Creamy Basil Cheese Sauce Over Egg Noodles
Ingredients:
- 4 cups whole wheat, Yolk Free egg noodles (10 ounces)
- ½ pound of ground sirloin
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ of an 8-ounce package of reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
- ½ cup of low fat cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup of skim milk
- ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons of dry white cooking wine or milk
Directions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm
- Brown ground sirloin in sauté pan with blend of Italian seasonings until well done.
- For sauce, in a heavy medium sauce pan cook basil and garlic in hot oil about 30 seconds. Reduce heat. Add cream cheese, cottage cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Cook and stir until nearly smooth. Stir in milk and salt until combined. Add wine and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and cook and stir until slightly thickened.
- Top pasta with browned sirloin. Serve sauce over hot pasta dish.
Health tip: You will see that one of my favorite things to use in my cooking is all kinds of whole wheat pasta. It tastes great, is filling and is also great for the heart. It also has lots of fiber that is good for the digestive track. This sauce I discovered is easy and it tastes succulent and rich. My husband took his first bite and said, “There’s no way this is healthy.” It is actually very healthy for the heart because I used all low fat cheeses, milk and olive oil.
One trick I’ve learned is that it’s okay to find something you like and stick with it. Healthy recipes that taste really good can be hard to find. If you find one you like use it a lot. I think this may be one of our new favorites!
