Flat Belly Comfort Food

This is the first time I made this recipe. It is from the Week 3 menu in the Flat Belly Diet Pocket Guide.  I prefer to use penne but you can use any type of whole wheat pasta. This hot dish was quick to make and was so satisfying—comfort food for a cool rainy day. The recipe calls for marinara sauce with less than 400 milligrams of sodium in a 1/2 cup serving. I used Franceso Rinaldi To Be Healthy Spicy Marinara Pasta Sauce, which had 330 milligrams of sodium and 60 calories.

Cheesy Pasta with Spinach: Mix 3/4 cup cooked whole wheat pasta, 1 tablespoon canola oil, 3 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, 1 cup baby spinach leaves, and 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Microwave for 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 minutes to melt the cheese and cook the spinach. I like to add a bit of Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend. Serve hot.


Note: Two of my favorite healthy marinara sauces (low sodium, etc.) are Francesco Rinaldi TO BE Healthy Spicy Marinara Pasta Sauce (Woodman's in regular pasta sauce isle) and Cucian Antica garlic Marinara Cooking Sauce—only 36 calories per 1/2 cup. I buy it at HyVee in the Organic and Natural Food isles)