If you can’t get a hold of the Shwartz Buffalo seasoning or any ranch seasoning (the powdered stuff) , simply leave them out. I’ve bought the Buffalo seasoning in ASDA and Morrison’s so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find but the ranch is a little more tricky. I get mine from either amazon or from an online store called Condimaniac (who also do the most amazing bagel seasoning!!).

I’ve included the points and calorie values for this dish with and without the crouton top. I’ve had it both ways, often having it without the topping if I’m trying to have a lighter meal or if I’m too hungry to wait for the topping to bake!

WW POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 

Without Crouton Top

WW = 10 points or 512 cals, 3.9g fat, 69.7g carbs, 54.6g protein

With Crouton Top

WW = 15 points or 621 cals, 10.6g fat, 76.8g carbs, 60.4g protein

INGREDIENTS

• 320g pasta, dry weight
• 400g chicken breast, raw and cut into medium size chunks
• 1 onion, peeled and finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Schwartz buffalo seasoning
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 chicken stock cube (made up with 400ml boiling water)
• 150g light cream cheese
• 2 tbsp franks red hot buffalo sauce
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ranch seasoning (optional – leave out if you can’t get this)
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped (save a little bit for dressing)

For the crouton top (optional)

• 2 crusts of a loaf of bread, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp garlic granules
• 1 tsp each paprika and mixed herbs
• 30g parmesan
• 50g light mature cheddar

METHOD

1. Put pasta on to cook according to packet instructions. Drain when al dente and pop to one side.
2. Whilst the pasta is cooking spray a large pan with 1kal, add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and the buffalo seasoning spice mix. Fry for 6-7 minutes (until cooked through).
3. Add the onion and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes until the onion is soft.
4. Add the tomato puree, stir and fry for a minute and then add the plain flour, stir and fry for another minute.
5. Next add the chicken stock and simmer until it starts to thicken up (around 5 minutes).
6. Add the cream cheese, buffalo sauce, paprika, ranch seasoning and cayenne pepper with a little more black pepper. Stir and let simmer for 5-6 minutes (add a little more water if the sauce needs loosening).
7. Finally add the spring onions and coriander.
8. Add the drained and cooked pasta to the sauce pan and toss the pasta in the sauce.

*You can serve the dish at this point or you can continue with the below steps to top with the breadcrumbs and bake. *

9. If you are going to bake, pre heat the oven to 180c.
10. Take a frying pan, add the oil, bring to a medium heat and then add the bread, garlic, paprika and mixed herbs with a little salt and pepper. Fry for 3-4 minutes until the bread becomes golden and starts to get crispy.
11. Pop the pasta and sauce into a heat proof dish. Top with the garlic croutons and then sprinkle over the parmesan and cheddar.
12. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle over the reserved coriander.
14. Enjoy!

Print

Buffalo Chicken Pasta with Garlic Crouton Top

WW POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4

Without Crouton Top

WW = 10 points or 512 cals, 3.9g fat, 69.7g carbs, 54.6g protein

With Crouton Top

WW = 15 points or 621 cals, 10.6g fat, 76.8g carbs, 60.4g protein

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 320 g pasta dry weight
• 400 g chicken breast raw and cut into medium size chunks
• 1 onion peeled and finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Schwartz buffalo seasoning
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 chicken stock cube made up with 400ml boiling water
• 150 g light cream cheese
• 2 tbsp franks red hot buffalo sauce
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ranch seasoning optional – leave out if you can’t get this
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 spring onions sliced
• Handful of fresh coriander roughly chopped (save a little bit for dressing)
• For the crouton top optional
• 2 crusts of a loaf of bread chopped into 1cm cubes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp garlic granules
• 1 tsp each paprika and mixed herbs
• 30 g parmesan
• 50 g light mature cheddar

Instructions

• Put pasta on to cook according to packet instructions. Drain when al dente and pop to one side.
• Whilst the pasta is cooking spray a large pan with 1kal, add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and the buffalo seasoning spice mix. Fry for 6-7 minutes (until cooked through).
• Add the onion and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes until the onion is soft.
• Add the tomato puree, stir and fry for a minute and then add the plain flour, stir and fry for another minute.
• Next add the chicken stock and simmer until it starts to thicken up (around 5 minutes).
• Add the cream cheese, buffalo sauce, paprika, ranch seasoning and cayenne pepper with a little more black pepper. Stir and let simmer for 5-6 minutes (add a little more water if the sauce needs loosening).
• Finally add the spring onions and coriander.
• Add the drained and cooked pasta to the sauce pan and toss the pasta in the sauce.
• *You can serve the dish at this point or you can continue with the below steps to top with the breadcrumbs and bake. *
• If you are going to bake, pre heat the oven to 180c.
• Take a frying pan, add the oil, bring to a medium heat and then add the bread, garlic, paprika and mixed herbs with a little salt and pepper. Fry for 3-4 minutes until the bread becomes golden and starts to get crispy.
• Pop the pasta and sauce into a heat proof dish. Top with the garlic croutons and then sprinkle over the parmesan and cheddar.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle over the reserved coriander.
• Enjoy!

