Don’t Forget the Sauce: 3 Healthy Pasta Sauce Recipes You’ll Love

Dont-Forget-the-Sauce-3-Healthy-Pasta-Sauce-Recipes-Youll-Love

Did you know that the word pasta translates to “paste” in Italian? It’s a reference to the dough, which is made using flour, water, and sometimes eggs. A simple recipe that’s been around for centuries, pasta continues to be a food staple all over the world and considered comfort food.

But pasta is rarely if ever, eaten by itself. Its accompaniments are what add to its deliciousness. And nothing is more satisfying than homemade pasta with a healthy but yummy pasta sauce.

When you buy sauce from the grocery store, chances are there are many additives, including sugar. If you opt to make your own, you have the power to make sure it’s both delicious AND healthy.

Read on to discover three healthy pasta sauce recipes.

1. Linguine with Spinach Sauce

Popeye was right. What’s healthier than spinach? It’s packed with folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, calcium, magnesium, and lots of other nutrients. It’s been known to help protect against heart disease and high blood pressure.

For this sauce, all you’ll need is garlic, spinach, and parmesan cheese!

Start by sautéing 3 to 4 garlic cloves (sliced) in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Once they begin to brown slightly, add 2 cups of fresh spinach leaves. Sauté just enough that it begins to wilt.

Add salt, pepper, and then put it aside.

While it cools a bit, cook your pasta. And remember that you don’t have to use linguini. In fact, this sauce is delicious with almost any pasta!

Make sure you reserve a cup of the boiled pasta water before you drain it.

Set your drained pasta aside and go back to your spinach. Take your spinach and garlic mixture and put it all into a food processor. Add a half cup of the reserved water and a half cup of grated parmesan cheese.

Puree it until it forms a sauce, and then add it back into the pan with about a quarter cup of the remaining pasta water. Once it’s heated through, give it a taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve it over linguine or your favorite pasta and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese!

2. Angel Hair Avocado Pasta

Avocados are amazing. Whether you eat them as is, blended in a smoothie, or in guacamole, avocados are absolutely delicious. Plus, they are jam-packed with nutrients like riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and vitamins C, K, E, and B-6.

And even though most of the calories come from fat, they are GOOD fats, so don’t shy away!

Cook your angel hair pasta or a pasta of your choice and set it aside, drained.

To make your sauce, combine the following ingredients into a food processor:

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 ripe avocados (without the skins and pit)

Once it’s blended, add salt and pepper to taste and 1/3 cup olive oil and blend again.

Get a large mixing bowl and put your pasta in it. Add your sauce and mix it up. Then add 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, and 1/2 cup of corn, drained.

Mix it all together, season with additional salt and pepper if needed, and serve immediately!

This dish can be completely vegan, or you can top it with some shaved cheese for an added bite. Add grilled chicken or salmon for protein!

3. Healthy Cauliflower Fettuccini Alfredo

What’s better than Fettuccini Alfredo? Almost nothing… It’s one of the richest, savory, comforting pasta sauce recipes out there. That being said, it’s not necessarily the healthiest dish.

But using cauliflower for the sauce, it can make for a nutritional dinner. Cauliflower is high in vitamin B and fiber. It also provides antioxidants that help protect against cancer.

For this dish you’ll need the following ingredients:

  • 1 pound fettuccini noodles
  • 3 small heads cauliflower
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pinch of nutmeg and black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup pasta water (the boiled water after cooking your pasta)

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Chop your cauliflower and add it to the boiling broth. Cook it until it’s soft (after about 15 minutes).

In another pan, melt your butter and sauté your garlic until it’s soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes).

Cook your pasta set it aside, and save some of that pasta water.

Take your cooked cauliflower and add it to a blender with about 2 cups of the broth that it cooked in. Add the sautéed garlic and your salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Blend it until it’s sauce consistency. Add you olive oil and blend again. If your sauce is too thick, you may add some pasta water or some more vegetable broth and blend until you reach the consistency of your preference.

Once your mixture is smooth, transfer it back to the pan where you cooked your butter and garlic. Add the cream and cook it over low heat. Keep it warm until you’re ready to eat it! And once you are, add it to the pasta and serve immediately.

