WW's Skinny Pasta Bake

I recently purchased WW's  Skinny Pasta.

This is made from the Konjac plant.  As far as I can tell these are the same as Shirataki noodles which I have tried before.

I thought this article provided a lot of information and levity on the subject.  It was also written by a nutritionist.

This noodle is basically a fiber supplement with no real nutritional value by itself so make sure to use this as a supplement and not a meal replacement.

There have also been reports of choking in young children and elderly patients.

Therefore if you have difficulty swallowing I would avoid this altogether.  For everyone else it's probably okay as long as you cut these into smaller bites and chew each bite thoroughly.

For those of you who haven't tried these before let me begin by giving you a better idea of what to expect, or not.

Don't expect this to taste like pasta.

It doesn't.

These look like a noodle but the taste and texture is very different.  These have a somewhat rubbery consistency.  They also have a bit of an odor.  I chose to follow some of the on-line tips I found and not only boil them for a couple minutes but also to stir fry them in a pan for 4-5 minutes as well to decrease the odor and dry them out a little.

This is a recipe for a homemade Spaghetti Bake.  If you don't like to cook remember you are more than welcome to buy a bottled sauce to add meat to if you so choose.

Ingredients

1 lb 93% lean ground turkey

1 box of the WW's Skinny Noodles(using both pouches inside)

1 small to medium sized zucchini, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

8 oz button mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 (14.5) oz cans diced tomatoes

1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dried fennel

Broth of your choice


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with olive oil spray and set aside.

Boil the "noodles" for 2-3 minutes.  I chose to use my insta-hot water pot that I use for making tea.  I poured boiling water over the noodles and rinsed them using a strainer.

Next I put them in a non-stick pan and sauteed them for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Set the noodles aside.

Start the meat sauce by first seasoning the meat.  Place the turkey in a bowl and add all the dry seasonings.  Mix well by hand and set aside.  This makes the meat taste like Italian sausage.

Saute the onion and bell pepper, using the broth to prevent scorching.  Cook until well done, about ten minutes or so.

Add the meat and cook until browned and well done.  Next add in the mushrooms and tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Finally add in the zucchini and cook five minutes.  Mix in the "noodles" and place in the casserole dish.
Top with all that yummy cheese and bake for 20 minutes uncovered.

This yields 6 servings at 4 Smart Points a piece.  

My husband gave this one a thumbs up.  I thought it was good as well.

Now, do I LOVE the "noodles"?  No but I do like them.

To me it's like using a flavorless filler.  Hopefully you read the article I listed above.  If you did you know the takeaway is that these "noodles" should be viewed as a fiber supplement and not a food in and of themselves as they have no real nutritional content.

These are a good adjunct to an already balanced meal full of protein and lots of veggies.

It's always a good thing to try something new.  I know many people who actually do LOVE these so try to keep an open mind.

Happy Cooking!