Pasta anyone??

Anyone that knows me knows I have a love/hate relationship with pasta.  I LOVE it, but my booty sure hates me for it.  I rarely ever make pasta dishes anymore since I’ve tried to cut back on my carb intake, but when I saw this recipe in my August issue of Cooking Light, I just had to try it!

Tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and cream cheese….umm yes please!  The pasta is lightly coated, yet super flavorful and very filling.  I loved everything about this and Chris sure did too!  Oh and I should probably mention that your kitchen will smell amazing afterwards.

Horrible I know.

This also makes tons of leftovers which is perfect for lunch the next day.  Budgeting for food is not my strongest life skill, let me just put it that way.  I always end up running to the store when I need something and rarely ever plan ahead.  Last week I started planning all my meals out two weeks in advance and not only did it save me over half of what I normally spend, but I was able to use up all my ingredients rather than waste any food!

Win win!

This is a super budget-friendly dish and I loved having tons of extra basil leftover to use throughout the week.  Now that I’ve started house shopping, I’m trying to save every penny I have!  I’ve decided I’m going to have one built and lemme just tell you, Pinterest has become my best friend!

But more on that later.  Enjoy some carbs!
Fettuccini with Tomato-Cream Sauce   Print Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Serves: 4 servings Ingredients

• 8 oz. uncooked fettuccine
• 4 quarts boiling water
• ½ tsp. salt, divided
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
• 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed
• 3 oz. fat-free cream cheese
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
• ¼ cup small fresh basil leaves
• ½ oz. shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Cook pasta in 4 quarts of boiling water with ¼ teaspoon salt for 8 minutes or until noodles are almost al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1⅓ cups of pasta cooking water.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add oil then garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and tomatoes, cook for 3 minutes. Add in reserved 1⅓ cups pasta water and bring to a boil.
3. Stir in cream cheese and mix until smooth. Add in pasta and red pepper and cook an additional 3 minutes or until pasta is al dente, tossing to coat.
4. Divide pasta among 4 bowls, top with 1 tablespoon of basil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information Serving Size: 1¼ cups • Calories: 383 • Fat: 8 g • Carbs: 52.7 g • Fiber: 3.6 g • Protein: 12.9 g • WW Points+: 9 pts 3.5.3208