The post Buffalo Chicken Pasta with Garlic Crouton Top first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Variations

If you want to bulk this one out, you could always fry some finely chopped onion and sliced mushrooms once the bacon is crispy. No extra points but a bigger portion all round.

If you fancy mixing it up entirely you could replace the bacon with chorizo and once the oils have released, throw in some chopped spring onion. Up to 22g of chorizo will mean the dish is the same amount of smart points. Remember to peel the chorizo before you dice and cook so the oils can seep out and flavour everything  nicely.

Making for a small person?

Fancy making it for a baby too? Make the adults sauce base (egg yolk, parmesan and cream cheese) in one bowl and in a separate bowl make a mini version which omits the egg (ideally using full fat cream cheese and parmesan). Make the rest of the recipe as below, just remember not to add salt to anything (I would probably cook the pastas separately too so you can salt the adults pasta water). Once the pasta and peas are cooked, take a little of the bacon mixture from the main pan, pop it in a smaller pan and then separate the pasta and peas into the two different pans adding the relevant sauce. Season the adults with salt and pepper to taste (and crushed chillies if you like a kick like me)!

Smart Points and Nutritional Information

Serves 2 – Per Serving:

• 11sp on BLUE, 15sp on GREEN and 6sp on PURPLE (when made with wholewheat pasta)
• 322 Cals – 14.1g Fat – 27.4g Carbs 25.8g Protein

Ingredients

120g spaghetti, dried

30g garden peas, frozen

4 rashers of back bacon (smoked or unsmoked, fat removed and diced into 1cm chunks)

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

3 egg yolks

40g parmesan, grated

50g lightest cream cheese

Handful of basil/parsley, finely chopped

Method

Pop a large pan of boiling water on a high heat and add 1 tsp of salt.

Take a small bowl and add the egg yolks. Whisk and then add the parmesan and cream cheese.  Season with black pepper and then whisk again until you have a smooth mixture.

Next pop the pasta in the pan to cook and add the peas for the last 2-3 minutes.

Whilst the pasta and peas are cooking, spray a frying pan with 1kal and once hot, add the bacon. Fry the bacon for a few minutes and once it’s starting to crisp up, add the garlic (with a little splash of water if the pan is getting a little dry). Fry for another few minutes until the garlic softens and then reduce the heat to low.

Once the pasta is cooked, lift it out the water with tongs (rather than draining it) and pop it straight into the pan with the bacon. Use a slotted spoon to lift out any remaining peas and pop them into the bacon pan too. You want a little bit of the pasta water to splash in to the bacon pan to help the sauce stick to the pasta. Stir to combine and then switch off the heat. Next, pour the sauce mixture into the spaghetti/bacon pan with everything else and stir together with the pasta quickly so the sauce becomes nice and smooth (if it’s on the heat, the eggs could scramble so make sure its off!!) If the sauce is still a little thick, you can add an extra splash of the pasta water to loosen it up.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish with a sprinkle of basil/parsley and a little extra parmesan if you fancy.

Enjoy!

Print

Spaghetti Carbonara

Nutritional Information

Serves 2 - Per Serving

11sp on BLUE, 15sp on GREEN and 6sp on PURPLE (when made with wholewheat pasta)

Calories - 322

Fat - 14.1g

Carbs - 27.4g

Protein - 25.8g

Course Main Course, Pasta, Starter

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 322kcal

Ingredients

• 120 g spaghetti dried
• 30 g garden peas frozen
• 4 rashers of back bacon smoked or unsmoked, fat removed and diced into 1cm chunks
• 3 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
• 3 egg yolks
• 40 g parmesan grated
• 50 g lightest cream cheese
• Handful of basil/parsley finely chopped

