Way to go Weight Watchers!

I've been finding some fabulous recipes lately on www.myrecipes.com (the Cooking Light section) as well as perusing my Weight Watchers cookbooks a little more. We made this recipe tonight, which comes from Weight Watchers "New Complete Cookbook" which I recommend as a standard in any kitchen (it's got my all time favorite roasted chicken -Garlic Roasted with Gravy - plus other great standards). Great, light, healthy pasta dish!


Notes: We used whole wheat penne, took the skin off the sausage (not sure how you'd slice it otherwise), used 1.5 red bell peppers because that's what I had on hand and bell peppers are expensive, and I had big bella slices on hand from grilling, so I sliced those up.


Penne with Sausage and Proscuitto

2 cups penne
2 ½ cups broccoli florets
½ pound hot Italian turkey sausage, cut into ½” slices
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 ounces prosciutto, cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup chopped basil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the penne 6 minutes; add the broccoli and cook until the penne is al dente and the broccoli is tender, 2-4 minutes longer. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl.
2. Meanwhile, spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray; heat. Saute the sausage until cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Add to the penne.
3. In the skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil. Saute the bell peppers and onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, prosciutto, garlic and pepper flakes; sauté until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add to the penne, then add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, the basil and cheese; toss to combine.

4 servings

Nutrition: 368 calories, 13 g Total Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 57 mg Cholesterol, 572 mg Sodium, 44 g Total Carbohydrate, 5 g Dietary Fiber, 21g Protein, 97 mg Calcium. Points per serving: 6.