Pasta salad is not usually a low-fat side dish, though many people enjoy it anyway. Cooks who prefer to cook a bit healthier should try low fat pasta salad recipes like the ones below. There are some great ones, including versions that are not considered typical pasta salad like macaroni and fruit salad. Everyone will be coming back for seconds without any guilt.

Low fat macaroni salad features fat-free mayonnaise, plain low-fat yogurt, and Dijon mustard rather than the fattier ingredients. Using 1/3 cup of yogurt and mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of mustard results in a tangy salad that features just 1.2 grams of fat per serving. Cooks can even increase the amount of mayonnaise and yogurt to a half-cup each without significantly affecting the fat content.

A very healthy and low fat macaroni salad meal

Easy preparation is the great thing about pasta salad. Try this recipe for a chicken pasta salad that is low fat, fast, and delicious:

You will need:

• 2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½ bottle low or non-fat Italian salad dressing
• Mrs. Dash seasoning
• Dill weed
• Basil
• Black pepper
• ½ pound rotini
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 large red pepper, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 large cucumber, diced
• 20 black olives, sliced

Delicious pasta salad with chicken

Step 1: Sprinkle the chicken breasts with Mrs. Dash and bake them in a 350-degree oven until they are slightly browned. Remove them from the oven and chill.

Step 2: Cook the pasta according to the box instructions, then chill it.

Step 3: Mix together the vegetables and add basil, dill, and black pepper to taste. Add the pasta, chicken, and Italian dressing. Toss and chill, serving cold as a meal.

Low fat macaroni salad recipe

A delicious pasta and fruit salad is low fat and perfect for a summer picnic. Simply combine cooked pasta shells with your favorite cut fruit and add a mixture of ¼ cup low-sugar orange juice and eight ounces of low-fat vanilla yogurt. After tossing the fruit to coat it, cover and chill the salad for two hours before serving.

Experiment with these and other low fat pasta salad recipes. You will be amazed at how many tasty meals and side dishes are available that are much healthier than a mayonnaise-laden traditional pasta salad. A low fat diet is better for the body and when combined with regular exercise, is part of a healthy lifestyle.

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Macaroni with Broccoli and Cauliflower

This low fat pasta recipe is a super delicious dish that originates from south of Italy and is considered a traditional dish that uses simple and high quality ingredients. This easily prepared low fat pasta is full of flavor and is very filling despite having low fat content. If you leave out the anchovies, it can even be served to vegetarians. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 175g/6oz cauliflower florets, cut into small sprigs
• 175g/6oz broccoli florets, cut into small sprigs
• 350g/12oz/3 cups short-cut macaroni
• 45ml/3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 45ml/3tbsp pine nuts
• 1 sachet of saffron powder, dissolved in 15ml/1tbsp warm water
• 15-30ml/1-2tbsp raisins, to taste
• 30ml/2tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
• 4 bottles or canned anchovies in olive oil, drained and chopped, plus extra anchovies to serve
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Pecorino cheese, to serve

Step by Step Guides:
1. In a large pan or pot, cook the cauliflower sprigs with about 2 to 3 liters of water. Turn to high heat until water boils. Put in some salt and add the cauliflower only when the water starts to boil. Leave the cauliflower for about 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Next add the broccoli to the pan or pot that contains the salted boiling water. Together with the cauliflower, cook the broccoli for roughly 2 minutes.

3. The vegetable mixture should be tender by now and you will need to remove them from the pan and set them aside in a separate plate.

4. Reuse the vegetable cooking water in the pan or pot for cooking the macaroni. Add more water if there is not enough to cook the pasta. Bring the water to boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instruction until al dente or cooked just enough to retain a somewhat firm texture for the macaroni. When the pasta is done, drain them and set it aside or you can go ahead to do the following steps while waiting for the pasta to be cooked.

5. In a separate pan or large skillet, add in the olive oil. After that, add the finely chopped onion. Turn to medium or low heat for the onion. Brown the onion for 2 to 3 minutes.

6. In the same pan or skillet that has the brown onion, add the pine nuts, broccoli, cauliflower, saffron water, raisins, sun-dried tomato paste and some pasta cooking water from another pot until the mixture has the texture of a sauce. Finally, add plenty of pepper.

7. Stir the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes until you are satisfied with the texture. If not, add in more water. When it’s done, add the chopped anchovies to the sauce. Toss the anchovies for about 1 minute until they are warmed evenly. Don’t overcook the anchovies since they are already cooked.

8. Put the drained pasta into the vegetable mixture. Toss the pasta together with the sauce until they are evenly mixed. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste. Finally, add the freshly grated Pecorino cheese to the pasta.

9. This macaroni with broccoli and cauliflower low fat pasta recipe serves 4 people. If you like, add one or two whole anchovies to each serving.

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 422kcal/1784kj; Protein 15.4g; Carbohydrate 73.5g, of which 8.4g is sugar; Fat 9.4g of which 1.1g is saturated fat; Cholesterol 0mg; Calcium 64mg; Fiber 5.2g; Sodium 38mg.