Easy Family Recipe: Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl with Grana Padano Cheese (5:2 Diet)

Easy Family Recipe: Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl with Grana Padano Cheese (5:2 Diet)

Easy Family Recipe:

Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl with Grana Padano Cheese

(5:2 Diet)

Grana Padano Cheese

What a busy week I have had, and I promise you that I will be sharing all my news, as well as recipes, over the next few weeks……it will take several weeks to cover all the excitement and activities that I have been involved in lately, and I may need a lie down in between tales….but, tell them I will, with photos and maybe the odd video or two. It all started last week, when just a day after arriving on the Eurostar, I attended a wonderful Fairtrade vanilla event at Fortnum and Mason; this was followed by an outing to Clifton Nurseries and then an inspirational flower arranging course with Interflora. Cheese was next on the menu, when I attended a press lunch and workshop at La Cucina Caldesi, where I was introduced to Grana Padano cheese, although no introductions were necessary really, as I already know and LOVE this Italian cheese. Next on my fun-filled agenda was Food Blogger Connect, where I was representing Fish is the Dish, and, where I met lots of lovely food bloggers, and twitter friends…….as well as learning new skills and enjoying fabulous street food, champagne and wine! More on all these events to follow, in separate posts….but for today, I am sharing a FAMILY recipe that is also suitable for anyone following the 5:2 Fast and Feast day Diet, as this amazing bowl of pasta only has 284 calories per portion, and that INCLUDES the Grana Padano cheese too.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl with Grana Padano Cheese (5:2 Diet)

Tomorrow I am back at Clifton Nurseries  as well as meeting a blogger friend for lunch, and then I am off to Padstow in Cornwall on Wednesday to cook at Rick Stein’s Seafood School…..I can’t say more than that for now, but keep tuned for exciting news. Then, finally the merry-go-round slows down with my last event on Thursday – I have been short-listed for Best Food Blogger at the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards and I will be attending the party! Then it’s a LONG lie down with a BIG cuppa and a slice of cake I think!  But, I digress, let’s get back to the star of today’s post, my easy Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl recipe…..I crave pasta on my low-calorie “fast days”, and its great food to eat, in order to keep your energy levels up; so, I have just created a tasty low-calorie pasta dish with all the best of Italian ingredients……Grana Padano Cheese, Pasta (of course), Balsamic Vinegar, Tomatoes, Oregano and Fennel Seeds for that authentic Italian flavour……and some good old British pork bangers, although, you could use Italian sausage, but don’t forget to add the extra calories on…..

Fresh Oregano

….this recipe would make a PERFECT mid-week family supper dish, and will be popular with the children too. I used some of the Grana Padano cheese that I was given as part of my “goodie bag” when I visited La Cucina Caldesi, and, although I would have loved to use fresh oregano – as they had in the kitchens at La Cucina Caldesi –  I didn’t’ have any available, so I  added dried oregano instead……..it was hearty, tasty and with a real authentic Italian flavour, mainly due to the cheese and fennel seeds, and, I felt full and satisfied, which is always important when you are on a diet.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl with Grana Padano Cheese (5:2 Diet)

My afternoon at La Cucina Caldesi cookery school was fun as well as instructional, and they hold several classes throughout the week, as you can discover here: La Cucina Caldesi cookery school Courses. It wasn’t a cookery course as such, but an opportunity to sample Grana Padano cheese, learn about the history of this ancient Italian cheese and to help the great Giancarlo Caldesi as he cooked four stunning dishes……a risotto with Grana Padano ice cream, a soufflé, some Bresaola rolls and some cheese and parsley fritters, all delicious and all made with Grana Padano cheese. The cookery school was  festooned with giant wheels of  cheese, and I was delighted to see that I had a rather large chunk in my bag on departure, as well as being given a lovely and VERY large Grana Padano wooden cheese board!

La Cucina Caldesi cookery school and Grana Padano

If you would like to make the recipe for my Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl, I strongly advise using all the best ingredients, as listed below, as well as Grana Padano cheese, as a little goes a long way on the flavour front, meaning that you can use less cheese and that means fewer calories. That’s all for now, I will be back later with my Herbs on Saturday Round up as well as the new month’s challenge, see you later, Karen

Onions, Shallots and Tomatoes

Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl with Grana Padano Cheese (5:2 Diet) Recipe:

Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl

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Serves	2
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	30 minutes
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Serve Hot
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A deceptively easy pasta recipe that is light on calories but heavy on flavour; this recipe is only 284 calories per generous portion, making it ideal for all those following a low calorie diet such as the Feast and Fast Days 5:2 Diet and WeightWatchers. Using good quality ingredients adds taste but smaller quantities can be used. The recipe can be increased to cater for a mid-week family meal.

Ingredients

• Fry Light - Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray, 10 sprays
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 low-fat pork sausages (skinned and cut into small cubes)
• 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Oregano, dried
• salt and pepper to taste
• 100g Pasta Twists, such as Fusilli
• 100g Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
• 25g Italian Grana Padano

Note

A deceptively easy pasta recipe that is light on calories but heavy on flavour; this recipe is only 284 calories per generous portion, making it ideal for all those following a low calorie diet such as the Feast and Fast Days 5:2 Diet and WeightWatchers. Using good quality ingredients adds taste but smaller quantities can be used. The recipe can be increased to cater for a mid-week family meal.

Directions

Step 1	Spray a large wok or frying pan with the olive oil spray, and over a low to medium heat, cook the onions; when they are nearly cooked, add the garlic and then the cubed and skinned sausages. Fry for a further 6 to 8 minutes, or until the sausages are cooked. Set aside and add the Balsamic vinegar, fennel seeds and oregano to the sausage mix. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Step 2	Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook your pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain, and add the tinned tomatoes, and then stir in the sausage mixture; reheat gently and then serve in bowls with shavings of the Grana Padano cheese over the top.

Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl with Grana Padano Cheese (5:2 Diet)

Disclaimer: I was invited to attend a Press event by Grana Padano at La Cucina Caldesi; I was not required to write anything and all opinions expressed are my own. Karen S Burns-Booth