Spinach-Artichoke Manicotti with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Spinach, Sausage & Pepper Pizza
Domino’s Deep Dish ExtravaganZZa Feast (2 slices, large pie)
840 calories
44 g fat (16 g saturated)
2,280 mg sodium
Price: $14.99 ($3.75 for 2 slices)
When did pizza get so complicated? A bit of cheese, a single source of protein, and a veggie or two was working just fine, but today’s delivery menus are teeming with pies, like this one, that pull out all the heart-stopping stops—extra cheese, multiple meats, fancy crusts—at a high cost to your waistline and your wallet. Make pizza a comfort food you prepare in the comfort of your kitchen.
Eat This Instead!
Spicy Hawaiian Pizza (Check out our recipe!)
490 calories
24 g fat (9 g saturated)
980 mg sodium
Cost per serving: $2.42
Save! 350 calories and $1.33!
Olive Garden’s Lasagna Rollata al Forno
1,170 calories
68 g fat (39 g saturated)
2,510 mg sodium
Price: $13.95
Having trouble deciphering the long Italian name? Here, we’ll translate for you: handkerchiefs of pasta stuffed with five types of cheese, topped with more cheese, covered in a sauce also made with five cheeses, then baked until all that pasta and cheese dissolves into a soup of saturated fat. Olive Garden likes to market itself as an outpost of some fantasy Tuscan restaurant, but if any Italian saw this plate, he’d book the first flight back to the motherland.
Eat This Instead!
Sausage Lasagna (Check out our recipe!)
360 calories
11 g fat (5 g saturated)
450 mg sodium
Cost per serving: $1.69
Save! 810 calories and $12.26!
WORST PERSONAL PIZZA
Uno Chicago Grill’s Individual Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza
2,300 calories
164 g fat (53 g saturated, 1 g trans)
4,910 mg sodium
Price: $10.59
Where to begin? With the fact that this pie has more calories than four Big Macs? How about the eye-popping saturated fat number—equivalent to 53 slices of Hormel Center Cut Bacon? Let’s not forget the sodium, a number so astronomical that it haunts cardiologists the country over. But the most appalling part about this pizza—our pick for the Worst Pizza in America for five years running—is that Uno’s has the audacity to call it an “individual” pie.
Eat This Instead!
Spinach, Sausage & Pepper Pizza (Check out our recipe!)
460 calories
20 g fat (8 g saturated)
780 mg sodium
Cost per serving: $2.79
Save! 1,840 calories and $7.80!
Uno Chicago Grill’s Macaroni and Cheese
1,980 calories
134 g fat (71 g saturated)
3,110 mg sodium
Price: $12.49
When it comes to comfort foods, mac and cheese is numero uno. When it comes to dietary discomfort, Uno Chicago takes the cheese. Alright, cheesy puns aside, there’s nothing comforting about taking in a day’s worth of calories and 3 days’ worth of saturated fat in one sitting. Mac and cheese can be vdone right—or at least done reasonable—but it takes quality ingredients and tame portions, two scarce resources in the land of American chains.
Eat This Instead!
Mac and Cheese (Check out our recipe!)
360 calories
16 g fat (8 g saturated)
560 mg sodium
Cost per serving: $1.28
Save! 1,620 calories and $11.21!
WORST FETTUCCINE ALFREDO
Cheesecake Factory’s Fettuccini Alfredo
2,020 calories
N/A g fat (102 g saturated)
1,151 mg sodium
Price: $14.50
Considering that Alfredo is consistently the worst Italian-American offering on any chain menu, and that the Cheesecake Factory is consistently the worst chain restaurant in America, we can’t say we were shocked to discover that this noodle plate packs more than 5 days’ worth of saturated fat. We are surprised that people continue to pay good money for such a dangerous dish when a better, cheaper, healthier version can be made in minutes at home.
Eat This Instead!
Fettuccine Alfredo (Check out our recipe!)
460 calories
11 g fat (6 g saturated)
480 mg sodium
Cost per serving: $1.18
Save! 1,560 calories and $13.32!
Mac & Cheese
Mac and cheese: the undisputed king of comfort food. Over the years, we’ve tested dozens of iterations of the classic—spiked with chiles, goosed with bacon, toned down with nonfat cheese. But we keep returning to this formula: a béchamel base, laced with extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, and finished with a bit of yogurt to give the sauce that perfect texture. Are there more decadent bowls of mac? Absolutely, but not for under 400 calories.
