Knock Off Recipe: Pastini's Fusilli Alla Roma

Copycat Fusilli Alla Roma Recipe from Pastini's

It never fails that when roaming aimlessly through the Mill District trying to decide where to eat, that despite my desire to say no to cream and carbs, I always end up at Pastini's ordering the dreaded fat and carb-filled favorite: Fusilli alla Roma!

I can't help it!  I just love that darn dish! So creamy, garlicky, and satisfying, I just can't say no. But I've always wished for a way to infuse it with slightly less calories.

Now, if you ever frequent Pastini's, know this: any of their dishes can be substituted for wheat pasta, broccolini, or spinach instead of their white pasta.  And it's still delicious without! But I may have found a way to satisfy my Fusilli alla Roma cravings with even fewer calories...because...I have created a knock-off Fusilli alla Roma!

I have to say I even surprised myself in figuring out this recipe, and, by substituting some of the fat with Fat Free Half and Half and Skim Milk, and pairing it with Spaghetti Squash, Zucchini, Spinach, or Broccolini, I believe I have cut out a great deal of fat and carbs. Hey now! I'm not saying it's good for you...just better for you. Oh, and it's delicious so it's worth it! Tastes nearly exactly the same as the real deal!

Knock-Off Pastini's Fusilli alla Roma Recipe

Effort Meter (1 to 5): 2.5 

Delicious Meter (1 to 5): 5

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a thick shaped pasta (like Fusilli) or for a more healthy option, blanket the sauce over whole wheat pasta, broccolini, spinach, or shredded squash.

Weight Watcher POINTS - Seriously...this isn't a WW dish. But if you cut out the pasta, and put the sauce over veggies, you could probably get it somewhere in the 7-point range.

Ingredients:

1 - 2 TBSP Roasted garlic
1 - 2 TBSP Minced, fresh garlic
1/4 Stick of real butter
3 TBSP Olive Oil
--
1 - 2 TBSP Flour
--
1/2 C Fat-free half and half
1 C Reduced Fat or Skim Milk
1/4 C Fresh basil, chopped
8-10 Pieces of frozen, pre-cooked boneless skinless grilled chicken breasts
1/2 Lb Roma tomatoes, halved
Parmesan, Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

In a large saute pan over high heat, saute garlic, butter and olive oil until slightly brown. Slowly add 1-2 TBSP of all purpose flour, stirring vigorously to avoid clumping, until sauce is a well-mixed, paste-like consistency (you may have to reduce the heat to accomplish this). 

Reduce heat to Medium, and slowly stir in half and half and milk until it becomes a well-mixed, creamy sauce. Add basil, chicken, roma tomatoes, and salt and pepper.  Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until tomatoes begin to break up and sauce is tinged with a slightly pink color.

Serve immediately over a bed of pasta, broccolini, squash, or spinach and top with Parmesan.

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If There Is a Real-Life Soup Nazi...

...It would be my father.  My family takes our soups seriously.  My dad will hover around a pot of soup all day, tending to its every whim if that will guarantee a delicious cup of liquid grub.

We can make soup out of just about anything: turkey, ham bones, wontons, tomatoes, peas, beans...and we argue about the best ones.  I personally love Albondigas with turkey meatballs.  My brother? Split Pea from the Thanksgiving ham.  And my sister?  Well, she has a long list: WonTon Soup, Navy Bean, Egg Flower, and...Tomato Bisque.

So here we are, a few weeks into the New Year with a renewed vow of healthy eating, and a starving appetite.  But you can have your cake and eat it too.  Or at least, you can have your soup and eat it too on Weight Watchers.  Here's a modified version of tomato soup--half the fat, good for you, and delicious!

Reduced Fat and Calories Tomato Bisque

Ingredients

4 tablespoons of reduced fat butter (I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 package of carrot chips
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cloves of minced garlic
5 tablespoons of whole wheat flour

5 cups chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid), roughly chopped
3 parsley sprigs, 3 fresh thyme sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig, and 1 bay leaf, tied together with a piece of string

1/2 cup fat-free half and half
1/2 cup of fat-free milk
1 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan (to top)

Instructions

Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Tie the parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

When the soup base is cool, remove and discard the herb bundle.

Whisk the half and half, milk, and salt into the soup and season with pepper and Parmesan to taste.