Trio Italiano with Hunt's pasta sauce!

There's something about a dish of hot pasta that just seems to yell 'Comfort Food'. That was the case for me, on a late August afternoon, when I sat down to a lunch that included a mix of; Rotini (spiral), Conchiglie (shell) and Penne rigate (rifled) pasta's. An interesting combo that really holds onto the pasta sauce of your choice. In my case that sauce was Hunt's pasta sauce, which is fairly cheap (under a dollar for 24 ounces when on sale), and which is also a great addition from a nutritional standpoint.

 At just 230 calories, this main entree fitted in nicely with my current dietary effort. And yes, those carbs were on the high side, but when viewed in the context of what other foods I ate that day, they were also in line as I ended up at under 100 grams! (Not shown was the nutritional impact of 30 grams of lean hamburger meat that was browned and then thrown in at the last minute). The entire meal, including the meat is shown below;

Note shown were the following ingredients; raw garlic, oregano and a dash of red wine!

Effective planning of meals with an eye to cost versus nutrition is something I feel should be taught as a required course at every High School across the country. Learning how to eat well along with good exercise are two keystones to aiding in the reduction of future health costs for everyone! This whole meal cost me under a dollar, was filling and delicious! Please give it a try!

Critique: Trio Italiano

After going to a local grocery store and searching in vain for a package of American Beauty Penne Rigate on sale. No luck. I selected instead, a 340 gram package of Trio Italiano! Like the Penne I wrote about earlier, it was on sale for only a dollar! I figured I'd give this a try.

Now, normally, three different pasta's will cook to doneness at different times. However, I suspected that the AM Beauty people aka New World Pasta Company's quality control staff were on top of this and so designed all three types at about the same weight and thickness. As to why they decided on this particular mix, I really had no idea.

The cooking directions on the American Beauty package call for about two quarts of water, heated to boiling, in a pot. And even as salt is often considered optional, I like to add a small amount as it does add some needed 'flavor'. (If your on a salt free diet, then consider using a salt substitute). 

Once the water is boiling, you can add the noodles and maybe set a timer for say eleven minutes as per the package instructions. One thing to remember is that actual cooking times will depend on a number of factors such as the density and even age of the particular batch your working with. Do what I do and grab a sample piece from the pot for a quick taste test towards the end of the cooking cycle. After some practice, I've found that I can hit the 'al dente' mark just about every time!

Weights are in grams!

Once your pasta is cooked to the degree you like it; strain it and then add a pasta sauce of your choice back into the pot along with the noodles. (For this meal, I used Hunt's pasta sauce). Reheat everything for a bit and perhaps even add a small amount of Parmesan cheese to give this meal-a-deal an added flavor kick. There you go! Trio Italiano, ready to eat in only about 15 minutes!

[Take note that this meal is so not a diet breaker! Just make sure that any sides you choose to add are low in caloric impact; like say a salad with a vinaigrette dressing!] In the actual meal that I consumed, I used a tad less pasta sauce (110 grams) and sub'd in Catalina salad dressing and so the whole deal with a salad came in at about 360 calories! A very doable and satisfying repast!