Yes, this mac and cheese is fantastically low in calories when compared with restaurant and frozen versions out there, but that being said, there is always room for improvement. Cut calories by swapping in low-fat cheese for the full-fat Cheddar; add fiber by using whole-wheat or fortified pasta (preferably Ronzoni Smart Taste) instead of white noodles; and boost nutrition by stirring in steamed broccoli, cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers, even a few scoops of salsa.
You’ll Need:
2 cups elbow macaroni, fusilli, or cavatappi pasta
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups 2% milk
1½ cups shredded extra sharp Cheddar
½ cup grated Parmesan*
¼ cup Greek yogurt
½ cup panko bread crumbs
Black pepper to taste
* Real Italian Parmesan is called Parmigiano-Reggiano and its sharp, nutty flavor has nothing in common with the stuff you shake from a green can. It may be a bit pricey, but a little goes a long way.
How to Make It:
• Cook the pasta according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and reserve.
• While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk, whisking to prevent lumps from forming. Simmer the béchamel for 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken to the consistency of heavy cream. Stir in the Cheddar and ¼ cup of the Parmesan and cook until completely melted. Cut the heat and stir in the yogurt. Add the pasta and toss to evenly coat.
• Preheat the broiler. Pour the macaroni and cheese into an 8" x 8" baking dish (or into individual ramekins). Top with the bread crumbs and the remaining Parmesan and season with black pepper. Place on the middle rack of the oven and broil for 5 to 7 minutes, until the bread crumbs are golden brown.
Makes 4 servings
Per Serving:
$1.28
360 calories
16 g fat (8 g saturated)
560 mg sodium
Spicy Hawaiian Pizza
Specialty pies are the bane of the pizza world. Look at any nutritional guide from the major pizza purveyors and you’ll see calories, fat, and sodium jump dramatically as you move from simple pizzas to the elaborate concoctions the pizza execs dream up. (Do you really need pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and ground beef on your pie?) When it comes to funky pies, though, we’ve long had a love affair with the Hawaiian, not just for its yin-yang balance of sweetness and smoke, but also because it’s one of the healthiest pizzas you can eat. It might not be authentic Italian, but it’s authentically American.
You’ll Need:
1 package instant yeast
1 cup hot water
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp honey
½ Tbsp olive oil
2½ cups flour, plus more for kneading and rolling (or 2 thin-crust store-bought pizza shells)
1 cup Tomato Sauce
1 cup diced fresh mozzarella (or 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella)
1 cup chopped pineapple
4 slices smoked ham (like Black Forest), cut into chunks
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
How to Make It:
• Combine the yeast with the water, salt, and honey. Allow to sit for 10 minutes while the hot water activates the yeast. Stir in the olive oil and flour, using a wooden spoon to incorporate. When the dough is no longer sticky, place on a cutting board, cover with more flour, and knead for 5 minutes. Return to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature for at least 90 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 500°F. If you have a pizza stone, place it on the bottom rack of the oven.
• On a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough into two 12" circles. Working with one pizza at a time, place the pizza shell on a baking sheet, cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then top with half of the cheese, pineapple, ham, onion, and jalapeño. (If using a pizza stone, do this on a floured pizza peel, then slide the pizza onto the stone for baking.) Bake for about 8 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Repeat to make the second pizza. Cut each pie into 6 slices.
Makes 4 servings
Per Serving:
$2.42
490 calories
24 g fat (9 g saturated)
980 mg sodium
Spinach-Artichoke Manicotti
with Spicy Tomato Sauce
There are a thousand ways to stuff a piece of pasta—from three-cheese ravioli to a meaty, saucy tower of lasagna—but the one common denominator is a deluge of calories and an abundance of sodium. To deliver the creature comforts of red-sauce Italian food, we keep the cheesy stuffing, but to make it something you can feel good about eating, we use low-fat ricotta and cottage cheese cut with plenty of sautéed spinach and artichoke hearts.
You’ll Need:
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts
1 bag (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 small onion, minced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
12 manicotti tubes
½ cup low-fat ricotta cheese
¼ cup low-fat cottage cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup shredded mozzarella
How to Make It:
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Heat half the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add one-third of the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until soft and light brown. Add the artichoke hearts and spinach. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are warmed through. Drain any water that collects in the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Heat the remaining olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic, the onions, and red pepper flakes and cook for about 3 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• While the sauce simmers, cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling water for about 7 minutes, until soft but short of al dente. Drain.
• Combine the artichoke-spinach mixture with the ricotta, cottage cheese, and Parmesan. Use a small spoon to carefully stuff each manicotti with the cheese mixture.
