖ A healthy outcome results from a healthy lifestyle, Italians eat pasta
differently than we do in the U.S
❖ Take a look at these 6 subtle changes you can make that can benefit your
body and enjoy pasta without the guilt

3. 1. Cooking Pasta Al Dente
❖ Al Dente - firm with a little bit of a bite
❖ Avoid cooking pasta until it’s mushy
❖ Cook until slightly firm which is often
less time than recommended on the
package
❖ Benefits:
➢ Lower glycemic index *
➢ Retain more nutrients
* Shows how food affects your blood sugar
after eating

4. 2. Portion Control
❖ Eat ½ cup to 1 cup serving of pasta
❖ Enjoy with salads and vegetables to fill
up your plate
❖ Benefits:
➢ Less carbohydrates
➢ Better blood sugar control

5. 3. Easy On the Sauce
❖ Use a few Tablespoons of sauce per
serving
❖ Add roasted vegetables or fresh herbs
to add flavor
❖ Benefits:
➢ Lower overall sodium intake
■ half cup of marinara sauce = 400
milligram of sodium
➢ Less pressure on blood vessels, lower
risk of high blood pressure, heart
disease, and stroke

6. 4. Add Protein
❖ Add
➢ nuts
➢ Soy products - tempeh
➢ Seafood
➢ Animal protein
❖ Benefits:
➢ help provide more volume to a meal
➢ helps with satiety

7. 5. A little Fat
❖ Add Fats like
➢ Olive oil
➢ Olives
➢ Coconut
➢ Nuts
➢ Avocado
❖ Benefits
➢ Slows down blood sugar spikes when
eating a carbohydrate
➢ Turns it into a lower glycemic meal
➢ Helps with satiety

8. 6. Add Vegetables, Lots of Vegetables
❖ Only provides 5 grams of carbohydrates
per serving
❖ Contain fiber which decreases blood
sugar spikes

9. Avoid/limit eating a high glycemic meal like this

10. Recipes

11. Fettuccine Alfredo
with Chicken and
Vegetables
40 minutes • Serves 5
Low(er) lactose version of Fettuccine Alfredo

12. Fettuccine Alfredo With Chicken And Vegetables
Ingredients
● 1 Tablespoon olive oil
● 2 boneless, skinless chicken
breasts, cut or pounded to
uniform size
● ¾ teaspoon garlic salt, divided ½
teaspoon and ¼ teaspoon
● 10 asparagus spears, woody
ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch
pieces
● 2 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch
spears
● ½ pound fettuccine noodles
● 1 Tablespoon butter
● 2 Tablespoons flour
● 1 cup chicken broth
● ½ cup 2% milk
● ⅛th teaspoon nutmeg
● 2 ounces Parmesan
● salt and pepper to taste
● parsley, chopped for garnish
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat
olive oil in oven proof skillet over
medium high heat. Sprinkle chicken
breasts with ½ teaspoon garlic salt.
Cook chicken breast smooth side down
in skillet until golden brown, about 2 to
3 minutes. Turn chicken over and place
in the oven until cooked through,
about 15 to 20 minutes. To save time
you can make the chicken ahead of
time or use grilled chicken.
2. Remove chicken from pan and let it
rest for 5 minutes. Cut into 1-inch
pieces and place into a large serving
bowl.
3. In the same skillet you cooked the chicken, add
the vegetables, sprinkle with remaining garlic salt
and cook lightly until just fork tender, about 2 to 3
minutes (you can also steam vegetables lightly if
you prefer). Remove from the pan and place into
serving bowl with the chicken. Note: Don’t cook
until desired texture because they will continue to
cook when you toss with warm pasta.
4. Cook fettuccine according to package instructions
until al dente. Drain and move to serving bowl
with the chicken and vegetables.
5. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt the butter over
medium low heat. Add the flour and cook over low
heat for 3 minutes. Add the broth, slowly add the
milk, nutmeg and Parmesan and continue to
whisk until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Toss
with the pasta, chicken and veggies. Garnish with
fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

13. Creamy Pasta With
Goat Cheese and
Veggies
24 minutes • Serves 4-5
Simple side pasta dish using fresh
veggies and melting in creamy goat
cheese for a punch of flavor

14. Creamy Pasta with Goat Cheese and Veggies
Ingredients
● ½ pound of Penne or Rotini
pasta
● 2 tablespoons extra virgin
olive oil
● 2 small zucchini, cubed
● 2 to 3 garlic cloves,
crushed
● 1 tablespoon Balsamic
vinegar
● 1 cup cherry tomatoes,
halved
● 2 ounces crumbled goat
cheese
● Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
1. Cook pasta until al dente, drain
and set aside
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil on low
heat. Add zucchini and saute for
2 minutes. Add garlic and cook
for another 2 minutes, careful
not to burn it.
3. Take the zucchini and garlic off
the burner, add the balsamic
vinegar and stir around.
4. Add the zucchini mixture, tomatoes and
goat cheese to the pasta. Mix together
until goat cheese is mostly melted.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste
Note: you can add more or less garlic and
balsamic depending on your taste.

15. Penne With Green
Beans, Tomatoes
and Pesto
30 minutes • Serves 8
Penne pasta combined with lightly
steamed green beans, fresh tomatoes
and basil pesto

16. Penne With Green Beans, Tomatoes and Pesto
Ingredients
● 2 chicken breasts, cooked,
cut into 1 inch pieces (can
use leftover grilled chicken
or rotisserie chicken)
● 1½ cups green beans, cut
into ¼th inch pieces,
steamed lightly
● 1 pint cherry tomatoes,
halved
● 4 ounces pesto
● 1 pound penne pasta
● ¼ cup pine nuts, lightly
toasted
● parmesan cheese
(optional)
Preparation
1. If using raw chicken, bake or grill until chicken is cooked through seasoned
to taste. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Steam chopped green beans until just fork
tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions, until al dente.
3. Mix the pasta, green beans, tomatoes, chicken, pesto and pine nuts until
well mixed.
4. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

17. Real Living
Nutrition Services
A balanced approach to eating
healthy in the real world
Reallivingnutrition.com
Recipes mentioned can be found below:
● Fettuccine Alfredo With Chicken And Vegetables
● Creamy Pasta With Goat Cheese And Veggies
● Penne With Green Beans, Tomatoes and Pesto