either/ or: sugarless sauce & other pasta ideas

hello- i'm interested in recipies for tomato sauce that do not contain white sugar or sugar substitute (ie, splenda).

or, any other topping ideas for whole wheat pasta? (also sugar-less)

THANKS :)

Sun. Mar 26, 7:50pm

I don't actually have a recipe for you, but TJ's Marinara sauce is sugar-free (no corn syrup or splenda either).

Sunday, March 26, 2006, 9:03 PM

Have you tried making your own sauces? That way, you can regulate the sugar levels. I have been using Agave nectar as a sweetener. It's all natural, but with a low glycemic index, so you don't get the highs as you do in Sugar. I have added it to chili and a few other things, and no one has noticed any difference in taste...

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Also, another sauce topping for pasta that is sugar free:

Use a little bit of olive oil and heat it up....

Sautee some FRESH garlic, Onions (or Shallots if you can't tolerate onions-- they make a wonderful substitute, but be careful not to burn them or they become bitter.) and diced Roma tomatoes (richer tasting) in a pan (Fresh is best, but canned can also work, if you drain the tomatoes and rinse them so that they aren't as salty.

Once the tomatoes start to cook a bit, add some fresh sliced mushrooms and simmer until most of the liquid is cooked down (otherwise the sauce will be too watery.) Once the sauce is cooked down then add some fresh or frozen chopped green or mixed peppers, If fresh, cook for a few minutes until the peppers are cooked but not too mushy (they should still be a bit bright in color.) You can also use grilllled peppers as well.

Finally, add some chopped fresh basil and oregano to the tomato mixture....
Toss until it's wilted and still bright green... sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Toss over hot, al dente pasta. :-) sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired...

Awesome flavors and no sugar at all! If you need to temper the acidity of the tomatoes, add a TINY dash of vanilla. or a LITTLE agave necatr it will tone down the acids, but you don't want to add enough to taste either flavor. You could also add a little fresh pureed carrots to sweaten the sauce a little, although the texture will be different.

******************
Here's another recipe that's very high in fat, but delicious...My friend who was Italian (and from Italy) showed me how to make this sauce. It actually requires very little cooking, although it IS high in fat...

take the hot pasta,
pour in a pint of fresh cream
Add cooked peas and ham or turkey cubes.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

If I were to modify the recipe, I would try using Fat Free Fage Total 0% yogurt (Greek/Mediterannean yogurt vs. the "regular" store-bought stuff--it has a better consistency) If you use yogurt, it will be quite tart, so I mix it with a small amount of Agave Nectar. :-) But it is still great on the pasta!

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Here's a recipe I use for "bruschetta", but I"m sure you could toss it with your pasta as well...

Cut 1/4 inch Slices or use small balls of FRESH Buffalo Mozzarella cheese.
Sprinkle liberally with chopped FRESH basil
Cut up 1/4 inch slices of Roma tomatoes
Drizzle with olive oil
Drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar
Sprinkle with a little ground pepper and sea salt
Toss together!

You can eat this on small slices of toasted french bread.

Or, you could also add a little grilled chicken breasts and toss this with some pasta.

Yummy and very simple.

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Hope the above 3 recipes help!

--IrisSVB

Sunday, March 26, 2006, 10:05 PM

darned typos.

I meant "SWEETEN", not "sweaten"... LOL

Sunday, March 26, 2006, 10:06 PM

I don't like sweet sauces at all. If you don't mind using a little olive oil and have a nonstick frying pan, try this:

finely chop a bunch of garlic and brown it lightly in a little olive oil. The second it is slightly brown (don't wait for it to become crispy) dump in a pile of chopped Roma tomatos. This will include a lot of water, so you don't need any more oil. salt and pepper to taste. A minute or so later, add a handful of fresh basil leaves, and don't cook them to death! Remove from heat, and scoop over pasta

If Roma tomatos aren't sweet enough for you, try the Purple Cherokee heirloom tomatos. Whole Foods carries them in season, and they are deee-lish.

