Quinoa Pasta with Creamy Pesto and Tomatoes
Chef Rocco and Amy Parham prepare a gluten-free pasta dish for Biggest Loser.
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 8 oz. quinoa linguine
- Nu-Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- PAM spray
- 6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 large red heirloom tomato, diced into large chunks
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, about 1 bunch
- 1 cup fat-free sour cream
- 1 ounce grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 tablespoons chopped toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- Bring large pot of water to boil – season with Nu-Salt
- Cook pasta until al-dente, about 7 minutes or follow package instructions
- Meanwhile, heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat
- Spray with PAM and add half of the garlic, Sauté for 1 minute and add diced tomato
- Season with Nu-Salt and pepper and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft but have not broken down too much
- Next, in the bowl of a food processor, combine: remaining 3 cloves chopped garlic with basil leaves and fat-free sour cream. Puree until smooth and season with Nu-Salt and pepper
- When pasta is done cooking, drain and toss with creamy pesto sauce to coat; adjust seasonings, if necessary
- Spoon tomato mixture on top of pasta and sprinkle with Parmigiano and pine nuts
- Serve
- Although no actual salt is called for in this recipe, please add it as you see fit
Source: Chef Rocco DiSpiritio for Biggest Loser
Featured In Brandi Koskie's Vegetarian Day 4 Challenge





User Feedback
(Page 1 of 1, 6 total comments)Ronda Guthrie
yes you can buy olive oil cookin spay
posted May 4th, 2010 6:22 pmanskysue
You can buy olive oil in a cooking spray so you could easily use that in place of the pam. Looking forward to trying this recipe!
posted Jan 30th, 2010 10:47 amEJ
I would love to try this sort of pasta. But really NuSalt and Pam Spray? Nothing artificial for me. And the recipe is almost there. Hope this is not BL selling out!
posted Sep 10th, 2009 1:59 pmJimmyC
Tasted great!
posted Apr 9th, 2009 1:20 pmAmyC
I agree with Rupsi - I am not a fan of using cooking sprays and olive oil makes food taste so good and is good for you! I also would go easy on the sour cream as those calories can add up fast!
posted Mar 6th, 2009 4:30 pmRupsi Burman
I am not sure how it will taste with Pam. I would modify it with 1/2 teaspoon of virgin olive oil and add 1/8th of a spoon of salt for taste.
posted Dec 17th, 2008 3:42 pm