Easy Recipe for Pasta Dough

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough

Fresh pasta is so easy to prepare, especially when you have an inexpensive machine which will roll out the dough, as well as cut it into different shapes.

The Recipe Ingredients

1 cup of all purpose flour
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of water

How to Prepare the Pasta Dough

Place the flour into the middle of a medium size bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg and water.

Stir to combine with a wooden spoon and then work the dough with your hands to form a ball. Roll out and cut into shapes, or use a pasta machine to make the job easier. You can also add a teaspoon of olive oil to the recipe for a moister dough.

Quick Pasta Recipe for Dieters

How easy is this? Add 1/2 cup of your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce to a cup of your favorite shaped pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Take this recipe up a step by sautéing the following vegetables in a non-stick pan using cooking spray to prevent sticking if necessary - or a teaspoon or two of extra virgin olive oil:

mushrooms: button, shitake or portabella
bell peppers: any color from red to green to yellow to orange
onions: white, purple, yellow - or leeks and shallots work well, also
squash: summer type such as yellow, patty-pan and zucchini

Add a slice of Italian bread to your meal by adding one teaspoon of the extra virgin olive oil to a non-stick pan; after it heats, add the slice of bread to the pan and cook until golden brown. Sprinkle with garlic salt if desired.

Pasta Tips for Dieters

When you're on a weight loss plan, it's just too easy to panic when you're hungry - reaching for something that's not going to do your diet any good at all. Therefore, it's a great idea to have wholesome foods available in a flash.

Such is pasta, rice, couscous and other whole grains. Prepare them in advance; cook until they are tender - but not done through and through. They will cook further still after they are removed from the heat, then they will cook some more when amid the reheating process.

Simple Pasta Meal

What's wrong with a plate or small bowl of pasta for meal time without the sauces? It's simple food at its best; add a squeeze of lemon juice or lemon pepper along with cracked pepper. Add a teaspoon of the olive oil; stir and enjoy with crusty Italian bread.

While red sauces are skinnier in caloric and dietary fat values than the white creamy versions, let's skip these and try something totally different, shall we?

We'll hop right out of the box and reach for a low calorie, low fat salad dressing and use one serving to coat our pasta. Stir; add some lean pan-roasted chicken and a side of vegetables along with a slice of bread and an unsweetened ice tea - and you have a hearty meal that will stick to your ribs.

Our favorite dressings include poppy seed, honey mustard that has been mixed with balsamic vinegar and Italian Oil & Vinegar.

You can also use these lower calorie dressings to flavor meat proteins. The next time that you prepare pan-roasted chicken, add a bit of one of these dressings towards the end of the recipe - right before you plan to remove it from the pan.

Reducing Marinara to Reduce Moisture Content

If the commercially prepared marinara and sauces tend to be watery, then they can be cooked down in the microwave or on the stove top. They will need to cook an additional ten to fifteen minutes in order for the water to evaporate and for the sauce to thicken.

Red Gypsy Medieval Lasagna

Serves 6 generously for about 375 calories each