By Linda Gassenheimer / Tribune News Service
Serve this Southwestern skillet “pizza” right from the pan. It’s a quick and easy vegetarian dish. Skillet cooking is very much a part of Southwestern cuisine. This unusual supper cooks the pasta and sauce together in one pan, so the pasta absorbs the sauce flavors.
Helpful hints:
■ Any type of cheese — such as cheddar or fontina — may be used in place of Monterey jack.
■ 4 garlic cloves, crushed can be used instead of minced garlic.
■ If you do not have a ripe avocado, leave it out and toss the beans with oil and vinegar dressing.
Quick fix:
■ Prepare ingredients.
■ Make pasta.
■ While pasta cooks, make salad.
Southwestern skillet “pizza”
Olive oil spray
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup sliced green bell pepper
1½ cups sliced baby bello mushrooms
2 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 ounces fresh or dried fettuccini
1½-cups canned reduced-sodium crushed tomatoes
½ cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Monterey jack cheese (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Place a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with olive oil spray. Add the onion, green bell pepper and mushrooms. Saute 5 minutes. Add the jalapeno pepper and garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the corn and cumin. Mix well. Add the fettuccini and toss with the vegetables. Add the crushed tomatoes and water and spread over the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover with a lid and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread cheese over the top. Cover and let cheese melt 3 minutes. Sprinkle cilantro on top and serve.
Yield 2 servings. Nutrition per serving: 449 calories (20 percent from fat), 10.2 grams fat (3.9 grams saturated, 3.2 grams monounsaturated), 18 milligrams cholesterol, 20.9 grams protein, 74.9 grams carbohydrates, 11.2 grams fiber, 256 milligrams sodium
Avocado and black bean salad
½ small, ripe avocado (about ½ cup)
2 tablespoons reduced-fat oil and vinegar dressing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ small head Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
½ cup canned reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
Peel, seed and mash avocado in a small bowl. Add the dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Place lettuce in a salad bowl and toss with black beans. Spoon avocado dressing over top.
Yield 2 servings. Nutrition per serving: 132 calories (45 percent from fat), 6.6 grams fat (0.9 grams saturated, 3.9 grams monounsaturated), 1 milligram cholesterol, 5 grams protein, 15.3 grams carbohydrates, 7.6 grams fiber, 60 milligrams sodium.
Linda Gassenheimer writes for the Tribune News Service.
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