Food Focus: Aglio e Olio

Aglio e olio sounds so exotic, doesn't it? It's Italian for garlic and oil, and apparently originates from Naples. Simplicity in itself. I made three meatless meals while prepping today, and every single one shines in it's own way. Other than the quinoa I made, my new-found recipe for Zoodles with White Beans and Tomatoes was the only one that required cooking. My goodness, but the house smelled amazing while this was cooking!

A week or so ago, my mom bought me a spiralizer. It's got a few attachments, and I had to experiment with the two spaghetti attachments to find the right one for this dish. Let me just say that two standard zucchini make plenty of "noodles"! I was a little wary of zoodles at first, so the above recipe was perfect for my first try. Half real spaghetti noodles, half zoodles, this eases me into the world of spiralizing and eating veggie noodles.

I can't underscore it enough how delicious the aroma of garlic and pepper flakes sauteing in olive oil smells. The results were pretty nice, too. Since the dish doesn't have a heavy tomato base, but rather an addition of fresh tomatoes, it relies heavily on the garlic to flavor the base. I used a mixture of curly parsley and basil, but I think either one would be pretty good on their own. In fact, I plan to use only basil leaves next time. I used fresh shredded Parmesan cheese to top it all off.

The points are pretty high for this dish: a whopping 11 points! The deliciousness factor, though, and the fact I am eating some real pasta, makes up for that. I was able to finish up my day with a total of 19 out of 23 points.

I've looked for other ways to use this delightful, healthy sauce. This is what I found on a quick search:

Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino

Spicy Shrimp and Spaghetti Aglio Olio

Mushroom Spaghetti Aglio Olio

All of those look so tasty, and I am sure they can be lightened up in little ways.

I certainly look forward to having Aglio e Olio again. In the meantime, I am just going to enjoy it over the next few days or so. The big plus? My husband may not eat this, but he certainly didn't turn his nose up at trying it. One day, maybe that man will appreciate a few more veggies!