Four family friendly pasta recipes that you can make in under half an hour
When it comes to feeding your family, it’s hard to go past a tasty pasta dish. You may have thought that pasta would be off the menu when you’re trying to lose weight.
But if you choose healthier options like these, keep your portion sizes in check, and serve it with a big salad on the side you can still enjoy it while you follow the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.
These 4 recipes are all kid approved and can all be made in just 30 minutes or less. Why not make extra and use leftovers for lunch the next day?
1. Creamy Carbonara
470 calories per serve
You might have thought that carbonara would be off the weight loss menu due to the high fat content. But that doesn’t have to be the case if you just make a few tweaks here and there, without compromising on taste.
2. Creamy mushroom and bacon ravioli
328 calories per serve
Using just a few key ingredients means it isn’t hard to have a healthy meal on the table that the whole family will love. This comes directly from the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.
Ingredients
- 500 grams fresh beef ravioli
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (15 mls)
- 4 bacon rasher, lean & trimmed, diced (108 grams)
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced (150 grams)
- pepper
- 200 mls reduced fat cream
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan (24 grams)
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped (10 grams)
Method
- Prepare ravioli according to packet directions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon pieces and cook for 2- 3 minutes or until golden. Add mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until tender. Season with pepper.
- Add cream and cook for 2-3 minutes to heat through and combine with other ingredients. Sprinkle over grated Parmesan and stir to combine and melt into sauce.
- Add prepared ravioli to the pan and toss to combine with sauce. Add a little hot water or liquid chicken stock if needed, to loosen sauce and cover ravioli.
- Serve ravioli and sauce in a bowl and sprinkle with fresh chives.
Recipe serves 4 at 328 calories per serve
3. Mushroom Kale and Pine Nut Pasta
366 calories per serve
We know we know, kale is not always the most popular ingredient for the family! However, if you team it up with the right ingredients it can be absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 200 grams wholemeal pasta, any shape
- 1 tbsp butter (16 grams)
- 4 cups mushrooms, sliced (300 grams)
- 1/2 brown onion, diced (50 grams)
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed (12 grams)
- 4 cups kale leaves (120 grams)
- 1/3 cup pine nuts (80 grams)
- 2 tomato, chopped (200 grams)
- 1 cup liquid vegetable stock, salt reduced (250 mls)
- salt
- pepper
Method
- Cook pasta according to packet directions.
- Heat a fry pan over medium-high heat and melt butter. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms and stir to combine, cooking for 2-3 minutes or until onion is translucent and mushrooms are soft. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add kale, tomato and stock. Stir to combine and cook for another minute or two, until kale has wilted.
- Stir prepared pasta through sauce and top with pine nuts to serve.
Recipe serves 4 at 366 calories per serve
4. Sausage Pasta Bake
455 calories per serve
With the veggies well hidden in this 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge meal, you’ll be getting high fives all round from the whole family with this meal.
Ingredients
- 200 grams wholemeal pasta, any shape
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (15 mls)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (6 grams)
- 1 brown onion, chopped (100 grams)
- 4 lean sausage of choice, sliced (280 grams)
- 2 medium carrot, peeled and grated (140 grams)
- 1 courgette, grated (110 grams)
- 1 cup pumpkin, peeled and grated (120 grams)
- 1/4 cup water (62.5 mls)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (32 grams)
- 400 grams tinned tomatoes
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, grated (120 grams)
Method
- Cook pasta as per packet directions. Preheat oven to 180C / gas mark 4.
- Over a low-medium heat, heat the oil in a large frying pan, add garlic and onion and allow to begin cooking. After about 2 minutes add chopped sausage pieces and cook until browned (about 5 minutes).
- Add carrots, pumpkin, courgette and water. Stir lightly and allow to simmer until vegetables begin to soften. Mix through tomato paste and tinned tomatoes, simmering for a further 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and mix through drained pasta. Place the mix into a large oven dish (this recipe makes enough to fill 1 large lasagne dish) and sprinkle cheese over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese has browned lightly.
You could also divide the pasta bake into smaller dishes or silicon muffin trays for individual serves.
Recipe serves 4 at 455 calories per serve
Are you ready to kick-start your weight loss?
Want to shift your baby weight but feel like you have NO TIME in your day to exercise and eat healthily? That’s where the Healthy Mummy’s 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge can help.
Our Challenge entails:
- 28 days of at home exercise routines (no gym needed) – with video instruction
- Customisable and breastfeeding friendly meal plans
- Time-efficient exercises for busy mums – under 30 mins
- Challenge combines Pilates exercises with interval and circuit training (HIIT)
- Suitable for basic to advanced fitness levels.
- Home to thousands of EASY-TO-MAKE recipes.
To find out more about joining the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge for £1 click here.
PLUS – connect with THOUSANDS of other mums on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge by joining our free support community here
