Weight Loss Ravioli

 

If you are rummaging through recipes to woo your guests with an exotic dish, make bacon and beef ravioli for them. And that doesn’t mean you have to cheat your diet and use the flour pasta sheets to make the whole batch. In fact why would anyone need the chewy dough sheets when you can make it yummier and healthy with squash or zucchini strips as the pasta substitutes? When stuffed with ground chicken-spinach filling, these small parcels turn into an absolute Italian delight and definitely a crowd pleaser. The veggie coating adds a pleasant crunch to each bite and blends with the savory flavors of the chicken filling to create healthy Italian fare at its best.

In spite of tasting wonderful, making ourravioli is much simpler than its authentic non-healthy counterpart. It relieves you of the elaborate and grueling process of kneading and rolling that goes into making the pasta sheets. Instead, get hold of a mandolin slicer and slice the squash into thin sheets, thus saving both your time and labor.

So all you need is to whip up the filling of your choice, stuff it within the veggie parcels and steam them to perfection. With a lashing of creamy sauce over them, your showstopper is ready to impress your family and guests alike.

Ingredients:

Yields: 24 raviolis

  • 4-5 large yellow squash, halved and thinly sliced into long, flat strips.
  • 1 ½ lb ground chicken
  • 8 oz almond cream cheese
  • 8 oz frozen spinach, thawed and excess moisture squeezed out
  • Small fistful fresh basil leaves
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
  • ½ yellow onion, cubed
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

  • Heat oil in a large pan over moderate heat and throw in the chopped onion, along with a dash of salt.
  • Sauté them for 5 minutes, while stirring often and until it soften and transfer it into the blender.
  • Add the spinach, chicken and almond cream cheese in the same blender, along with a dash of seasonings.
  • Pulse them into a smooth mixture and set aside.
  • To make the ravioli, lay out two squash strips on a flat working surface, so that they are barely overlapped.
  • Arrange two more squash strips on perpendicularly on top of them to form a cross.
  • Place a small portion of the filling onto the middle of the cross and wrap the strips around it; insert a toothpick at the middle to secure.
  • Lay out these ravioli in a steamer and steam for 4 minutes or until the squash softens and the filling is cooked through.
  • Serve warm with your favorite sauce.