Heart Healthy, Diabetes Friendly – and Delicious!
This is a quick and flavorful pasta salad with asparagus, tomatoes and Italian dressing. Perfect for a potluck or light dinner. It’s tangy and light with a touch of sweetness. Serves 8 as a side salad, but be careful – you may want to eat it all in one sitting!
You can use any short pasta that you like: penne, macaroni, rotini, etc.
Pasta and Asparagus Salad
Serves 8 as a side salad
3 cups uncooked pasta (use gluten-free if needed)
1 pound asparagus, tough ends broken off, then cut them into 1-inch pieces
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
¼ cup of pine nuts
2 green onions, diced fine
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
½ cup fat-free Italian dressing (can also use light if desired; nutritional information shown below is for fat-free)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Two minutes before the pasta is done, add the asparagus to the boiling water and continue cooking. Drain the pasta and asparagus under cold water.
Transfer pasta and asparagus to a large bowl. Stir in the tomatoes, pine nuts, scallions and Parmesan cheese. Pour the dressing over the mixture and gently toss to combine.
Refrigerate for an hour or more to let the flavors meld together. Season to taste if needed with salt and pepper.
Per serving: 211 Calories; 4g Fat (18.2% Calories from Fat); 1g Saturated Fat; 9g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4mg Cholesterol; 301mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain (Starch); ½ Lean Meat; ½ Vegetable; ½ Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
Recipe is low fat, low calorie and gluten free if using GF pasta.
-Recipe courtesy of LowFatLifestyle.com. Visit them on the web and get more free recipes and healthy-cooking tips and www.lowfatlifestyle.com.
Recent Comments