WEEKLY WEIGHT WATCHER RECIPE REVIEW

This week I tried another recipe from the Sept/Oct 2005 Weight Watchers Magazine.

This recipe calls for chicken but since I'm a vegetarian I did not use that. I will give you the recipe the way it was written and then I'll let you know what I did.

I always like to get all my ingredients together before starting any of my cooking.

Chicken, Asparagus, Penne Pasta

1/2 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 2 1/2 inch strips

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1/4 box penne pasta

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally in thirds

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle the chicken with the seasoning. Spray a large nonstick skillet with Pam or other non stick spray. Cook chicken over medium-high heat until browned on the outside and cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions. When cooked use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta to a colander, reserving the the water in the pot.

(As I was cooking the pasta I got all the other items ready to go. By doing this I noticed quickly that I had forgotten to put the basil out.)

Add the asparagus to the same pot of boiling pasta water and cook until crisp tender. About three minutes.

In bowl add pasta, asparagus, tomatoes, basil, cheese, garlic, oil and salt. Toss well to coat and serve at once.

So what I did differently was, I didn't use any chicken. I also put everything back into the pot to heat it up.

I added a bit more olive oil and cheese then it called for. I didn't have two tomatoes so I only used one and I didn't have a full cup of chopped of basil. This worked out great and didn't seem to lack anything.

I also added about a cup of pasta water I saved. This made the pasta more moist and not so dry.

Goes great with a nice piece of bread.


I would make this again for sure. It was very good and super easy. It was ready to eat in less then 20 minutes too.

I think the next time I make this I will use sun dried tomatoes rather then fresh ones. I also will leave the garlic out and use garlic salt. I don't like the taste of raw garlic. If I do use fresh I think I will cook it first.

If you make this and are on Weight Watchers the count would be (with the chicken) 273 cal., 8 g fat, 3 g. Fiber and 21 grams of protein.

This will be 6 points per serving

One serving is 1 1/2 cups. This makes about four servings.

Don't forget if you don't eat the chicken then it will be less.

I hope you try this. If you do, let me know.

Oh, one more thing. This can be served cold or hot.

I've linked up to Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum. Take a peek and see what everyone else is cooking this week.