Simple Sausage and Squash Pasta

Simple Sausage and Squash Pasta
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Real Simple

8 oz. egg noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
3 Italian-style turkey sausage links, casings removed
1 pound summer squash
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water; drain pasta and return it to the pot. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and, 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to medium and add 2 tsp of oil to the skillet. Add squash, onion, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are golden and tender, 10 minutes (reduce heat if pan begins to darken). Toss pasta with sausage, vegetables, Parmesan, oregano, and ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water (add more cooking water if the pasta seems dry). Serve with more parsley to garnish.

Nutritional Information: 429 calories, 51 carbs, 15 fat grams and 24 protein grams.

Review: Great, simple recipe! Ready in under 20 minutes, so another great weeknight meal! The sausage and garlic gave it great flavor, and I didn't miss a heavy sauce at all. It was a great, light meal that reheated well the next day and was too easy to make. I'll be making it again!

20 Recipes Ready in 20 Minutes (and under 460 calories!)

So often I'll find 20-minute recipes but they start with pre-cooked chicken, pre-cut veggies and cooked rice or pasta. That's not 20 minutes for me! I want 20 minutes, from opening the fridge/pantry to in my belly. :) Here are 20 of our quick, HOT meals - all under 460 calories per serving!

1. Spaghetti Carbonara
Nutritional Information (per serving): 460 calories, 58 carbs, 13 fat grams and 30 protein grams.

2. Pork Sesame Noodles
Nutritional Information (per serving): 463 calories, 55 carbs, 11 fat grams and 37 protein grams.

3. Creamy Taco Mac
Nutritional Information (per serving): 457 calories, 58 carbs, 7 fat grams and 34 protein grams.

4. Tortellini Arugula Salad with Balsamic-Tomato Vinaigrette

Nutritional Information (per serving): 377 calories, 36 carbs, 20 fat grams and 15 protein grams.

5. Eggs & Sweet Potato Hash
Nutritional information (per serving): 301 calories, 23 carbs, 17 fat grams and 15 protein grams.

6. Egg and Cheese Breakfast Tacos with Homemade Salsa
Nutritional Information per serving (2 tacos): 386 calories, 46 carbs, 10 fat grams and 25 protein grams.

7. Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup
Nutritional Information (per serving): 358 calories, 44 carbs, 5 fat grams and 35 protein grams.

8. Peppery Pork with Creamy Tomato Sauce
Nutritional Information (per serving): 432 calories, 51 carbs, 8 fat grams and 38 protein grams.

9. Asian Basil Pesto
Nutritional Information: 417 calories, 43 carbs, 10 fat grams and 38 protein grams.

10. Mexican Breakfast Burritos with Avocado 
Nutritional Information: 414 calories, 56 carbs, 15 fat grams and 20 protein grams.



11. Chipotle Bean Burritos
Nutritional Information: 429 calories, 74 carbs, 6 fat grams and 23 protein grams.

12. Skinny General Tso’s Chicken
Nutritional Information (per serving): 441 calories, 65 carbs, 6 fat grams and 30 protein grams.

13. Beef  & Noodle Toss
Nutritional Information (per serving): 430 calories, 46 carbs, 12 fat grams and 37 protein grams.

14. Spinach and Ricotta Pizza
Nutritional Information (per serving): 416 calories, 56 carbs, 14 fat grams and 16 protein grams.

15. Inside Out Egg Roll Stirfry
Nutritional Information (per serving) : 438 calories, 58 carbs, 8 fat grams and 29 protein grams.

16. Margarita Pasta
Nutritional Information (per serving): 449 calories, 56 carbs, 15 fat grams and 23 protein grams.


17. Spicy Orange Chicken
Nutritional Information (per serving): 372 calories, 49 carbs, 7 fat grams and 30 protein grams.


18. Sausage, Tomato and Argula Pasta
Nutritional Information (per serving): 373 calories, 43 carbs, 12 fat grams and 24 protein grams.

19. Best Ever Chicken Soft Tacos
Nutritional Information per serving (two tacos): 421 calories, 37 carbs, 6 fat grams and 51 protein grams.

20. Shrimp with Feta Tomato Sauce and Rice

Nutritional Information (per serving): 360 calories, 44 carbs, 5 fat grams and 30 protein grams.

Hope you try some of these and enjoy them! Great, weeknight, ready-in-under-20-minute dishes.

Margarita Pasta

Margarita Pasta
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Real Simple

10 oz. spaghetti
3 large beefsteak tomatoes, each cut into 4 thick pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
4 oz. reduced-fat mozzarella, grated
6 tsp full-fat grated parmesan
2 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp crushed red pepper
¾ cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
Salt and Pepper

Heat broiler. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot. Meanwhile, arrange tomatoes into a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Season with ¼ tsp each salt and pepper. Dividing evenly, sprinkle the slices with mozzarella and parmesan. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 3 to 5 minutes. In a small saucepan, warm oil with garlic and red pepper over medium heat until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the garlic oil, basil, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve topped with tomatoes and additional basil.

Nutritional Information: 449 calories, 56 carbs, 15 fat grams and 23 protein grams.

Review: What's not to like? I'm a  huge margarita pizza fan so I figured i'd be a fan of this! The pasta really gets a lot of flavor from the garlic mix, and the tomatoes came out super juicy and cheesy. Just make sure to use large ones so you have enough surface for the cheese to go on! We thought this one reheated well, too. The tomatoes weren't as crispy, but still good, and since the pasta had so much juice with the tomatoes and "sauce' it didn't dry out, always a must for reheating! This was also a 20 minutes or less recipe for sure - and another yummy meatless dish. To reduce the calories/fat, I'd suggest using 2.5 or 3 oz. of mozzarella instead, I don't think it would be missed! I would definitely leave the olive oil at this level though.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Skillet

Creamy Chicken Noodle Skillet
Makes 4 Servings; Total Time: 20 Minutes
Adapted from Slim Shoppin' and My Bizzy Kitchen

2 tbsp light butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups skim milk
8 oz. egg noodles
2 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup parmesan cheese (4 tbsp)
16 oz. raw chicken, diced and sprinkled with salt and pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions and drain. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid. While noodles cook, in a large skillet, cook chicken over medium heat. Brown on all sides but don’t cook all the way through. Remove chicken from skillet and set it aside. In the same large skillet add butter. Once melted, add flour and, using a whisk, break it up. Add skim milk, salt, Dijon mustard and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Whisk until sauce starts to thicken. Add partially cooked chicken into the sauce and continue to cook until no longer pink in the middle. Add noodles and stir to coat all the noodles. If it’s too thick, add reserved pasta liquid to thin it out.

Nutritional Information: 455 calories, 52 carbs, 8 fat grams and 40 protein grams.

Review: Crazy creamy - almost like an alfredo sauce but better. I love the difference that little bit of dijon mustard makes. I used very little pasta water (maybe 1 tbsp) - everything cooked up well and blended together great. Definitely used the whisk - I tried at first to use just a fork but it didn't work nearly as well. I used the wide egg noodles and really liked the texture over regular pasta. Great comfort food, great classic chicken dish - and super easy to put together. Austin said it was almost like an 'alfredo gravy' - yum.