A-Z Index

Spaghettini Marinara

Cooked in a delicious wine-enriched tomato sauce, a nutritious mix of seafood makes an elegant partner for the thin spaghettini. Prepare a leafy mixed side salad to go with this spaghettini marinara, a great dinner party main course.

Cook Smart for a Healthy Heart, Reader's Digest Canada

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and sauté for 5–7 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for a further 1 minute.
Pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Regulate the heat so that the wine boils steadily, and cook for about 15 minutes or until the wine has almost all evaporated.
Stir in the tomatoes, the crushed chilies, sugar and saffron. Reduce the heat and cook gently for 15 minutes. Season to taste with pepper.
Add the mussels. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the mussels start to open. Add the squid and shrimp, and cook for a further 3–4 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Remove from the heat. Discard any mussels that have not opened, then cover the pan to retain the heat.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghettini in boiling water for 10 minutes, or according to the package instructions, until al dente. Drain and return to the empty pan. Add some of the marinara sauce and toss the pasta until coated. Serve the spaghettini with the remaining marinara sauce and seafood piled on top, garnished with small sprigs of fresh oregano or marjoram.

preparation time 25 mins
cooking time 50 mins
serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup dry white wine
1 can (540 ml) diced tomatoes
1⁄8 teaspoon crushed dried chilies
1⁄4 teaspoon sugar
1⁄8 teaspoon saffron threads
pepper to taste
8 mussels, washed and beards removed
2 squid, cleaned, then tentacles cut into bite-sized pieces and bodies cut into rings
300 g raw tiger or king shrimp, peeled
400 g spaghettini (thin spaghetti)
sprigs fresh oregano or marjoram to garnish

Nutritional Information

PER SERVING

494 calories
30 g protein
11 g total fat
2 g saturated fat
170 mg cholesterol
64 g total carbohydrate
6 g sugars
6 g fibre
500 mg sodium

Pasta and seafood make a delicious dish that is both special and nutritious: it is high in starchy carbohydrate and low in fat. Wine and tomatoes make a sauce that is far lower in fat than the usual cream-based dressings.

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