• Spoon half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 13" x 9" baking dish. Top with the manicotti, then cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella all over. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
Makes 4 servings
Per Serving:
$2.63
450 calories
11 g fat (4 g saturated)
810 mg sodium
Fettuccine Alfredo
Alfredo di Lelio invented this iconic dish at his trattoria in Rome in 1914. Back then, the dish was nothing more than hot fettuccine tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese. Eventually fettuccine Alfredo made its way across the Atlantic, picking up a sea of heavy cream along the way. Now it’s a staple on chain restaurant menus everywhere, not least of all because it costs next to nothing to load a bowl with 1,200 calories’ worth of fat and refined carbohydrates. To dampen the Alfredo impact, we turn to our old friend béchamel, which creates a thick, creamy sauce without the calories of heavy cream and excess butter.
Alfredo isn't plagued by just the punishing calorie count, but also by the fact that it offers little in the way of protein, fiber, or anything resembling real nutrition. That's why we like to supplement our bowl with as many healthy add-ons as possible. Starting with this recipe as the base, add any combination of the following to the sauce just before tossing with the pasta: grilled chicken or shrimp, steamed broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed spinach, roasted asparagus, cherry tomatoes.
You’ll Need:
1½ Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1½ cups low-fat milk
2 Tbsp Neufchâtel*
½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1 tsp grated lemon zest
Salt to taste
1 package (12 oz) fresh fettuccine
* This low-cal cream cheese gives this sauce that perfect Alfredo creaminess.
How to Make It:
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until golden brown. Add the milk, whisking to prevent any lumps from forming. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Stir in the Neufchâtel, Parmesan, lemon zest, and salt. Keep warm.
• While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to package instructions (remember, fresh pasta cooks in a fraction of the time it takes to cook dried pasta). Drain and add directly to the saucepan. Toss until the pasta is thoroughly coated, then divide among 4 warm pasta bowls. Serve with more grated Parmesan, if you like.
Makes 4 servings
Per Serving:
$1.18
460 calories
11 g fat (6 g saturated)
480 mg sodium
Spinach, Sausage & Pepper Pizza
Pizza has always been something people are happy to let someone else make for them—whether it's Domino’s or DiGiorno or Dom, your local pizza dude. But industrially made pizza can not only be disappointing, but also really bad for you. Making pizza at home gives you ultimate quality control—over the freshness of the ingredients, the bulk of the crust, the combination of flavors. With a bit of practice, you'll outgun the best pizzerias in your town.
Peppadew Peppers
These tiny cherry-red peppers from South Africa pack an incredible one-two punch of sweet and heat, which makes them a wonderful addition to pizza, salads, pasta, and sandwiches. Or make a portable snack by stuffing them with pieces of fresh mozzarella or goat cheese. They're available by the jar in fancy supermarkets like Whole Foods, and often found sold by the pound in supermarket salad and olive bars. Still can't find them? Order jars online on amazon.com.
You’ll Need:
1 tsp olive oil
2 links Italian-style chicken sausage, casings removed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch spinach, cleaned and stemmed
Salt and black pepper to taste
Pizza Dough, or 2 thin-crust store-bought pizza shells
1 cup Tomato Sauce
1 cup diced fresh mozzarella (or 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella)
½ cup Peppadew peppers, or other bottled roasted peppers
How to Make It:
• Preheat the oven to 500°F. If you have a pizza stone, place it on the bottom rack of the oven.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for about 3 minutes, until no longer pink. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted. Drain any excess liquid gathered at the bottom pan. Season with salt and pepper.
• On a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough into two 12" circles. Working with one pizza at a time, place the pizza shell on a baking sheet, cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then top with half the mozzarella, spinach-sausage mixture, and peppers. (If using a stone, do this on a floured pizza peel, then slide the pizza onto the stone for baking.) Bake for about 8 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Cut each pie into 6 pieces. Repeat to make the second pizza.
Makes 4 servings
Per Serving:
$2.79
460 calories
20 g fat (8 g saturated)
780 mg sodium
Fettuccine
with Turkey Bolognese
Before there was spaghetti and meatballs, before there was tomato sauce with ground beef and Italian seasonings, before there was Hamburger Helper and bottles of Prego, there was ragù, a slow-simmered meat sauce that is heartier, more complex, and, yes, more comforting than its American counterparts.
The Bolognese recipe makes more sauce than you need for this recipe (which is the point, since it only gets better the next day). Here are a few ways to repurpose the leftovers.
• Serve over soft polenta.
• Make a serious lasagna by layering no-bake noodles with béchamel, Parmesan, and the turkey Bolognese.
• Pile in a toasted bun like an Italian sloppy joe.