Instructions

• Pop a large pan of boiling water on a high heat and add 1 tsp of salt.
• Take a small bowl and add the egg yolks. Whisk and then add the parmesan and cream cheese. Season with black pepper and then whisk again until you have a smooth sauce..
• Next pop the pasta in the pan to cook and add the peas for the last 2-3 minutes of the pasta cooking time.
• Whilst the pasta and peas are cooking, spray a frying pan with 1kal and once hot, add the bacon. Fry the bacon for a few minutes and once it’s starting to crisp up, add the garlic (with a little splash of water if the pan is getting a little dry). Fry for another few minutes until the garlic softens and then reduce the heat to low.
• Once the pasta is cooked, lift it out the water with tongs (rather than draining it) and pop it straight into the pan with the bacon. Use a slotted spoon to lift out any remaining peas and pop them into the bacon pan too. You want a little bit of the pasta water to splash in to the bacon pan to help the sauce stick to the pasta. Stir to combine and then switch off the heat.
• Next, pour the sauce mixture into the spaghetti/bacon pan with everything else and stir together with the pasta quickly so the sauce becomes nice and smooth (if it's on the heat, the eggs could scramble so make sure its off!!) If the sauce is still a little thick, you can add an extra splash of the pasta water to loosen it up.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish with a sprinkle of basil/parsley and a little extra parmesan if you fancy.
• Enjoy!

The post Spaghetti Carbonara first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

If you don’t want to use the wine, simply omit, you don’t need to replace it with any extra stock. This will make the risotto 8sp per serving.

One tip I picked up from the lovely Gemma at her cookery classes (You Say Tomato Cooking) is to keep the ends of your parmesan (the rind) so that you can use it as a ‘cheesy teabag’. I love this idea as it means you are using every part of the ingredient and so I’ve added it here to the stock to up the flavour. If you don’t have a rind to hand, don’t worry, simply leave this out but it adds a lovely additional base flavour (when I get to the rind I pop it in a food bag and into the freezer so I’ve always got one to hand now!).

If you don’t fancy using steak you can make this risotto with any meat you like, I’ve included the points for the risotto on its own as well as with the steak so you can adjust it if needs be.

The breadcrumbs add a lovely texture to the dish as well as a hit of flavour at the end. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t include them in the recipe but they really do take the dish to the next level!

Tomato and Mascarpone Risotto with Steak

Serves 4 = 9sp per serving for the risotto, 1sp per serving for the breadcrumbs and 5sp per steak = 15sp in total per serving on all plans

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 tsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

200g arborio rice, dry

125ml white wine

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 vegetable stock cube

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

30g parmesan

30g light mascarpone

1 tsp butter

1 lemon (zest is used in breadcrumbs below, juice of ½ in risotto and the other half of the lemon cut into 4 for serving with the dish)

4 x 225g lean rump steak

For the breadcrumbs

30g panko breadcrumbs

Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp garlic powder

Method

Take a blender and add the chopped tomatoes, the crumbled stock cube and 400ml boiled water. Blend until smooth and then add to a large sauce pan. Add the other 400ml water, stir and keep the stock mixture simmering as you make the risotto (add the parmesan rind to the stock if using).

Next take a large non stick pan spray with 1kal and fry the onion in the oil until soft and golden (6-7 minutes). Then add the garlic and fry for a few minutes more. Add the Arborio rice and toast for a minute then add the wine, simmering until reduced by half.

Add the tomato puree to the pan, stir fry for a minute and then begin to add the stock a few ladles at a time, stirring and simmering and adding more stock once the previous addition has absorbed in the rice. Keep adding the stock until the rice is cooked to your liking (I like it so it still has a bit of a bite which takes around 25 minutes). You may not use all the stock, it will depend on the heat of your pan so if you have some left over don’t worry.

Ten minutes before the rice is ready, season the steak with salt and pepper and then add to a hot frying pan sprayed with 1kal. Cook the steak to your liking (I cook on a high heat for 3 minutes on each side as I like it medium rare). Remove the steak from the pan and pop onto a chopping board to rest. In the same pan that you cooked the steak, add the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, parsley and garlic powder. Reduce the heat to medium and toast the breadcrumbs until they are a light golden colour. Keep a close eye on the breadcrumbs so they don’t catch and burn. Remove the breadcrumbs from the pan and pop into a bowl until you need them.

Once most of the liquid in the risotto has absorbed and it is cooked to your liking, remove the risotto from the heat and add the parmesan, mascarpone and butter. Stir and then add the juice of half a lemon to the as well as any extra salt and pepper to season.

Slice the steak and get ready to serve.

Add the risotto to a bowl, top with the sliced steak sprinkle across the herby breadcrumbs. Add some crushed chillies if you fancy and serve with a slice of lemon.

Enjoy!

The post Tomato and Mascarpone Risotto with Steak and Herby Breadcrumbs first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.