Most pasta is relatively low fat and packed with fiber, making it a good meal choice. Where people go wrong is by adding butter or rich, creamy sauces to their pasta. There are many reasons to enjoy low fat pasta. Low fat pasta recipes with shrimp are some of the most popular and preparing them does not require much time or skill.

Pasta is easy to find, whether it is pre-packaged or freshly made. It is also convenient to store, making it a popular item on grocery shopping lists. As a main dish, it is fast and simple to prepare, perfect for busy working professionals who need a hearty meal after a long day. Wholemeal pastas are high in minerals, proteins, and unrefined carbohydrates, essential components in proper nutrition.

Fettuccine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

Ingredients
For the lemon oil:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested
For the pasta:
1 pound linguine pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces frozen shrimp
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
For the lemon oil:
Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.

For the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add some of the cooking water to desired consistency. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

There are many low fat pasta recipes, offering cooks a wide selection. Some form the basis of a meal, such as a tomato-based dish, while others take the form of salads, bakes, and even desserts. People are sometimes amazed that the most delicious and healthy dessert treats feature pasta as an ingredient. Pasta is so transitional that many ingredients can be combined with it, including delicious seafood like shrimp, without negatively affecting the nutritional value.

Why shrimp? Primarily because it is one of the most widely available seafood products and features an appealing taste. Shrimp has received a negative reputation due to its high cholesterol content. However, it is also a rich source of essential minerals and has many highly nutritious properties. People incorporate shrimp into their diets because of its vitamin D, B3, zinc, and protein content. In addition, shrimp is carbohydrate-free and the iodine it contains helps the thyroid gland function properly.

Yoghurt and Shrimp Pasta

A very fresh shrimp pasta with leek. Simple, fast and easy.

You’ll need
- 1 large paprika, sliced
- 1 small leek, sliced
- 1/2 dl water
- 1 can bulgarian yoghurt or low-fat sour cream
- 1 tbsp quark/fromage frais (“maitorahka”)
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 180 g frozen shrimp

Fry the leek, paprika and shrimps in olive oil for a minute or two. Add in about 0,5 dl of water, and mix in yoghurt and quark until you get a nice sauce. Add spice, such as dill, garlic, paprika…

Weight loss benefits of shrimp are not confined to adequate thyroid activity. By adding zinc to the body, shrimp can increase circulating leptin levels. The hormone leptin plays a major role in regulating the fat storage, appetite, and energy expenditure within the body. When leptin levels are insufficient, people may experience food cravings, overeat, or even become obsessed with food.

Low fat pasta recipes with shrimp combine these beneficial effects of the pink seafood with the great attributes of pasta. High in carbohydrates, pasta is a great energy source, especially for vegetarians. Pasta is also a good source of iron, protein, and may be fortified with B vitamins. Grains are an important part of a healthy diet and pasta falls into this category.

Photo Credits:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pykmi/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leoslo/

Sources: Fettuccine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

Taking a traditional staple like pasta and creating a low fat meal is not difficult to do. Easy low fat pasta recipes allow us to whip up satisfying dishes in a matter of minutes. Finding the ingredients is also not a challenge because the supermarket carries most of them. Cooks who are particularly health conscious can find some suitable ingredients at farmers markets or natural grocery stores.

Fresh vegetables usually make better ingredients than frozen or canned versions. Look in the produce section of the supermarket to find fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, spinach, and mushrooms to use in healthy pasta recipes. Roadside farm stands and organic grocery stores also carry these items, fresh from the field and not treated with harmful insecticides during their growth. Many people exercise the ultimate control over vegetable raising by growing veggies right in their backyard.

Low fat fettuccine alfredo pasta.

Going low fat does not mean giving up traditional pasta favorites like Fettuccine Alfredo, which is traditionally heavy on the fat due to its cream sauce. A reduced fat version of the recipe yields servings with only nine grams of fat and 445 calories. Try your hand at this:

You will need:

• 12 ounces fettuccine
• 1 ½ cups skim milk
• ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 head broccoli with the stalk peeled and sliced and head cut into florets
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

Step 1: Follow the package directions to cook the pasta. Drain and set aside.

Step 2: Bring a pot of water to boiling and cook the broccoli for three minutes or until tender, then drain.

Step 3: In a large saucepan, heat the butter and milk on low heat. Whisk in flour slowly. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly thickened, constantly whisking.

Step 4: Remove sauce from heat. Stir in salt and parmesan cheese. Add the broccoli and pasta and cook, regularly stirring, on low heat until heated through.

Step 5: Remove from heat and top with extra parmesan before serving.

A delicious fettuccine alfredo meal.

Many easy low fat pasta recipes include ingredients like fish, shrimp, crabmeat, and scallops. Skinless grilled or baked chicken is another popular addition to a pasta dish. Cooks should use their imagination and taste buds to come up with some delicious and healthy concoctions. They will even be able to create some meals that the youngest (and most finicky) diners enjoy.

Photo Credits
All photos in this page are courtesy by the following authors:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arelm/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertbanh/

This low fat pasta recipe is a perfect choice for someone looking for a delicious meal that has low calorie and low fat content. It’s the best meal especially for someone on diet or who is in progress of losing weight. This low fat pasta recipe contains a mere 7.2g of fat, out of which 3.9g is saturated fat. It’s highly packed with calcium and protein as well as high fiber.

Pipe with Ricotta, Saffron and Spinach

The background of this low fat pasta recipes originates from Sicily and Sardinia in which tossing pasta in ricotta cheese is highly popular. It’s an easy to prepare pasta meal and the ingredients are simple in the sense that they are easily available in local stores. For best result, use fresh white ricotta.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 1 small pinch of saffron threads
• 300g/11oz/2 ¾ cups of dried pipe
• 300-350g/11-12oz fresh spinach, stalks removed
• Nutmeg
• 250g/9oz/generous 1 cup ricotta cheese
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Pecorino cheese, to serve

Step by Step Guides:
1. In a large pan or pot, pour roughly 2 to 3 ml of water. Add some salt and turn to high heat. When the water starts to boil, cook the pasta according to the packet instruction for the exact amount of time.

2. While waiting for the pasta to be cooked, in a separate bowl, soak the saffron threads in 60ml/4tbsp warm water.

3. At the same time, wash the spinach and put the leaves in a pan. Don’t use extra water for the spinach. Leave the spinach in the pan as it is. A little water on the leaves is fine.

4. After that, season the spinach with freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

5. Cook the spinach with the pan covered. Turn to medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes. Occasionally open the cover and stir the spinach so that they are cooked evenly. When the spinach is tender enough, transfer it to a colander and press to extract as much liquid as possible. Chop the spinach into pieces when it’s dried enough.

6. Next is the ricotta cheese that needs to be placed in a large bowl for mixing purpose. Add in the saffron water to the ricotta cheese. Additionally, add the finely chopped spinach and toss the mixture so that they are mixed evenly. Pour in some pasta cooking water occasionally to loosen the mixture.

7. Season the ricotta cheese mixture well with salt and ground black pepper.

8. In the large bowl with the ricotta mixture, add the drained pasta into it. Toss the paste well so that all the ricotta mixture is mixed evenly with the pasta. If needed, add a little of the pasta cooking water for the pasta to be mixed well.

9. When the pasta is well mixed, serve immediately. Sprinkle with Pecorino to taste.

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 258kcal/1089kj; Protein 11.2g; Carbohydrate 39.2g of which 3.7g is sugar; Fat 7.2g of which 3.9g is saturated fat; Cholesterol 18mg; Calcium 98mg; Fiber 5.2g; Sodium 72mg.