Have you entered to win a case of Apple Cinnamon, Passionfruit, and Blood Orange Chobani yet? It’s pretty cool to see my name right on Chobani’s homepage. Go check out my guest post if you haven’t already! This recipe is another way I like to use greek yogurt – I loved hearing about your beginnings in the kitchen, too!
What are your thoughts on the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten/In-a garden)?
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I get annoyed at the way she calls her husband “my Jeffrey”. Makes it sound a lot more like she’s just the woman on the side. He’s “out of town” a lot too – seeing his real family maybe?
I also can’t stand her overpriced specialty shops in the Hamptons. I’ll never forget her driving her Mercedes through the snow to deliver her decadent Christmas cookies to her “neighbors”. She’s like an overly preppy Paula Deen.
But the woman can cook. Before I really started cooking on a regular basis, I made every single recipe from this episode after watching the show, right down the Plum Cake Tatin (absolutely delicious, by the way – just not Lent friendly).
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Pasta is one thing I don’t crave very often, but this past week, I lightened up her Lemon Fusilli with Arugula. Ina’s recipe (pictured above) calls for 2 cups of heavy cream, but I was able to recreate the creamy, cheesey citrus sauce with only a fraction of the fat and calories.
- I replaced the heavy cream with a pureed mixture of Chobani and cottage cheese – tasted like ricotta cheese and cut down on cooking time dramatically
- I roasted the vegetables to make them more flavorful, and used more than the original recipe called for
- I used whole wheat pasta for added fiber and protein, but used less over all
Lightened Up Lemon Parmesan Fusilli
[adapted from Ina Garten's Lemon Fusilli with Arugula]
- 10oz (3/4 box) whole grain pasta
- ~ 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup low fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup plain Chobani 0% greek yogurt
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice
- salt & pepper, to taste
- ~ 3 cups arugula or other small greens (optional)
- Pre-heat oven to 400.
- Prepare pasta according to package directions.
- Toss broccoli florets and tomatoes in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Spread in single layer on foil lined baking sheet & roast 20-25 minutes, until tomatoes start to wilt and broccoli is tender.
- While vegetables are cooking, combine cottage cheese, yogurt, and garlic in a blender or Magic Bullet. Stir in lemon zest and parmesan.
- Toss pasta with “sauce”, then stir in vegetables. Add in lemon juice to taste (depends on your preference and the amount flavor from the zest) and greens, if desired.
I had every intention of using a bunch of arugula from the fridge (the whole reason I even decided to make this recipe), but completely forgot. I’ll use it with the leftovers!
Approimate nutrition (per 1/6th of recipe): 300 calories, 5.5 grams fat, 16 grams protein
1/6th of the original recipe is 535 calories and more than 21 grams of fat, but this tastes just as delicious!
Have you ever seen a dish on a cooking show and just HAD to try it right away? Who is your favorite Food Network chef – or who do you find most annoying? 
hahaha I had such a good laugh reading this- Ina BUGS ME so much in that she always talks about “my Jeffrey.” My friend & I always joked about this and how every other comment out of her mouth while cooking has something to do with Jeffrey. Hilarious!! Her food is so tasty though, that is for sure. This recipe looks GREAT!
She’s definitely the “other woman”, dontcha think?!
This recipe sounds great! Ina doesn’t really bother me too much, although she does seem a bit too perfect for me.
Yes, a bit Stepford-ish! She loves to remind us how perfect her life is!
That sounds delicious! I used to make a similar dish without any ‘creaminess,’ but I like the idea of adding the yogurt.
Oddly, the only time I’ve immediately jumped up and had to make a Food Network dish it was also a Barefoot Contessa recipe. She had a Greek Gazpacho that looked incredible…and it was good, except the amount of raw garlic she called for sort of ruined the whole thing. Perhaps I need to try again?
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen recently posted..Childhood Comfort
She called for 2 Tbsp of garlic in her version of this! I think she can over-do it on the salt too – poor Jeffrey’s gotta have high blood pressure.
Would you believe me if I told you that I don’t have cable, let alone watch TV at all? It’s fallen by the wayside when my schedule got busy, but I’ll take your word on Ina’s schlep through the snow
Brittany @ Itty Bits of Balance recently posted..An Early Brainwashing
I feel like I never catch TV anymore either! That episode was over the summer back when I was in school!
I agree – she is a little pretentious. She needs to “lighten up” herself. Eh? eh? See what I did there?
Paige recently posted..Sniff it Out
Birthday humor?! Love it!
Her recipes always look amazing, but she’s going to give herself a heart attack
Matt @ The Athlete’s Plate recently posted..Featured Blogger: Megan
hmmm … i LOVE alton brown’s food science-y background but i HATE his on camera personality. i also like rachel ray’s premise but i can’t stand her voice!
teabagginit recently posted..Mums the Word Monday Sweet Numbers Edition
I agree 100%! I also like Giada’s recipes but don’t believe she ever eats more than 1 bite.
I love Ina… but I love even more that you lightened her her reicipe. Perfect for spring – I love all of the colors!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table recently posted..Narcissism + WIAW