You’ll Need:
½ Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz ground white turkey
8 oz ground sirloin
1 link Italian-style turkey sausage, casing removed
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup 2% milk
½ cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 package (12 oz) fresh fettuccine or 8 oz dried egg noodles
Finely grated Parmesan for serving
How to Make It:
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the ground turkey, sirloin, and sausage, using a wooden spoon to break the meat into small pieces. Cook for about 7 minutes, just until the meat is cooked through. Add the wine, milk, stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Turn the heat down to low and allow the sauce to simmer for at least 45 minutes (but preferably for up to 90 minutes over a very low flame). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf.
• Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until just al dente (usually 3 to 4 minutes with fresh pasta). Drain and return to the pot. Place on the stove over very low heat and add the Bolognese, a few big spoonfuls at a time, stirring so the sauce coats the noodles evenly. You will have more sauce than you need for the pasta (plan to use about two-thirds of what you’ve made). Divide the pasta among 4 warm bowls or plates. Pass the Parmesan at the table.
Makes 4 servings
Per Serving:
$2.94
520 calories
10 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
520 mg sodium
Spinach-&-Ham Mac & Cheese
This isn’t your grandmama’s mac and cheese. By introducing ham, spinach, and cherry tomatoes, we give the classic the nutritional juice it’s never had before. More than just a health boost, though, the additions bring a level of nuance to a traditionally one-note (cheese!) dish. Improvise how you see fit (swap in broccoli for the spinach, turkey for the ham, Jack for the Swiss), but the core idea is one that will make mac and cheese a sustainable dinner staple.
Ronzoni Smart Taste
We've tested most of the whole-wheat pastas on the market and we'd be lying if we didn't say that they left something to be desired. Perhaps that's being too generous; most have the texture and taste of wet cardboard coated in sand. That's why we love this line from Ronzoni. Smart Taste, a fortified white noodle, fuses the fiber of the best whole-wheat noodles with the smooth, toothsome texture of normal pasta. We recommend it for every pasta dish in this book, but it's especially vital in this manipulated mac.
You’ll Need:
2 cups Ronzoni Smart Taste penne or whole-wheat penne
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups 2% milk
Pinch of nutmeg
1 cup shredded fresh or 2% low-moisture mozzarella
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
½ cup shredded Cheddar
4 oz smoked ham, chopped
1 cup steamed or sautéed spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup panko bread crumbs
Black pepper to taste
How to Make It:
• Cook the pasta according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and reserve.
• While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to help eliminate the raw flour taste. Slowly add the milk, whisking to prevent lumps from forming. Simmer the béchamel for 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken to the consistency of heavy cream. Add the nutmeg and the cheeses and cook until fully melted. Add the pasta to the béchamel, along with the ham, spinach, and cherry tomatoes. Toss to distribute evenly.
• Preheat the broiler. Pour the macaroni and cheese into an 8" x 8" baking dish (or into individual ramekins). Top with the bread crumbs and season with black pepper. Place on the middle rack of the oven and broil for 5 to 7 minutes, until the bread crumbs are golden brown.
Makes 6 servings
Per Serving:
$1.76
392 calories
15 g fat (8 g saturated)
540 mg sodium
Sausage Lasagna
There are two types of lasagna in this world. The Italian type is made with a rich meat sauce and covered with béchamel instead of cheese, and the American type is heavy on tomatoes, ricotta, and mozzarella—a delicious, if not altogether healthy, interpretation. This version represents the best of both worlds, blending the cheesy, tomatoey comfort of the American version with the meatiness and relative healthfulness of the Italian take.
Other ways to layer your lasagna:
• Sautéed mushrooms (as many different types as you can find), béchamel, and goat cheese
• Turkey Bolognese and béchamel with a bit of grated Parmesan
• Shrimp sautéed with garlic and spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and béchamel
You’ll Need:
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 links raw chicken sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
Salt and black pepper to taste
1½ cups low-fat ricotta
½ cup 2% milk
16 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles*
16–20 fresh basil leaves
1 cup chopped fresh mozzarella
* Barilla makes a good no-boil lasagna that is widely available.
How to Make It:
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for about 3 minutes, until no longer pink. Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the ricotta and milk in a mixing bowl. In a 9" x 9" baking pan, lay down a layer of 4 noodles. Cover with a quarter of the ricotta mixture and a quarter of the sausage mixture, then a few basil leaves and a quarter of the mozzarella. Repeat three times to create a four-layer lasagna.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the pasta cooked through. Remove the foil and increase the temperature to 450°F. Continue baking for about 10 minutes, until the top of the lasagna is nicely browned.
Makes 8 servings
Per Serving:
$1.69
360 calories
11 g fat (5 g saturated)
450 mg sodium