Some meals are just extra special and this is definitely one of them ! The perfect portion of pasta, chicken and veggies all covered in a scrumptious sauce and layers of cheese. You just can’t go wrong !

Chicken Florentine Casserole

4 servings
270 calories per serving

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 T flour
8 oz. FiberGourmet penne pasta (without FiberGourmet, you have to add 80 calories per serving)
2 T low fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 c chicken broth
2 oz. light cream cheese, cubed
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and drained well (press it down in a sieve to get a lot of water out)
1 c shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
3 T grated parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat dressing in a skillet. Mix chicken with flour and add to skillet and cook 3-4 minutes or until browned. Add broth and cream cheese and cook until cheese is melted. Add the spinach, garlic powder, salt and pepper and heat 1 minute. Remove from heat. Mix drained pasta with skillet mixture and spoon half of it into a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with ½ the mozzarella then add the rest of the chicken mix. Finally top with the remaining mozzarella and the parmesan. Bake 20 minutes to heat through and melt the cheese.

By using FiberGourmet pasta, you really cut down the calorie count here – and with all the added vegetables, this is a very filling meal. Thank you, FiberGourmet !!

Eggplant Pomodoro over Spaghetti

6 servings
212 calories per serving

2 T oil
1 medium eggplant, cut into small cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced, 4 plum tomatoes, diced
1/3 c chopped green or black olives
2 T white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
12 oz. FiberGourmet Spaghetti
¼ c chopped fresh parsley or basil

Take cubed eggplant and place in a colander. Sprinkle with 1 t salt and mix well. Place a bowl atop the eggplant and weight it with canned goods or something heavy. This helps the bitterness leave the eggplant. Leave like that for ½ hour then rinse well and pat dry. Heat oil in a skillet and cook eggplant 10 minutes then add garlic and cook another minute. Add tomato, vinegar, salt and pepper and cook 10 more minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions and serve with the pomodoro sauce over it.

This recipe makes up a wonderfully flavorful sauce – anything with bacon is good in my book !

Spaghetti Carbonara

2 servings
300 calories per serving

4 ounces uncooked FiberGourmet spaghetti
1/2 cup skim milk
3 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam
1/3 c chopped pancetta or thick cut bacon (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large egg

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain reserving ¼ c of the cooking water. Mix milk, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Heat a skillet and spray with Pam then sauté pancetta 3 minutes. Add onions and garlic and continue cooking another 5 minutes until onion is browned. Reduce heat to medium low and add milk mix and spaghetti to the pan. Whisk egg in a bowl and add the reserved cooking liquid stirring constantly so egg does not start to cook. Gradually add to pan stirring constantly and cook 4 minutes on low until sauce is thick.

I am betting you can smell this cooking from all the way over there ! The parmesan and cheddar cheeses blend to perfection and the pasta…well, it just feeds the soul. The portion size will be cut down dramatically to come in at 400 calories if it were not for the FiberGourmet pasta.

Veggie Mac and Cheese

4 servings
399 calories per serving

10 oz. Fiber Gourmet Penne pasta
2 t oil
1 9 oz. yellow summer squash halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
1 9 oz. bag frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
4 scallions sliced thinly
1 bottled roasted red peppers, rinsed and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 T flour
2 ½ c skim milk
¾ t salt
1 c grated no fat cheddar cheese
¼ c parmesan cheese
Pam

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat and add squash, scallion, artichokes, peppers and garlic. Cook 7 minutes. Add flour and stir well and then gradually add milk. Add salt and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add the hot veggies and sauce to the pasta along with the cheddar cheese and mix well and turn into an 11×7 baking pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake ½ hour or until hot and crusty.

This creamy sauce has a nice little kick from the chipotle pepper – you can kick it up as much as you want ! All the ingredients here mix to perfection and you end up with a winner dinner.

Shrimp and Pasta with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

4 servings
371 calories per serving

10 oz. FiberGourmet fettucine noodles (regular or flavored)
1 T oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bell pepper, sliced
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained well
1 canned chipotle pepper, minced, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
1/2 t cumin
1 lb. peeled and cleaned shrimp
2 t lemon juice
1 1/2 c fat free half and half
1/4 c chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven and sauté onion 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, peppers, tomatoes and cumin and sauté another 4-5 minutes. Add chipotle, shrimp, lemon and half and half and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Add salt and pepper and cilantro. Stir in pasta and mix well.

I don’t know where to begin when telling you about this product…should I start with the fact that it tastes identical to regular pasta (unlike many wheat pastas and other alternatives)? Or should I start with the fact that it is has 40% fewer calories than regular pasta? Both are soooo exciting to me ! I cannot live without pasta and 400 calorie meals don’t allow for a whole lot of comforting carbs….well, until now !

