No-cook pasta sauce: Caprese Penne Pasta Salad

No-cook pasta sauce: Caprese Penne Pasta Salad

My friend Kalyn is looking for No-Cook Pasta Sauce for Nights When It's Too Hot to Cook. Here’s one I created last summer when I had my garden was bursting with tomatoes and basil.

The exact nutritional and Weight Watchers POINTS values will depend on what type of pasta you use – regular, whole wheat or low carb. I recommend using nutritious whole wheat pasta for the taste and health benefits, though the low carb pastas are delicious and healthy, too.

Caprese Penne Pasta Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Directions:

Cook penne as directed until the pasta is al dente (firm but cooked through) – about 13-15 minutes.

Prepare a large bowl or pan with ice water – enough to cover the cooked pasta.

Drain the pasta and immediately submerge it in the ice water to stop the cooking process. If necessary, change out the water or add more ice to cool down the noodles.

Chop tomatoes, mozzarella and basil and place in a large serving bowl.

Add cooled noodles.

Cover with Italian dressing and toss to coat.

Chill salad in refrigerator until it’s time to serve.

Toss salad once more before serving.

Nutritional information for Caprese Penne Pasta dish using whole wheat pasta:

Calories 326

Calories from Fat 80

Total Fat 8.9g

Saturated Fat 4.9g

Cholesterol 21mg

Sodium 498mg

Total Carbohydrates 45.6g

Dietary Fiber 6.7g

Sugars 3.0g

Protein 19.5g

Vitamin A 14%

Vitamin C 11%

Calcium 31%

Iron 17%

Nutrition Grade B+ from CalorieCount.

Nutritional information for low carb and whole wheat pastas

Atkins Cuisine Penne Pasta has 140 calories, 1g of fat, 60mg sodium, 18g fiber, 1g sugar, and 11g protein per serving (1/2 cup dry pasta). A cup of cooked pasta would be 2 Weight Watchers POINTS.

Garofalo organic whole wheat spaghetti has 180 calories, 1g of fat, 20mg of sodium, 4g fiber, 2g sugar and 8g protein in 1 cup of cooked pasta. This equals 3 Weight Watchers POINTS.

Ronzoni Smart Taste has 180 calories, 1g of fat, 5mg sodium, 6g fiber, 2g sugar, and 6g of protein or 3 Weight Watchers POINTS.

Dreamfields Pasta has 190 calories, 1g of fat, 10mg sodium, 5g fiber, 1g sugar, and 7g of protein or 3 Weight Watchers POINTS.