Easy Dessert Recipe with Pasta
Healthy Recipe for Delicious Orange and Honey Pasta Pudding
Sep 6, 2008
Half a cup of cooked pasta contains less than 100 calories. It is low in fat and even lower in salt. As a food with a low glycemic index (GI) the carbohydrate is released slowly and causes a slow rise in blood sugar.
We know that we should eat more fruit, and the oranges in this recipe are a source of vitamin C. Honey is the best natural sweetener. This is all good.
Now for the bad news: the most popular pasta dishes have sadly become the most boring – spaghetti Bolognese, cannelloni and lasagne, often baked with too much cheese. The time has come to rescue pasta from the mince and tomato brigade and serve it as a fruit dessert with honey, oranges and bright green pistachios.
Pistachio Lowers Cholesterol
Pistachio nuts add interest to the texture and flavor as well as being a cholesterol-lowering food. In April this year, research was published in Volume 26, issue number 2, of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, stating that pistachio nuts may offer protective benefits against cardiovascular disease if eaten daily; presumably as part of a balanced diet.
Spaghetti Shapes
Pasta comes in so many different shapes from Bow Ties to Barbini (literally little beards, which are thin strands coiled together in batches). Choose from any of the ribbon noodle pastas for this quick and easy recipe. Linguine, vermicelli or ordinary spaghetti are all suitable. For something a little different try Capellini which is slightly thicker than Angel’s Hair. If you can find Stringozzi, it looks like shoe laces and works well in this dessert.
Orange, Pistachio and Honey Pasta Dessert
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 3 oranges
- juice of one orange plus zest for garnish
- 4 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange flower water (optional but gives a wonderful scent and flavour)
- 1/2 cup pistachio nuts, shelled and roughly chopped
- 8 oz/250 g dried pasta which should give 1 cup cooked pasta per person
Method
Sauce
- Peel and slice the 3 oranges, removing pith and skin and then slice in half and put aside.
- Place the orange juice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add honey,sugar and lemon juice.
- Gently bring to the boil to dissolve sugar and simmer until it thickens to a syrup.
Pasta
- Boil plenty of water in a large saucepand and add the pasta with 2 tsp olive oil or sunflower oil.
- Cook for about 9 minutes, depending on the type of pasta. It should be a bit softer than usual but not mushy.
- Drain well.
- Place back into saucepan and gently stir in the honey mixture.
- Add the orange pieces and heat through.
- Place into individual shallow bowls and sprinkle with half a teaspoon of orange zest and pistachio nuts.
Follow with a cup of tea for the perfect ending to a healthy meal.