Sunday, March 26, 2006, 10:35 PM

I got this recipe from the Moosewood Sundays cookbook, as a topper for stuffed eggplant. The eggplant was fabulous, but this sauce could go on pasta and be amazing just as easily.

1/3 c olive oil
1 c finely chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 bay leaves
6 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
salt and pepper
4-6 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/4 t dried)
2 T fresh marjoram (or 2 t dried)
2 T tomato paste

Heat the oil in a heavy pot or large, deep-sided skillet. Add the onions and saute for 10 mins, until translucent. Add the garlic and bay leaves and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and herbs. Simmer for 20 minutes. When the tomatoes have cooked down, add the tomato paste and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Monday, March 27, 2006, 6:10 PM

Not for everyone but...

I actually eat my pasta plain w/just some olive oil and veggies. I have really bland taste, though...
Beth (babooshka)

Monday, March 27, 2006, 6:31 PM

Use carrots as a sweetener for tomato based sauces

Not sure why this works but sooooo yummy.

Amanda911

Monday, March 27, 2006, 9:05 PM

carrots

amanda911- how would you make tomato sauce w/ carrots?

Tuesday, March 28, 2006, 9:51 AM

Did you know that after you freeze carrots they are even sweeter?

Also, I would puree or finely chop carrots in my quisinart and add them to my suace. Maybe a juicer would work, too. I don't have one so I have never tried that.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006, 2:00 PM

here's a yummy one. I just made it up last night. Sooo good
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 T chopped or minced garlic
1/4 C parmesan cheese
1 can of Fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 C milk
1T corn starch w/ water for thickening
Salt and pepper to taste
1T butter
Optional: diced chicken breast or ground turkey

melt butter, add onion and garlic. sautee. add soup and milk. whisk until smooth. Add parm cheese. Add corn starch. Simmer until thick and creamy. Serve immediately over pasta or brown rice. Enjoy!!

Tuesday, March 28, 2006, 2:31 PM

this thread has a lot of great pasta-topping ideas!

Monday, February 11, 2008, 10:15 AM

My dietician recommended the Classico line of sauces for those of us who don't like making our own. Tomato & Basil and Roasted Garlic have 60 calories per half-cup serving, have a surprisingly delicate taste for a mass-produced sauce (I hate sweet ones like Ragu), and don't list any form of sugar in the list of ingredients (though "tomato paste" is on there, not sure what that consists of). It claims 6g sugar, but since fruit & veg have natural sugars, I'm guessing that's where most if not all of it comes from.

Monday, February 11, 2008, 12:18 PM

I just use tomato sauce from a can (find one whose only ingredient is tomatoes.) There might be sugars, but they're straight from the tomato.

I saute some garlic and onion in a pan in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, and add the can of tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and usually onion powder and garlic powder, and for a little kick, a few flakes of crushed red pepper. You can add any veggies you want to this as well. Yummy!

Monday, February 11, 2008, 1:36 PM

I use plain sauce in a can- ingredients: tomato paste, water, salt. A generic brand. I then add minced onion and garlic, lots of basil, some oregano, marjoram, white pepper and dried, ground bell peppers.

Monday, February 11, 2008, 4:44 PM

My new favorite.

Preheat oven to 450-500 degrees. Really hot
In a metal pan, (glass can't withstand the heat) spray with pam
Put 1 pt washed grape tomatoes, 1/2 sliced onion, 3 sliced mushrooms and 5 cloves of garlic grated fine. Salt and pepper and spray again. Mix slightly and bake. 20-30 min.
Remove and use a potato masher or fork to mash the tomatoes.
Add to cooked pasta
Stir in torn fresh basil to taste

I got the recipe from Rachel Ray
It has amazing taste and in 25 min your whole dinner is ready.

Monday, February 11, 2008, 7:15 PM

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