To me, people who don’t find pasta comforting are like people who forget to eat – total mysteries. So even when I am trying to eat healthier I still enjoy regular big bowls of pasta.

In this particular spaghetti recipe I have upped the nutrition by substituting whole grains in the noodles, grass fed beef for regular, and Greek yogourt for cream, along with heaping amounts of kale and mushrooms. Did you know that grass fed beef has more omega-3′s, and less fat than grain fed? Just saying.

These shells are stuffed with arugula rather than spinach, turkey sausage, and baked in a quick tomato cream sauce. In this recipe it is particularly important to taste as you go, as it is a sum of it’s parts and can easily turn out under-seasoned. Make lots and your family can enjoy leftovers for a few days.

The sauce has a decidedly middle eastern inspiration and could easily be served on coucous or with a salty feta cheese stirred in. Try it and see if you can add this to your regular rotation too.

You will also need to take the time to seperate the fat from the stew. Because this isn’t a lean meat you do want to take the time to do this or your pasta will be greasy. If you are organized make the short rib recipe the day before you want to eat it, this will allow you enough time to cool your stew broth in the fridge overnight, which makes skimming the fat off very easy.

Over the years I have made several healthy lasagna recipes but always been underhelmed; so here is my recipe for a turkey sausage lasagna loaded with spinach and layered with whole wheat noodles. When making it, be attentive when seasoning the sauce before assembly. Too often when cooking at home, people under-season and have bland food. If you are concerned about salt, your focus should be on what packaged products you buy and their salt content, if you are careful there you can likely salt your food to taste while cooking.

Despite this being a healthy lasagna, it’s still lasagna after all and is really not a diet meal. Serve it with a big salad if you are watching your calories.

Ever wondered how to make a creamy pasta sauce without cream? There are lots of ways to cut calories in recipes, but here is a chicken and broccoli pasta recipe which uses chicken broth, broccoli, milk and a touch of flour to create a luscious sauce which is cream, butter and cheese free. I believe my husbands exact words were, “Really? But it tastes like it should be ridiculously bad for me!”

That crazy time of year has finally come to an end. There is no more running after last minute Christas presents, stressing over large scale entertaining and eating too much rich food. I am hoping that this all means you are looking for new quick recipes. Cacio e Pepe is a classic Italian pasta recipe from Rome, it’s about salty cheese and lots of spicy pepper.

After you have eaten a bowl your tongue should tingle slightly from the sharpness of all the pepper. Be careful when you add the cheese that your pan isn’t too hot – otherwise you will find it has reformed into a skating rink of cheese at the bottom of your pan. Oh, and my last piece of advice? Consume immediately, even the act of taking photos can lose some of that precious sauce.

Looking for more easy pasta recipes? Check out some of my favorites!

In this easy pasta casserole, roasted squash puree is stirred into a sage-tinted bechamel and tossed with cooked pasta and blue cheese. A short ten minutes in the oven to soothe the blue cheese into meltiness and you have a slightly sweet macaroni and cheese with a lot less calories! What a way to use up leftover squash.

There are so many recipes for chicken and pasta but here is a simple preparation of braised chicken legs with mustard, mushrooms and wine. Once you are used to butchering a chicken and making stock, you can get yourself organized enough that you can break down the chicken and simmer the stock in the morning (including adding the chicken leg bones to the stock) and then make this dish in the evening. If you would rather make this mustard recipe with chicken breasts, reduce the cooking time so they don’t dry out.