Healthy Pasta

The Sexy, Skinny, and Smart Way to Eat Your Favorite Food: A Cookbook

From the children of bestselling Italian cookbook writer Lidia Bastianich—a wonderfully informative, easy-to-use cookbook with 100 recipes, all under 500 calories, that provide simple ways to make pasta an integral part of a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle, even if you’re gluten-free.

Having grown up with Lidia Bastianich as their mother, Tanya and Joe Bastianich are no strangers to great-tasting Italian cooking. Today, the siblings both have illustrious careers in the culinary world—writing cookbooks, running restaurants, hosting television shows—and yet they are still faced with the question that many of us encounter in the kitchen every day: how can we enjoy the pasta that we crave in a healthy and satisfying way? 
 
Here, the brother and sister have paired up to give us that answer in 100 recipes, each under 500 calories per serving, that are as good for you as they are delectable. Do not be fooled: this is not a diet book. There are no tricks and no punishing regimens—it is just a simple guide to enjoying more of the food you love in ways that are good for you.  Using ingredients and cooking methods that maximize taste but minimize fat content, Joe and Tanya will teach you what different grains mean to your diet, how to pair particular grains with sauces, why better-quality pasta is healthier for you, the health benefits of cooking pasta al dente, and how to reduce fat and calories in your sauces. 

The recipes consist of regular, whole-grain, and gluten-free pastas, including classics like Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs and Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon, as well as new combinations like Gnocchi with Lentils, Onions, and Spinach; Bucatini with Broccoli Walnut Pesto; Summer Couscous Salad with Crunchy Vegetables; Spaghetti and Onion Frittata; and many more. All under 500 calories! This book will revolutionize the way you think about pasta. Buon appetito!
Linguine with Pancetta, Peas, and Zucchini
 
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zucchini lengthwise into thin ribbons, stopping when you get to the very center where it is all seeds. You can use this same technique with carrots and peel long carrot ribbons, or also choose to use half carrots and half zucchini. The zucchini (or carrots or both) sliced this way also make a light, fresh summer salad when tossed raw with lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh herbs.
 
Calories per Serving: 422
 
Serves 6
 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces pancetta, diced
1 cup chopped scallions
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound linguine
1 cup frozen peas
2 medium zucchini, peeled into ribbons (see headnote)
Kosher salt
Crushed red pepper flakes
1⁄2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1⁄2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
1⁄2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano
 
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the pancetta and cook until the fat is rendered, about 4 minutes. Add the scallions and garlic and cook until the scallions are wilted, about 3 minutes.
 
2. Add the linguine to the boiling water. Once the pasta is cooking, add the peas and zucchini to the skillet and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Toss until the zucchini begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Ladle in 1 cup pasta water and simmer and reduce by half while the pasta cooks.
 
3. When the pasta is al dente, remove it with a spider or small strainer and add directly to the sauce, along with the basil and parsley, reserving the pasta water. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce, adding a splash of pasta water if the pasta seems dry. Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle with the grated Grana Padano, toss, and serve.


Baked Rigatoni with Creamy Mushrooms and Squash
 
The combination of mushrooms and butternut squash is well suited for fall, but you can substitute other roasted vegetables in this dish, according to the season. The white sauce is a lower calorie and lower fat version of the classic besciamella.
 
Calories per Serving: 494
 
Serves 6
 
1 pound mixed mushrooms (such as button, cremini, shiitake, oyster, chanterelle, or porcini), thickly sliced (about 6 cups)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 fresh bay leaf
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound rigatoni
1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella
¼ cup freshly grated Grana Padano
 
1. Preheat the oven to 450˚F with two sheet pans on the top and bottom racks.
 
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms with ½ tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt. Spread on one of the preheated pans. Repeat with the squash and the remaining olive oil and season with salt and the thyme. Spread on the second sheet pan and roast both until browned and tender, stirring and switching the pans from top to bottom halfway through the cooking time, about 20 minutes in all.
 
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to make a smooth paste. Let cook for 2 minutes to remove the raw flour smell, then whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Add the bay leaf and nutmeg and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
 
4. Add the rigatoni to the boiling water. When the pasta is very al dente, several minutes shy of the package cooking time, drain and rinse. In a small bowl, toss the mozzarella and Grana Padano together. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, white sauce, and roasted vegetables and season with salt. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce.
 
5. Pour into a 13 by 9-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Sprinkle with the grated cheese mixture. Bake until the sauce is bubbly on the edges and the top is browned, 15 to 17 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

 
Excerpted from Healthy Pasta by Joseph Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2015 by Tanya Bastianich Manuali and Restaurant Man LLC. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Joseph Bastianich is the co-owner of Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group as well as Eataly throughout the Americas. He has coauthored two award-winning books on Italian wine, and his memoir, Restaurant Man, was a New York Times bestseller. He was formerly a judge on Fox's MasterChef, is on Sky's MasterChef Italia, and both stars in and serves as a producer on CNBC's Restaurant Startup. View titles by Joseph Bastianich
Tanya Bastianich Manuali View titles by Tanya Bastianich Manuali

About

From the children of bestselling Italian cookbook writer Lidia Bastianich—a wonderfully informative, easy-to-use cookbook with 100 recipes, all under 500 calories, that provide simple ways to make pasta an integral part of a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle, even if you’re gluten-free.

