Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Spaghettini with Oil and Garlic - February's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

It's February and time to share another meal from the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  This month's theme is Healthy Italian.  My sister-in-law, Aggie, chose this theme.  And for good reason, she's Italian.  Aggie and her family make incredible Italian food.  My husband is half Italian (on his mother's side) and my mother-in-law makes wonderful Italian food.  I'm still trying to copy and perfect her spaghetti and meatball recipe.  When I think of Italian food, I think of lasagna, pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli, chicken and eggplant parmesan.  All of these are wonderful foods but they are also heavy on the calories and fat.  So, I was excited to find some "healthier" Italian dishes through Cooking Light recipes. 

I chose to make Spaghettini with Oil and Garlic.  A simple dish to put together with a few basic ingredients.  Don't be afraid of the 10 cloves of garlic that is used in the recipe.  It flavors the olive oil and the pasta.  When I was making this dish, I didn't think it would have much flavor.  But, boy, was I wrong.  It uses only 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a full pound of pasta. (I used thin spaghetti) But the red pepper flakes gives it some heat, the garlic infuses in the olive oil and the parmesan cheese just tops it off perfectly. I used Parmigiano Reggiano, since that's what I had on hand.  If you can splurge, I would recommend using the "good" stuff.  If not, any grated parmesan cheese will work.  This was a wonderful weeknight meal.  We all loved it.  I paired it with a salad and garlic bread.


Check out these Healthy Italian dishes presented by the other members of the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  Click on their links to read about their recipes and see their photos.

Helene (La Cuisine d'Helene) - Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Salad
Val (More Than Burnt Toast) - Italian Stuffed Summer Vegetables
Jamie (Mom's Cooking Club) - Spaghettini with Oil and Garlic
Aggie (Aggie's Kitchen) - Shrimp Arrabbiata
Shelby (The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch) - could not join us this month

Go to Cooking Light's blog, Test Kitchen Secrets, to read about the Virtual Supper Club.



Our March theme will be, "A Taste of Spring".  So come back then (or sooner) to see what menu we have planned.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  My dish with the simple garlic and olive oil sauce is known as Aglio e Olio and is a traditional Italian pasta dish.  Make it as a side dish or how I made it, as a main dish.


13 comments:

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

You have outdone yourself Jamie and do Italian proud. Thanks so much for bringing such a delicious dish to our supper club.

Aggie said...

This is so my kind of pasta...I make this for the kids at least twice a week, lol...without the red pepper. They love it! This pasta reminds me of my grandpa, he makes it for us all the time! Yum Jamie...total comfort food in my book.

La Bella Cooks said...

Pastas such as these are just perfect in their simplicity. This one reminds me of the ones my mom would make when I was little. So delicious.

theUngourmet said...

I love uncomplicated pasta dishes like this. Fantastic recipe!! :)

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

This will be on the table soon. Looks too good not to make it.

danyell said...

Yeah....I am cooking it tonight:) I have been waiting for a veggie-safe meal and you delivered....

Patsyk said...

That's my kind of recipe! Looks positively delicious!

Cajun Chef Ryan said...

Pasta is so versatile and this is a great quickly made meal!

CCR
=:~)

Shelby said...

Jamie, this looks delicious! I love pasta in any way, shape or form!

Laura in Paris said...

So simple and yet delicious!

Barbara Bakes said...

We love this type of sauce on pasta, but I haven't tried it with this much garlic. It sounds like I'd better give it a try!

gail said...

Delicious! My favourite kind of cooking - KISS! :)

Jason's BBQ Adventures said...

Great and simple recipe. We do something very similar, but add a bit of fresh lemon juice to the olive oil. It adds a nice touch of extra flavor.

 
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