100-calorie creamy spinach zucchini pasta

Ingredients for 4 people (4 servings)

* One cup zucchini Noodles
(fresh or store-bought; I typically use Veggie Noodle Company brand which has four servings)
* 20 oz. Fresh baby spinach
* Two teaspoons part-skim ricotta cheese
* One tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
* Two tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Optional ingredients
* One tablespoon onion powder
* One tablespoon garlic powder
* One teaspoon salt
* One teaspoon pepper
* Olive oil spray (will reduce calorie count further)

This is a very satisfying dish with an agile recipe. You can add & remove ingredients as you wish, particularly since the basic recipe is just 100 calories total. If you only use the main ingredients I list, the dish comes out to 99 calories per serving (9 grams carbs, 6 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 7 grams protein, 9 mg cholesterol, 175 mg sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber, 3 grams sugar)

Adding the onion powder adds 6 calories per serving. Adding the garlic powder adds 8 calories per serving. Salt, pepper & spray add zero calories but those with sodium and food chemical concerns should factor into your recipe. Mrs. Dash or McCormick have a variety of spices with zero calories and sodium which you could use to flavor the dish to your liking.

14 min · Easy

Directions

1. Set Parmesan cheese aside

2. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat for one to two minutes. You can substitute olive oil spray or even a small pat of light butter, but the zucchini noodles tend to cook best in the oil.
(Don't worry if it appears to be a small amount of oil; this recipe only requires a minimal amount to cook properly while keeping the calorie count low.)

3. Add the spinach and cook until it shrinks and turns dark green (about four to five minutes).

4. Add the noodles, and spices to taste (I typically use just garlic & onion powder). Stir regularly and continue to cook for three to four minutes until the noodles start to get soft.

5. Once the noodles soften to your liking, add the ricotta cheese and mix it in. Let it cook for another two minutes.

6. Remove from heat, add the Parmesan cheese to the top, serve, and enjoy!

side dishes, low calorie, side dishes, spinach, zucchini, veggie pasta, 100 calorie, reduced fat, veggie side dish, vegetable pasta, rich low-calorie side dish March 24, 2017 20:25