Pasta with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Creamy Lemon-Yogurt Sauce

This is an adapted Jillian Michael’s recipe that I found on the Ezra Poundcake Blog. It is packed with a lot of flavor (and protein for you vegetarians!) but used few ingredients. It’s simple and you probably have most of the ingredients already in your fridge and pantry. It tastes fresh and clean. You can eat it warm or cold.

Ingredients

8oz whole wheat linguine (or pasta of choice)

½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp grated lemon zest

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

3 medium zucchini cut into coins (original calls for thin strips – do what you like best)

2 garlic cloves sliced or pressed

½ pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

Prepare the pasta as directed on the package. Cook until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water before draining and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Combine the yogurt, parmesan, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook until soft and translucent, flipping them over occasionally.

Push the zucchini to the side of the pan and then add the garlic. Cook for about 10 seconds and then mix the garlic into the zucchini. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes.

If you plan to eat it right away, combine the sauce with the vegetables and then add the noodles. Use the reserved liquid to thin the sauce to your liking.

If you plan to take this for lunch, combine the noodles and vegetables but keep the sauce separate. Combine the reserved liquid with the sauce to thin to your liking. When you are ready to eat, heat up the noodles and vegetables then add the sauce to your serving.

Here’s the breakdown:

303 Calories

7g fat

14g protein

49g carbs

7g sugar

As a side note, I try to limit my carbs but when I really have a craving, this is how I try to get them in. I make sure to eat my carbs earlier in the day. Plus, whole wheat pasta is usually higher in protein content so I feel a little less guilty. ;)