Spaghetti with Palmini Noodles

Just thinking about spaghetti’s got me saying, Mangia! In Italian, it means “eat up” and that’s exactly what we plan to do with this recipe! A household favorite, spaghetti can be as simple as boling noodes and throwing a jarred sauce on top or as intricate as your grandmother’s 100 year old sacred  homemade sauce that takes hours (or even days) to prepare and boil! Personally, we’re going to shoot for something in between with an easy and health spaghetti noodle substitute (Palmini noodles) and an easy homemade sauce that can be ready in just 30 minutes! As far as sauce goes - add what you like! We take a healthy tomato sauce such as Pomi and add to it some chopped tomato and seasonings. If you like the flavors of mushroom, garlic, and bell pepper, then go ahead and chop some up and add that to your sauce, too!

So you might be so wrapped up in the dream of a warm bowl of spaghetti that your brain is just now sounding an alarm and saying, “wait a minute! I’m trying to lose weight. I can’t eat spaghetti!”. And normally, you’d probably be right! The healthy secret in this recipe is the use of Palmini “noodles”. This clever pasta “impasta” (er, imposter), is made from healthy hearts of palm - the inner core of a bud from certain palm trees. When the heart of palm is trimmed and cooked, it resembles lasagna and linguine, but with a fraction of the carbohydrates of traditional pasta (only 3-4g compared to 42g in traditional pasta!). We won’t lie, it doesn’t taste exactly the same as traditional pasta - it has what many describe as a “lemony” flavor - but it’s mild enough to blend perfectly with sauce! Or, you can also soak it in almond milk for 20 minutes or run under water for 5 minutes to help neutralize its natural flavors. Mixed in with warm sauce and topped with grated parmesan, you’re going to be surprised by how much you enjoy this one!

The recipe below is for one serving, but you can just as easily double, triple, and quadruple as needed in order to feed more than one mouth at your table. Picky eaters not going for the Palmini noodles? No problem! The sauce recipe goes great over regular pasta, too!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Palmini Pasta 

• 3 - 4 oz.* ground turkey breast, cooked

• 1/2 - 3/4 oz.* Parmesan Cheese, grated

• 8 oz total: chopped tomato, tomato sauce, and veggies of your choice

• 1/8 tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, oregano, basil OR 3/4 tsp Italian Seasoning

• 1/4 tsp Montreal Steak seasoning    
• Garnish (optional): fresh basil               

*MRC Clients: refer to your menu for accurate protein portion sizes. Clients following the “More - Level 1” menu will use 4 oz. protein. Clients following the regular “More” menu will use only 3 oz.

Instructions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, brown the ground turkey until cooked through.
2. Add the ingredients for your 8 oz. of “sauce” (chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, and/or veggies) and the spices to the pan with the cooked meat and let simmer for at least 20 minutes (the longer you simmer, the more the flavors will develop). Stir occasionally.
3. While the meat sauce is simmering, prepare the Palmini by soaking it in almond milk for 20 minutes or running under water for 5 minutes (this will help to neutralize the natural flavors) and rinse thoroughly.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the Palmini, and boil for 5-10 minutes. Less cooking time will result in a more al dente noodle and more cooking time will result in a softer noodle. Cook to your preference.
5. Drain the cooked Palmini and pat it dry to remove the excess water.
6. Add the Palmini to the sauce, cover, and let simmer on low for another 10 minutes.
7. Serve warm with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Makes 1 Serving | Serving Size: entire recipe | One Serving Replaces: 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate, 1 vegetable