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I love pasta, so my husband and I needed to explore some new sauces to keep dinner fresh, pun intended, instead of the same old alfredo or marinara. As always, we searched for healthier options that would pack the most flavor, but without all those pesky calories. A lot of pasta sauces are loaded with cream or milk for thickening, and that adds a ton of fat and calories.
This creamy red pepper feta sauce recipe is originally from the Food Network website and has just shy of 5 stars.
Why we love it: This recipe is light, low in calories, and can easily be modified to our liking. You're not sacrificing any flavor to save calories. It's still creamy, even though you don't use milk or cream to thicken. It's perfect if you're looking to have a pasta night that's loaded with flavor, but won't throw you off your health goals. It's also super easy to make and only take about 25-30 minutes!
Modifications:
1. My husband loves linguine, but I prefer other noodles. This recipe originally uses fettuccini which is another great choice, but we've tried it with a few different options (rigatoni, shells) and it goes well with just about anything.
2. We substituted the jar of red peppers with fresh red peppers to lift the flavor even more. To roast the peppers simply place them on a baking sheet lined with foil (not parchment as it will burn) and put them in the oven for about 15 minutes (or until peppers begin to get a char on them) at 450 degrees.
3. In addition to the parsley the recipe calls for, we added red crushed pepper and basil. If you don't want that little kick of spice, then leave out the red pepper.
Notes for Next Time: To make this recipe even lighter, we used a low-sodium broth and fat free feta cheese. We also added a hint of parmesan cheese at the end because you can never have enough cheese!