Bacon and Tomato Sauce

Doesn’t everything just taste better with bacon on it?
 
I don’t eat regular pasta anymore, preferring zoodles or spaghetti squash strands over wheat flour or even brown rice noodles.  But The Captain does like his pasta so I threw this together for lunch on Tuesday after we came home from the tennis court.

I was hungry, and hoped this might be quick. I already had some zoodles prepared and waiting in the fridge, so I put some water on to boil for The Captain’s linguine noodles while I made this sauce. It all came together in about 20 minutes.

I always keep some cooked, crumbled bacon in the freezer. It is just so handy to add a spoonful or two for a little flavor boost.  I also keep peeled garlic cloves in the fridge, too. If you don’t have crushed tomatoes on hand, use diced, or even fresh.. and you could also use your immersion/handheld blender to puree them if you like.

Bacon and Tomato Sauce
Makes 2 servings.

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 3/4 cup white onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh or dried basil for garnish and flavor punch

1. Warm the olive oil in a skillet or saucepan over MEDIUM heat.
2. Add the garlic and onions and saute about till softenened but not browned, about 7 or 8 minutes.
3. Add the bacon and mix.
4. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes and mix again. Allow to heat through.
5. Remove from heat and then ladle sauce over noodles of choice on serving plates. Garnish and season before serving.

Per serving, sauce only.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 132; Protein 8g; Carbohydrate 10g; Fat 7g; Fibre 2g.

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Pump up the Volume

Sometimes I really want to eat a delicious tomato-based veggie sauce, the kind that you put on pasta.  But even though I am really hungry today,  I don't want the pasta.  Instead I am having my sauce on a heaping bed of spaghetti squash.  This is a really big meal - lots of volume for very few calories.  A win-win in my books.

When I am going to eat the whole squash for dinner, I start the process with a fairly small one.  This one is about 8 inches long.  You could, of course, just eat half of a larger one.

I like to get The Captain to cut the squash in half, lengthwise, and today he offered to scooop out the innards, too, before I cooked it.

I cook my squash, cut-side down in the microwave oven, for about 6 minutes per half.  I tend to cook it for a few minutes, check it, then cook it a bit longer if it needs it.  I find it gets kind of mushy when it is overcooked, and I don't like that.

After it is done it is too hot to handle right away so I leave it to cool for a couple of minutes before taking the flesh out of the shell.  I just rake a fork across the grain and it comes out very easily.

Naturally, while all this is going on, I have had a sauce cooking on the stove.  Today it is garlic, onions, orange bell peppers, mushrooms, canned diced tomatoes and a bit of tomato paste... cooked till it thickened up and then I add spaghetti seasoning for the last few minutes of bubbling time.  The Captain will get half on his rotini.

A bit of salt on the plateful of squash, and then the sauce.  Heaven!



Per Serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 0.
Calories 143; Protein 5g; Carbohydrate 31g; Fat 1g; Fibre 9g

Saucy and Simple

This is more of a method than an actual recipe.  I like to have a simple tomato-vegetable sauce when we have The Noodle King's home made whole wheat pasta for dinner.  I pretty much use whatever we have at the time and the only 3 requirements are tomatoes of some kind, onions, and garlic.

I like it much better with the addition of a variety of other vegetables which might include bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, celery, and even fresh spinach.  And, I use either olive oil or a blend of olive and canola oils to cook the veggies.  I have learned that we get more nutrients out of the vegetables if we eat them with a healthy oil... this was a tough one for me after years of 'no/low fat' brainwashing.

Here is how it goes:

1.  Wash and cut the vegetables you are going to use into chunks
     about 1/2 inch square.  I like to have about 1 to 1-1/4 cups of
     vegetables for each person.
2.  Peel the garlic cloves and mash and mince them - at least one
     clove per person.
3.  Measure 1 tsp of oil for each serving of sauce into a large fry
     pan and heat on medium to medium-high setting.
4.  Add the vegetables and the garlic, and cook till soft.  Watch
     the heat, and turn  down if the vegetables start to brown.  They
     may take 15 or 20 minutes to cook.

5.  Add your tomatoes of choice.  I like to use about 1 cup of tomatoes per

     person.  If I am using fresh tomatoes, I just cut them into chunks.  If I am

     using canned diced tomatoes I might whizz them a bit with my
     immersion blender.  Sometimes I use tomato sauce or even canned
     crushed tomatoes. 

    
     Just use what you would prefer to have. If you are using fresh tomatoes,

     you might want to use a bit of tomato paste and water to make a sauce.



6.  After the tomatoes are heated through, add your seasonings.  I use
     a good heaping Tbs of a spaghetti seasoning for each person.  Let it
     simmer till it is as thick as you would like it.

7.  Stir to blend in the seasonings, and cover.

8.  Turn heat to low. and let simmer while you cook your pasta of choice. 

9.  When pasta is cooked, drain it and rinse with hot water to remove
     the extra starch.
10. Plate the pasta and put the sauce on the top.
11. I like to add a bit of light freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.

Tonight, for 2 servings, I used:

• 2 tsp canola/olive oil blend
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup each yellow and red bell pepper
• 1 cup green zucchini
• 2 large white button mushrooms
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, whizzed with immersion blender
• 1/4 cup spaghetti seasoning
• 2 Tbs light parmesan cheese

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.  This doesn't include the pasta.
Calories 150; Protein 6g; Carbohydrate 20g; Fat 6g; Fibre 4g



Just look at that beautiful home made whole wheat linguini!  The texture is magnificient.

Sometimes I think my whole life is spent chopping vegetables!