Zesty Penne Pasta Light Food

LIGHT LEMON PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti at a boil until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain. Transfer spaghetti to a large bowl.
• Put cubed Romano cheese in the bowl of a food processor; process until coarsely grated, about 30 seconds. Put garlic into the food processor and process until the cheese and garlic are combined. Add spinach, basil, walnuts, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt; process until the mixture comes together into a thick paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
• With food processor running, drizzle olive oil into the mixture. Continue processing until the oil is integrated smoothly.
• Pour sauce over spaghetti and toss to coat.

GARLIC PENNE PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, and return to pot.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and parsley for about 1 minute. Season with red pepper flakes and black pepper. Stir into cooked pasta, along with remaining olive oil. Top with Parmesan.

ZESTY PENNE, SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, crumble sausage into large skillet; cook and stir on medium heat 8 min. or until done. Drain. Add peppers; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in next 3 ingredients; cook 5 min. or until heated through. Add cream cheese; cook 2 min. or until melted, stirring frequently.
• Drain pasta. Add to sausage mixture; mix lightly. Top with Parmesan.

QUICK & EASY ZESTY ITALIAN PENNE PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cook pasta to aldente stage, put in strainer, do not rinse and set aside to completely drain.
• Heat large saute pan, add olive oil, onion, sweet red peppers, hot crushed red pepper flakes and garlic.
• Saute on low until soft, not brown.
• Place in a small bowl and set aside.
• In same pan, brown sausage until cooked through.
• If not using Jimmy Dean Sausage, remove any excess fat.
• Return vegetable mixture back to pan and add tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.
• Grease 2 quart casserole, put 1/2 of the pasta, cover with 1/2 of the meat/sauce mixture, lay slices of 1/2 of the zucchini, sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese, repeat with a second layer of pasta, meat/sauce mixture, zucchini slices, ending with the remaining cheese.
• Bake covered in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, remove cover and bake until lightly brown, about 10 minutes.

ZESTY PENNE PASTA - LIGHT

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to directions.
• While that cooks, brown sausage in a pan sprayed with cooking spray.
• When sausage is fully cooked, add spaghetti sauce & red chili pepper flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add cream cheese to sauce, stir well for 2 minutes.
• Drain pasta and mix well with sauce. Top with parmesan, let stand on LOW heat for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

LIGHT PRIMAVERA PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat for about 30 seconds. Add yellow squash, zucchini, and garlic and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add to cooked pasta, pour in dressing, and toss to combine. Serve hot or cold.

SPICY PEPPER PENNE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, layer the pasta, rosemary, pepperoni, pepperoncini and red peppers. Add water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add cream and Parmesan cheese; toss to coat.

LIGHT LINGUINE CARBONARA

Steps:

• In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook linguine according to package directions, adding peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk egg, milk, red pepper, pepper flakes and pepper until blended; cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is just thick enough to coat a spoon and a thermometer reads at least 160°. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese and bacon; remove from heat., Drain linguine; return to pot. Add sauce and toss to coat. Serve with remaining cheese.