I am sooooo happy to have found this product. Now I can have a NORMAL portion size which makes me a much happier person ! This product feeds my half Italian soul

FiberGourmet is looking to get the product on shelves in local Walmarts – that would be sooooo great ! So please vote with me so you can easily get your pasta fix ! VOTE HERE

Here are some of the facts about pasta from FiberGourmet:
* 130 calories per serving, 40% fewer than standard pasta
* 18g fiber per serving – 72% of the Daily Value
* Nutrtition Facts backed by actual laboratory analysis
* Convenient 1/2 lb packages with a 2 year shelf-life
* Kosher certified by the Kof-K
* 40% fewer “net carbs” than standard pasta
* Only 2 WW Points
(standard pasta is 4, whole wheat is 3)

They have penne (great in mac and cheese dishes), cut up alfredo noodles (perfect for soups), rotini (I use these in pasta salads), and more. Any recipe that calls for pasta – substitute FiberGourmet pasta and get way more food for your 400 calories !

You can buy direct on the FiberGourmet site. Or I sometimes get them from Amazon when I am there getting other stuff anyhow. I recommend a sampler pack to get you started.

When you order, tell Ari I sent ya

Here are a list of some recipes I have made with FiberGourmet pastas. Enjoy !

Pesto Chicken Salad
Macaroni and Cheese
Vegetable Mac and Cheese

Pasta and Artichokes in Green Sauce

Thank you, thank you, thank you @ FiberGourmet ! This lasagna comes in at just 325 calories per serving because of your noodles !!! There is just no way to get close to a regular lasagna for under 400 calories – - until now ! The portion size is huge, the meal very, very tasty and I don’t even have to wait for ‘cheat day’.

Authentic Lasagna

6 servings
325 calories per serving

¾ lb. lean ground turkey
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c parsley
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with their juice
14/5 oz. cam stewed tomatoes with their juice and tomatoes chopped up
8 oz. cam tomato sauce
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 t oregano flakes
1 t basil flakes
¼ t pepper
½ t salt
1 t onion powder
½ t garlic powder
2 c no fat cottage cheese
½ c grated parmesan
15 oz. no fat ricotta cheese
12 oz. FiberGourmet Lasagna Noodles (no boil noodles)
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
Fresh herbs – basil, parsley
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a pan with Pam and cook turkey until almost done – make sure to crumble it as you cook it. Then add garlic and cook another few minutes. Add 2 T parsley, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder then cook on low heat 45 minutes.

Mix 2 T parsley with the cottage cheese, parmesan and ricotta and stir well. Spread ¾ c tomato sauce in a 13×9 pan. Arrange a layer of noodles over the mix and then top with half the cheese mix, another 2 c of the tomato mix, and 2/3 c of the mozzarella. Repeat layers and then top with a final layer of noodles and put the remaining sauce over the top. Cover with foil and bake 1 hour. Then sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs

Add a layer of healthy spinach, use low fat cheese and FiberGourmet pasta and quickly you have a healthy alternative and a fan favorite

Baked Mac and Cheese

4 servings
366 calories per serving

3 T breadcrumbs
1 t oil
½ t paprika
20 oz. frozen spinach, thawed
1 3/4 c skim milk, divided
3 T flour
2 c shredded low fat extra sharp Cheddar cheese
1 c low fat cottage cheese
1/8 t nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces FiberGourmet penne or elbow pasta
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with Pam. Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika. Squeeze out spinach in a colander so it is very dry. Mix ¼ c milk with flour. Heat 1 ½ c milk until steaming and them whisk in the rest of the milk and continue whisking until it is thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar until melted. Then stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook pasta about 4 minutes (do not cook all the way or it will be too mushy after it bakes). Mix pasta and cheese and place half of it in the baking dish. Then add the spinach and top with the rest of the pasta. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mix and then bake 30 minutes or until golden.

The earthiness of the spinach and the WOW flavor of the sun dried tomatoes really combine to make this a memorable pasta dish. This is a special one, for sure !

Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes

4 servings
321 calories per serving

1 c chicken broth
12 dehydrated sun dried tomatoes
8 oz. FiberGourmet penne
2 T pine nuts, toasted
1 T oil
1/4t red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
4 c baby spinach, chopped
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

To toast nuts, place in a hot skillet and sauté for a few minutes until toasty brown and aromatic then set them aside. Bring the broth to a boil then add the tomatoes and let soak for 15 minutes to rehydrate them. Keep the broth and remove the tomatoes and chop coarsely. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat oil in a skillet and add oil and red pepper and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and cook 3 minutes then add the broth and tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Pour broth mix over pasta and sprinkle with ¼ c cheese. Mix well. Plate and top with pine nuts and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Sometimes baking prepared pasta and sauce makes it taste like a whole different meal – and when you add in a layer of decadent cheese, then it really feels special This is super easy to do and tastes GREAT !

Pasta and Beef Bake

4 servings
392 calories

8 oz. Uncooked FiberGourmet penne or rotini (without using FiberGourmet pasta, you add 80 calories per serving)
½ lb. extra lean ground beef
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
4.5 oz. jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 t basil flakes or 1 T fresh basil, chopped
½ t oregano flakes
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t onion powder
½ t garlic powder
Red pepper flakes if you like it spicy
½ c fat free shredded mozzarella cheese
Pam

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 inch baking dish with Pam. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Brown ground beef and drain then add tomato sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms herbs and spices and bring to a boil them remove from heat and stir in pasta then turn into the baking dish and cover and bake 15 minutes. Then uncover and sprinkle with cheese and bake another 5-10 minutes.