Having grown up with Lidia Bastianich as their mother, Tanya and Joe Bastianich are no strangers to great-tasting Italian cooking. Today, the siblings both have illustrious careers in the culinary world—writing cookbooks, running restaurants, hosting television shows—and yet they are still faced with the question that many of us encounter in the kitchen every day: how can we enjoy the pasta that we crave in a healthy and satisfying way? 
 
Here, the brother and sister have paired up to give us that answer in 100 recipes, each under 500 calories per serving, that are as good for you as they are delectable. Do not be fooled: this is not a diet book. There are no tricks and no punishing regimens—it is just a simple guide to enjoying more of the food you love in ways that are good for you.  Using ingredients and cooking methods that maximize taste but minimize fat content, Joe and Tanya will teach you what different grains mean to your diet, how to pair particular grains with sauces, why better-quality pasta is healthier for you, the health benefits of cooking pasta al dente, and how to reduce fat and calories in your sauces. 

The recipes consist of regular, whole-grain, and gluten-free pastas, including classics like Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs and Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon, as well as new combinations like Gnocchi with Lentils, Onions, and Spinach; Bucatini with Broccoli Walnut Pesto; Summer Couscous Salad with Crunchy Vegetables; Spaghetti and Onion Frittata; and many more. All under 500 calories! This book will revolutionize the way you think about pasta. Buon appetito!

Excerpt

Linguine with Pancetta, Peas, and Zucchini
 
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zucchini lengthwise into thin ribbons, stopping when you get to the very center where it is all seeds. You can use this same technique with carrots and peel long carrot ribbons, or also choose to use half carrots and half zucchini. The zucchini (or carrots or both) sliced this way also make a light, fresh summer salad when tossed raw with lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh herbs.
 
Calories per Serving: 422
 
Serves 6
 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces pancetta, diced
1 cup chopped scallions
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound linguine
1 cup frozen peas
2 medium zucchini, peeled into ribbons (see headnote)
Kosher salt
Crushed red pepper flakes
1⁄2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1⁄2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
1⁄2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano
 
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the pancetta and cook until the fat is rendered, about 4 minutes. Add the scallions and garlic and cook until the scallions are wilted, about 3 minutes.
 
2. Add the linguine to the boiling water. Once the pasta is cooking, add the peas and zucchini to the skillet and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Toss until the zucchini begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Ladle in 1 cup pasta water and simmer and reduce by half while the pasta cooks.
 
3. When the pasta is al dente, remove it with a spider or small strainer and add directly to the sauce, along with the basil and parsley, reserving the pasta water. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce, adding a splash of pasta water if the pasta seems dry. Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle with the grated Grana Padano, toss, and serve.


Baked Rigatoni with Creamy Mushrooms and Squash
 
The combination of mushrooms and butternut squash is well suited for fall, but you can substitute other roasted vegetables in this dish, according to the season. The white sauce is a lower calorie and lower fat version of the classic besciamella.
 
Calories per Serving: 494
 
Serves 6
 
1 pound mixed mushrooms (such as button, cremini, shiitake, oyster, chanterelle, or porcini), thickly sliced (about 6 cups)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 fresh bay leaf
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound rigatoni
1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella
¼ cup freshly grated Grana Padano
 
1. Preheat the oven to 450˚F with two sheet pans on the top and bottom racks.
 
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms with ½ tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt. Spread on one of the preheated pans. Repeat with the squash and the remaining olive oil and season with salt and the thyme. Spread on the second sheet pan and roast both until browned and tender, stirring and switching the pans from top to bottom halfway through the cooking time, about 20 minutes in all.
 
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to make a smooth paste. Let cook for 2 minutes to remove the raw flour smell, then whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Add the bay leaf and nutmeg and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
 
4. Add the rigatoni to the boiling water. When the pasta is very al dente, several minutes shy of the package cooking time, drain and rinse. In a small bowl, toss the mozzarella and Grana Padano together. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, white sauce, and roasted vegetables and season with salt. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce.
 
5. Pour into a 13 by 9-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Sprinkle with the grated cheese mixture. Bake until the sauce is bubbly on the edges and the top is browned, 15 to 17 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

 
Excerpted from Healthy Pasta by Joseph Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Copyright © 2015 by Tanya Bastianich Manuali and Restaurant Man LLC. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Author

Joseph Bastianich is the co-owner of Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group as well as Eataly throughout the Americas. He has coauthored two award-winning books on Italian wine, and his memoir, Restaurant Man, was a New York Times bestseller. He was formerly a judge on Fox's MasterChef, is on Sky's MasterChef Italia, and both stars in and serves as a producer on CNBC's Restaurant Startup. View titles by Joseph Bastianich
Tanya Bastianich Manuali View titles by Tanya Bastianich Manuali