October 31, 2002

Prairie Fare: Pasta, Anyone?

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

Pasta always comes to mind when I want to make a quick, nutritious and economical meal that tastes good for my family. I make extra, because I know they’ll ask for seconds.

Pasta is a versatile menu option. Numerous pasta shapes are available, ranging from standard spaghetti to spirals and bowties to cartoon-character-shaped pasta in macaroni and cheese dinner mixes.

Pasta is made from semolina, which is produced from durum wheat. North Dakota leads the United States in durum wheat production. About 5,500 North Dakota farmers harvest 68 percent of the total U.S. crop. Six North Dakota pasta companies produce about 625 million pounds of pasta annually.

Pasta is nutritious. That’s why the Food Guide Pyramid recommends six to 11 servings daily of grain-based foods. Pasta contains carbohydrates that provide energy. Enriched grain foods, including pasta, provide B vitamins like thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and iron. Folic acid, for example, has been shown to help prevent birth defects, plus it may protect your heart from heart disease. If you choose whole grains, you’ll be getting the bonus of fiber and antioxidants, which may help prevent heart disease and some types of cancer.

Unfortunately pasta is passed up by some people. Shunning carbohydrate-containing foods isn’t a proven way to stay slim. In fact, people who eat more carbohydrates are less likely to be overweight. A USDA study found that those who ate a high-carbohydrate diet ate 300 less calories daily than those on low-carbohydrate diets. Those on high-carbohydrate diets were more likely to be within their normal weight range.

The American Heart Association recently released an advisory against the use of high-protein, low carbohydrate diets for weight loss. While popular, high-protein diets may cause a short-term weight loss due to fluid loss, the increased intake of fat, especially saturated fat, may increase risk for heart disease and other diseases.

Are you hungry for pasta? Try these tips from the Wheat Foods Council and North Dakota Wheat Commission:

• Learn to cook perfect pasta by tapping into the National Pasta Association’s Web site: www.ilovepasta.org
• Take a fellow pasta lover to lunch at your favorite pasta restaurant.
• Fight the autumn chills with a bowl of pasta soup. The North Dakota Wheat Commission has recipes at www.ndwheat.com
• Try a new pasta shape in some of your favorite pasta dishes.
• Try a new pasta shape every month.

Here’s a recipe adapted from one that appeared on the Wheat Foods Council Web site, www.wheatfoods.org, which provide excellent information on wheat-based foods. The original source for the recipe is www.InteliHealth.com

Vegetable Spaghetti

2 cups small, yellow onions, cut in eighths
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups chopped, peeled, fresh, ripe tomatoes 
   (about 1 pound or substitute canned)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups thinly sliced yellow and green squash (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups cut, fresh, green beans (about 1/2 pound)
   (or substitute canned)
2/3 cup water
Black pepper, to taste
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 pound uncooked spaghetti
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine first 10 ingredients in a large saucepan; cook for 10 minutes, then stir in tomato paste. Cover and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Cook spaghetti in unsalted water according to package directions. Spoon sauce over drained, hot spaghetti and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 9 servings.

Each serving contains about 280 calories, 3 grams fat and 173 mg sodium.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu