I love comfort food. Especially pasta!!! Unfortunately most of the pasta you find at the store is full of empty calories, chemicals and processed crap we don't really need. When you're trying to live a healthier lifestyle, a big bowl of pasta just isn't gonna o help you reach your goals.
I've posted about healthy comfort food before...
spaghetti squash with home made basil pesto (paleofied).....and
Zoodles - I've been peasantly surprised (ok shocked) about how these go to comfort food staples without pasta are not only super EASY to make....but they taste better and are just as filling!!!
Both of the recipes below use my Easy, Fresh, Homemade Sauce. Next time you are at the store...check the sugar content in a jar of spaghetti sauce...and the ingredients....
This sauce tastes better to not just me, but my husband AND little girls, and it's clean. I know every single thing I put in it and I can feel good about giving it to my family.
I eyeball everything when I cook and I encourage you to do the same - these recipes are approximate because I adjust as a I go based on how it's tasting...this is a good base line to work from though to make your own specialtiy ;)
Meghann's Easy, Fresh, Homemade Sauce:
Ingredients
4-6 Tomatoes chopped
Garlic - I usually use the garlic in the jar that's already minced, I've been into the roasted garlic lately and I throw in 1-2 spoonful
Italian Seasoning - check your labels, you want to recognize the names of everything in that little jar
Fresh Basil
Olive Oil
Tomato Paste (the small can...I need to be better about writing these things down!) check the label here too! The only ingredient should be "tomatoes"
To make...
In a large frying pan or sauce pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat....I just drizzle it around the pan once...it could be way less oil than that, but I drizzle it around the perimeter of the pan then move the pan around a bit so it spreads....
Add chopped tomatoes, garlic, a few basil leaves and seasoning (again...the seasoning just do to taste...I give it a few good shakes)
Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes - during this time Im usually prepping my veggies for the "pasta" part
after 10 minutes take the lid off, you'll notice that a lot of liquid has formed from the tomatoes. stir it up really good....I "press" down and the tomatoes to get them to be more "saucy"
Add the tomato paste, mix it all up and let simmer another 10 minutes.
Annnnnd that's all I do! Im sure there are fancier ways to make sauce...but this is my way and it turns out great every time...it's simple and clean and we all like it!
I do make Meat Sauce too - I posted that recipe awhile back when talking about Healthy Comfort Food so you can find it
here!
I use this sauce with the Zucchini Lasagna and Eggplant Parm recipes below :)
Zucchini Lasagna
This is literally Lasagna...made with Zucchini....that's the only major difference from traditional lasagna. So if you have a lasagna recipe that you LOVE...try it with Zucchini instead!
To prep the Zucchini I use a kitchen gadget called a mandolin that I found at Big Lots for less than $10. It slices the Zucchini super thin. The Zucchini retains a lot of water so what I do is slice it (as seen below) and sprinkle with salt. Then I let it sit for 10 minutes or so and then I put it in a strainer and press the pile with paper towels. I'm sure there is a better method with these has worked well for me! I've also prepped the Zucchini in the morning, and put the salted bowl into the fridge before work. Then strain it and you'll find the salt has already pulled post of the liquid out.
Next, you want to cook the
Zucchini briefly. The best method is on your grill, about 2-3 minutes
per side. I've also used an electric griddle though. This helps with the
firmness of the Zucchini, the taste and makes the moisture less of an
issue too.
After you've done all of that you use your Zucchini strips just like you would pasta.
For a pan of 13x9 pan of lasagne 4-6 Zucchini should be plenty!
I layer mine with sauce (for the pic below I used
meat sauce), fat free ricotta cheese and low moisture part skim mozzarella.
The cheese obviously isn't the CLEANEST thing in the world, but by switching from the full fat stuff I used to use to the Fat Free Ricotta and Part Skim Mozz I save a lot of calories and fat & I cant taste a difference.
I cook the assembled "lasagna" in a pre-heated oven at 375 for 20-30 minutes...until the cheese looks slightly browned on the top.
Seriously freaking delicious and I swear you wont miss the pasta one bit!!!!
Eggplant Parmesan
Until I made this, I had never had Eggplant in my life. My husband mentioned that I should try making it though so I gave it a go. All of the recipes I found required breadcrumbs...which I didn't have and didn't want to buy...and frying the eggplant. So I made up my own recipe that I felt a little better about.
I used...
3 large Eggplants
3 Eggs
Half a container of Parmesan Cheese
I cut up the Eggplant into slices...maybe a 1/4 inch thick. Again, moisture becomes an issue, so I put the slices in a bowl and salted them to draw out some of the liquid...it worked well.
I let them sit in salt for about 10 minutes (while I prepped the "dipping station")
I got 2 bowls. In the first I mixed 3 eggs with a little Italian seasoning in the second I dumped about half a container of Parm cheese.
I dipped each Eggplant Slice in the egg, then in the parm and set it on a baking sheet that I had prepped with some olive oil...just enough so they wouldn't stick.
I cooked the Eggplant in a preheated 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, flipped them all and then put them back for another 10 minutes.
The turned out PERFECT.
I lowered the heat on the oven to 375, and assembled the cooked eggplant in a 13x9 dish with my home made sauce, ricotta cheese and skim mozz....just like I do the lasagna. It turned out great
The finished product looked great, it tasted great and we had plenty for left overs.
NOW - is the cheese the BEST option....well, no, it isn't the BEST option.
But sometimes you just want comfort food and making it with veggies, clean ingredients, no added sugar and real food.......not chemicals you're gonna find in so much of your regular comfort food...IS definitely a healthier option.
A serving of each of these dishes is gonna run you about 350 - 400 calories...which is perfect for your main course for dinner...it has a good amount of protein and lots of veggies.
I hope you can use these recipes to create your own Healthy Comfort Food for your family! If you have any questions leave them in the comment section below :)