You can sprinkle it with cheese if you like and ground black pepper.

If you want to go ALL OUT with this meal, use homemade pasta instead of store-bought.

Knowing How to Make Healthy Pasta Sauce Can Change Your Life

Pasta is one of life’s gifts that everyone should be able to enjoy. But if you’re trying to lose weight or have an intolerance, you can still enjoy it.

Knowing how to make a delicious healthy pasta sauce is a skill that every amateur chef should have. And once you have a few recipes down, there are so many more you can introduce into your cooking repertoire.

And if you have a gluten allergy, you can substitute gluten-free pasta or vegetable pasta.

For an all-out Italian feast, check out our classic Neapolitan pizza recipe!

I might receive compensation if you make a purchase after clicking an affiliate link at no cost to you.

Gluten Free Rum Cake That Will Leave Your Guests Wanting Seconds!

Are you looking for a delicious rum cake recipe? Then I have got just the one you are looking for. This decadent gluten-free rum cake is an absolute all time favorite of everyone. It looks stunning and tastes divine with the delicious coconut butter rum glaze on the top. This cake is an absolute crowd favorite for any holiday celebration or even on any casual dinner parties. This makes a tasty and beautiful dessert. Gluten Free Rum Cake That Will Leave Your Guests Wanting Seconds!

A cake is an effortless dessert that you can never fail to impress the crowd with. Make it a centerpiece at any family event or dinner party and the guests will never fail to praise you and shower you with compliments. However, many people these days are very cautious about gluten in their diet and usually tend to avoid the intake of gluten. Many are there who are completely intolerant to this food category. Therefore, this cake recipe has been made gluten-free and appropriate for all your guests who are intolerant to gluten and tend to avoid it.

This cake is an absolute winner of hearts. And not just on holidays, it is a delicacy that you can make for any dinner party. The amazing part of this cake is that not only does this tastes absolutely divine but it looks spectacular baked in the mesmerizing bundt shape and with the decadent glaze on top. And the best part is that you can make it easily at your home with only a few simple ingredients. Let’s have a look. 

Recipe

Ingredients:

 Things needed for the cake:

  • 1 cup of coconut flour
  • 2 ½ cup almond flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup of maple syrup
  • 8 eggs

Things you need for the Rum Caramel:

  • 1 cup of coconut sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter/ coconut oil
  • 1 cup rum divided
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Things you need for the glaze:

  • 3 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon rum
  • ¼ cup coconut butter

Prepare the Glaze:

Take a large saucepan and add in 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, followed by butter, coconut butter, and rum and let the mixture simmer together for 5 minutes. Once the mixture is boiled and simmered to the right rich and thick consistency set the glaze aside to cool down and it is all ready to be poured on the top of the cake once prepared.   

Prepare the rum caramel

Take a large stainless saucepan to make the caramel that you will have to incorporate in the cake mix. In your saucepan, add the coconut oil, butter, sugar and 1/4 of the rum and mix well. Simmer the mixture together and add the rest of the ¾ cup of rum and vanilla extract. Let the mixture cook for 10 minutes straight in medium flame and stir well. Once done, let it sit aside and cool.

Procedure to make the cake

First and foremost, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Take a ten-inch bundt pan and slather it with grease and flour and set aside. Take a large bowl and add on the almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda and give the mixture a good mix. Once you have mixed all the dry ingredients together it is time to add the rest of the ingredients. Add eggs, caramel sauce that we had already prepared earlier and maple syrup and mix everything together. Put the batter into the greased bundt and bake it in the preheated oven for 45 minutes till baked completely. Once it cools down drizzle the coconut rum glaze on top of the decadent moist rum cake with is absolutely gluten-free. 

Conclusion

This gorgeous and decadent caramel gluten-free rum cake is the best that you will have ever tasted and you can make the entire thing at your home with these few simple steps.

Serve this delicious rum cake to your guests to any family get together or dinner party or in any celebration and be ready to get praised as this gluten-free rum cake is sure going to win everyone’s heart. All your guests will be surely coming up for a second slice so make sure you make plenty for all. 

