So tonight I was thinking about WW's new FREEstyle plan and how I could use the free foods which got me to thinking about Greek yogurt.
I eat a lot of Greek yogurt and am finding new ways everyday of incorporating it into my diet.
This, I have to tell ya, makes me feel good about myself because Greek yogurt is packed with protein and calcium.
Most American women don't get enough calcium in their diets to support strong bones so eating this makes me feel good.
But I digress...
All of a sudden I thought "hey, why not incorporate Greek yogurt into a marinara sauce?".
I mean I loved the way my leader, Nancy, incorporated Greek yogurt into salsa verde for her enchilada topping.
So I got on the internet and low and behold many other people have had the same idea.
There were numerous variations on the same theme.
I decided to take it step by step and add a little of this and that until I liked the texture and taste.
Ingredients
1 large spaghetti squash
1 yellow onion, diced
28 oz of diced tomatoes(most recipes called for crushed but I didn't have them on hand)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes(omit this if you don't like it hot and spicy)
3 cloves minced garlic(I used the pre-minced and pre-roasted garlic in a jar today)
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 cup Greek yogurt
12.5 oz can of white chicken chunks
Broth of choice for cooking
Added protein options that are free- lean, ground turkey browned in with the meat, shrimp, or tofu
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Carefully cut the spaghetti squash in half, seed it and place it face down on a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake for one hour, or less depending on the size of the squash and your tastes.
While the squash is baking, spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and add in the onion.
Saute until well done using broth as needed to prevent sticking or scorching.
I cooked mine around ten minutes. Then add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano and basil.
Stir to combine and cook a couple minutes.
Add in the tomatoes and white wine. Stir to combine and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes to let flavors meld.
After it's done simmering take it off the heat and add in the Parmesan cheese, Greek yogurt and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix well and set aside.
After the squash has been pulled out of the oven, and is cool enough to safely handle, fork it and onto your plates.
Top it with your creamy sauce and enjoy!
Let's talk points~
Most of the ingredients here are 0 pts. When I put this in the recipe builder it came out to
3 points for HALF of this which is a huge amount of food!
If you set it to serve 3 or 4 then it comes out to 2 points either way.
This is definitely a great thing to make if you're hungry.
Now let's talk taste.
I really liked this! The only thing I'm going to change next time is that I'm going to omit the red pepper flakes.
Nearly every recipe I looked at online had red pepper flakes but I just didn't like it in this sauce.
I also ended up adding in Hormel real bacon bits on a whim at the end.
Of course this increases the points a bit depending on how much you put in but it was worth it and it's still a very low point value meal overall.
So this is definitely a win!
I've found another great use for Greek yogurt!
Happy Cooking!
