Hi Danica’s Daily Readers ~ This is Zesty of Zesty Cook! Danica asked if I could take over for the night so she could work on some last minute preparations for The Husband’s birthday festivities coming up this weekend. I know she is super excited to share the details with you all and I am pretty sure you all will be blown away by them like I was.
I am always glad to help out so today I am sharing with you one of my quick &easy Vegetarian Weight Watchers points+ friendly recipes that I created based on what I had on hand.
Who doesn’t LOVE pasta with freshly sautéed mushrooms, wine, butter and CHEESE that loaded with flavor (wine!) and cooks up in minutes?!
Feel free to get creative and use any vegetables you have on hand ~ they all work well in this dish….just make sure you include a little wine and cheese
MUSHROOM, ARUGULA & TOMATO FETTUCCINI
INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz Whole Wheat Fettuccine
- 12 Mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp. Red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 12 Grape tomatoes
- 1/2 Cup white wine
- 1 Cup Arugula
- 2 Tbsp. Butter
- 1 tsp. Olive oil
- Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan; salt and add pasta. Cook according to directions and drain.
2. In a large pan, turn on medium heat and olive oil and half the butter. Add mushrooms and begin to cook down – 4-5 minutes
3. Season with salt and pepper, add red pepper flakes and cumin. Cook another 3 minutes .
4, Add tomatoes and cook for about 5 more minutes.
5. With heat still on medium, toss in the white wine and cook down for 1 minute. Add remaining pat of butter and stir.
6. Toss in the arugula and let wilt for 2 minutes.
7. Add cooked drained pasta and toss gently. Shred Parmesan cheese before serving.
Zesty Tip: For the sauce, if you are finding it too dry, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water before draining down the sink. This will bring a nice starchy salty flavor to the sauce and give it a nice balance.
Makes 6 servings, 7 points+ each (or 4 servings, 10 points+ each)
Be sure to check out Jen of Cooking for 8 & Losing Weight over at Friends For Weight Loss. She posted one tasty looking 3 points+ Sloppy Joe Meal!
Q’s
When you are making a quick pasta toss like I did, what do you put in the dish?
I LOVE pasta in any way, shape or form and think it pairs well with just about anything I have in the fridge or pantry. It usually involves fresh veggies, wine, cheese, a little olive oil and butter!
Thanks Zesty! ~ make sure you all stop by his site Zesty Cook ~ I guarantee the pictures of his recipe creations will make you drool!
I will catch up with everyone tomorrow ~ so much super secret fun stuff going on over here! You all will be in the “know” on Friday…..Gahhhhh, I can’t wait! 
Night all!
That looks and sounds so good.
Do you do anything different when you use whole wheat pasta? I made a tuna noodle casserole the other day and it was very dry and chewy. Maybe I should have cooked it a little longer and used more moisture?
This looks delicious! Love the fiber & protein stats too!
Hi Zesty, thanks for the recipe, looks great. And Danica, good luck on the birthday prep. Hope you both have a good day.
I usually add some chickpeas and tomato sauce and call it dinner!
That Fettuccine looks AMAZING!!! I’m hungry over here. Hmm it’s 7am….never too early for pasta!!
yum this looks great! thanks for introducing me to zesty 🙂
I always add in any/all fresh vegetables i have on hand! i really like beans in pasta too, like the shrimp pasta salad I have on my blog! Bacon is never a bad thing either 😉
HI Lisa,
I think the only difference with whole wheat pasta is the cooking time ~ whole wheat/whole grains cooks a bit longer. Definitely make sure you have plenty of water in your pan to cook it with.
Danica