pasta

Pinterest… Oh, Pinterest….

There are so many tasty looking foods on Pinterest these days… over and over, I find myself pinning recipes that I’m dying to make. Considering that my fellow pinners are sharing tons of these recipes with me daily, it’s really hard to keep up.

I’ve even started a separate Pinterest board for the recipes that I try… click here to see. I’ve started including my reviews too, so pin if you wish, but check the comments to see if it comes NTTC recommended.

When I found this one, I think it took me TWO days to get the ingredients together and to make it. I had some fat-free half and half in my fridge from my previous Bolognese sauce recipe that I had made, so it was a great way to leverage what I had!

Yeah, that creamy, amazing soup you see above was made by little ol’ me. Oh, and let me surprise you by telling you it clocks in at LESS THAN 300 calories!

I will make this dish again and again and again… it even got the red alert text to all my closest chefs: You have to make this! Consider this YOUR text!

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

From Taste of Home

Serves 5

INGREDIENTS

1/2 package (4.5 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 can (10-3/4 ounces each) reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup skim milk
1 cup fat free half-and-half cream
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup reduced fat grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions, minus 2 minutes. Note: I cooked mine about 2 minutes less, so that my tortellini wouldn’t get to soggy. I thought they were PERFECTION.

2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently.

3. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup.

4. Stir in cheese.

5. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired.

6. Grab a spoon and clean that bowl!

Per 1 cup of soup:

CAL 283; CARB 41g; FAT 7g; PROT 13g; FIB 3g; WW Points Plus: 7

Bethenny's Asian Slaw

Prosciutto - Sun Dried Tomato - Spinach Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Healthier General Tso's Chicken

It’s no secret… I LOVE Italian food, and I’m a HUGE fan of pasta.

I always order the Jenny pasta dishes, and it’s pretty frequent that I’m trying new Italian dishes here at the house. It’s such comfort food and such a treat, I love finding healthy alternatives to some of the calorie-rich treats of the past. This dish was UNBELIEVABLE, and the perfect sauce to have in the crockpot on a snowy day.

The recipe itself comes from Gina over at Skinnytaste. I’ve looked at this recipe SO MANY TIMES, but I’ve never had the pancetta on hand to make it. The night before the snow rolled in, I made it a point to pick up pancetta and extra lean ground beef. I’m so glad that I did!

Somewhere between a bacon and a ham…. this stuff rocks!

Note: My version of this sauce yielded a different amount of servings than Gina’s, and yours may come out slightly different as well. Always measure out your sauce to be sure you’re eating the calories you’re expecting. I made half of the recipe Gina posted originally and adjusted the nutritional information based upon what my version created.

Crockpot Bolognese Sauce

From Skinnytaste

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2 oz pancetta, chopped (or center cut bacon)

1/2 large white onion, minced

1 celery stalks (about 3/4 cup), minced

1 carrots (about 3/4 cup), minced

1 lb 95% lean ground beef

2 Tbsp. white wine

1 – 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 bay leaves

salt and fresh pepper

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup half & half cream, fat-free

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large deep saute pan sprayed with cooking spray, sauté pancetta on low heat until the fat melts, about 4-5 minutes.

2. Add onions, celery and carrots and cook on medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Note: To mince the celery, onion, and carrots, I used my food processor to create that finely chopped effect!

3. In a separate pan sprayed with cooking spray, add meat, season with salt and pepper and sauté until browned. Once meat is browned, drain and rinse. Place in a food processor and grind to a fine texture.