Author Bio

Jeremy grew up learning how to cook from his parents as well as working in a high-volume catering operation while in college. He now enjoys spending time with his family writing for his blog Ktchndad.
Gluten Free Rum Cake

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Other Gluten Free REcipes:
Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Very Moist Very Fluffy
Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Very Moist Very Fluffy

Gluten-Free-Carrot-Cake-Very-Moist-Very-FluffyI just have to share this recipe, it is absolutely amazing and tastes almost identically to a carrot cake recipe I made all my life, however, this recipe has a secret and I would have never believed that changing one ingredient (well a mixture) could make this fluffy, moist and great tasting. I could fool my kids, in fact for Mother’s Day I made it to serve as a dessert after our BBQ and my sons girlfriend and her kids had no clue that this cake is glutenfree and made with a flour mixture that has sweet white Rice flour, Brown rice flour, potato starch, white sorghum flour, tapioca flour, and Xanthan gum but its all in one mix, I use “Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour“. 

You can use this literal cup for cup in recipes that you have been using wheat or white flour. So many people are finding out that eating wheat causes all sorts of problems, celiac disease, bloating and a whole other topic.  And in November I switched to gluten-free baking and I have lost 26 pounds. I make my own bread with another gluten-free grain called Teff flour, which is really good for sandwiches,  you can check that Brown Sandwich Bread with Teff Flour Gluten Free.

As you can see the recipe still calls for regular sugars so I’m going to experiment next time and try some alternatives like coconut sugar or erythritol. Coconut sugar can be used in place of white sugar in recipes cup for cup, but there are so many other options. Here is a chart for options from Bigger Bolder Baking

So about this Carrot Cake, it has a good crumb and does not have a gritty texture like some gluten-free recipes that call for almond flour or coconut flour and it is super moist as you would want a carrot cake to be.  But let me tell you, this cake is absolutely delicious with a traditional cream cheese frosting and chopped walnuts on top.

I don’t have the round cake pans, so I made 2 square 8″x 8″ cakes and stacked them. And if you like a lot of icing you might want to double the icing recipe. I like just the amount the recipe makes and it was plenty. I reserved more for the top and less between and used more on the top and sides It was just right for me and no one said a word.

When mixing the cake it is important not to use a Kitchen-Aid or any kind of electric mixer for this recipe, the reason is your cake will not turn out fluffy. There are tricks when using gluten-free flours and I found a good source of tips on America’s Test Kitchen; Keys to Successful Gluten-Free Baking   And another hint, I like to leave the cake on counter for about 5 minutes before baking as it gives the baking soda and baking powder a chance to start raising to give that fluffy texture.

When baking the cake I used parchment paper to line the pans after spraying the pans so I could lift them out to cool.

I waited about 5 minutes and then carefully lifted the cakes out of the pan onto cooling racks. You want to make sure your cakes are completely cool before frosting.

After you icing, the cake put it in the fridge to chill and keep remaining cake thereafter serving, if there’s any left. I did send a large section home with one of my son girlfriends son, he loved it!!! And I didn’t want to have too much leftover, because I would eat it all!! 

1 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups Red Mills gluten-free baking flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2-3 cups carrots, finely shredded (I used a little over 2 cups)
½ cup pureed carrots (I cooked carrots and put in food processor)
½ cup sweet coconut flakes, finely shredded

FROSTING (double the recipe if you like a thick layer of frosting)
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 cup confectioners sugar (may need more to thicken if desired)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Grease cake pans I use parchment paper in pans (or grease and flour pans) Set aside
In a large bowl cream together oil, sugars, and eggs. Set aside.
In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk.
Mix just until fully combined. (careful not to over mix) [Do not use a mixer]
Fold in shredded & pureed carrots, coconut flakes and vanilla extract.
Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until center is set. (do not over bake!)
Lift cakes carefully out of pan and set on cooling racks or place pans directly into freezer to cool.
While cakes are cooling prepare the frosting by first creaming together the butter and cream cheese.
Add in the confectioners sugar and vanilla extract.
Mix until silky and creamy. Add more sugar if a thicker texture is needed.
When cakes are cooled remove them from pans and frost, sprinkling the tops with walnuts.

Now, if you make this recipe you have to let me know if you try it and think its as good as I do. This recipe was adapted from Divas Can Cook and I can tell you she is spot on with her recipe and she has great hints for other moist cakes and desserts.

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