This wonderful pasta dish uses sundried tomatoes, which are packed in olive oil, multigrain penne pasta and a packaged light alfredo sauce to produce this calorie-reduced dish, a Weight Watchers favorite. Coming in at only 298 calories, this flavorful dish is actually very good and better for you, too!
Serve this flavorful pasta recipe with a fresh garden salad. This easy penne recipe is on the table in about 20 minutes.
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 ounces multigrain penne pasta (I used Barilla Plus)
- 1 tub or jar (10 ounces) alfredo sauce (I used Buitoni)
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, julienned
- 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Here's how to make it:
- Cook pasta according to package direction, omitting any salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
- While the pasta is cooking, combine the alfredo sauce with the sundried tomatoes in a saucepan and heat over a medium-low setting for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl or pot, combine the pasta with the sauce and stir well. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with the crumbled bacon, chopped basil and cracked black pepper.
Notes
I could have made a “light” alfredo sauce on my own using skim milk thickened with a cornstarch slurry, but we wanted to stick with the original recipe this time. However, for a cost saver, 10 ounces of homemade light alfredo would work just as well. Indeed, 1 1/4 cups of skim milk warmed with about 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese and thickened with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch slurry would do the trick to replace the store-bought sauce. We actually doubled the recipe when we made it.
Nutrition: 298 calories, 9 grams fat, 16 grams protein, 38.5 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 29 mg cholesterol and 624 mg sodium
Need help converting cooking and baking measurements? Here are some handy kitchen conversion charts. Here's how to submit your recipes to 30Seconds.
Take 30 seconds and join the 30Seconds community, and follow us on Facebook to get recipes in your newsfeed daily. Inspire and be inspired.