grilled-vegetables-in-pastaLooking to replace your old eating habits with some healthy new recipes? A good way to begin is by looking for alternatives to your favorite foods. Don’t go all-in from day one if you want your healthy drive to last more than a couple of weeks. Take things one step at a time, and try to gradually eliminate all the unhealthy foods by replacing them with something similar, minus the fatty sauce or the unhealthy portion size. For example, replace spaghetti and meatballs with this recipe for pasta with chopped grilled vegetables and marinara sauce – it’s just as tasty, but cuts the calorie intake in half and reduces fat by three-fourths.

What you need:

  • 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
  • 10 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped onion
  • 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
  • 2 red peppers, sliced into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 sweet onion, sliced into 1/4-inch-wide rounds
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:
The first step is to make the marinara sauce. In a heavy cast iron pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and add the tomatoes, garlic, chopped onions, sugar, salt, basil, oregano and pepper. Simmer the mixture without covering it for about half an hour, until the sauce thickens.

Then prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill, coat the grill rack with olive oil or cooking spray and place it 4 to 6 inches away from the heat source. Then, brush the red peppers, zucchini and sweet onion with the rest of the oil and grill them until they are tender, turning them when needed to ensure even cooking. Then place the vegetables in a separate bowl and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain it thoroughly, divide it among the individual plates and top with the sauce and the vegetables.

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