February 13 is National Italian Food Day, but many people might shy away from this cuisine because they mistakenly think pizza and pasta aren’t healthy. Low-carb and gluten-free diets have been steering folks away from some of their favorite dishes and meals – Including Italian food – but it’s not necessary. Substituting a few ingredients will help you create healthier versions of your Italian favorites and keep you in line with your diet goals.
Use Whole Grains
To make your Italian dishes healthier, avoid refined wheat pastas and breads and opt for whole-grain versions. Read the directions on whole-grain pasta and start tasting a few minutes before it’s supposed to be done to determine when it’s right for you. Whole-grain pasta doesn’t have the same firm texture of regular spaghetti or linguini, but the flavor and healthy goodness of these noodles makes up for that.
Choose whole-grain breads, making garlic bread by drizzling olive oil on warm, crunchy bread and serving it with roasted garlic cloves you mash or spread on the bread. You can also serve your bread for dipping, providing a small plate of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for sweetness.
Watch the Meats
Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami and ground beef are staples of Italian cooking, but they add fat and calories. Ask yourself if you really need meat in your pasta sauce or on your pizza, or if plenty of veggies will do instead. Try substituting canned tuna for hamburger in your spaghetti sauce. Toss in some shrimp with your angel hair pasta or top your pizza with diced chicken breast that’s lightly marinated in pesto or barbecue sauce. Want meatballs? Use ground turkey breast instead of beef, veal or pork.
Add More Veggies
Pairing the right vegetables with Italian dishes, cutting them into larger chunks instead of using a fine dice, and bringing out their natural sweetness with a quick sauté will help you add more flavor to meals with fewer calories. Keep plenty of canned tomatoes in your pantry to add to dishes and experiment with all of your favorite vegetables when you make tomato sauce, a lasagna or pizza.
Try Flatbread Pizzas
Deep-dish pizza is a delicious treat, but served with fatty meats like pepperoni and sausage, these pies really deliver a calorie knockout. Flatout flatbread pizzas let you create healthier personal pizzas that take only a few minutes to make. You can choose from Artisan, Rustic White and Spicy Italian crusts. The Flatout blog is full of healthy pizza recipes, including these 26 options for flatbread pizzas you’ll never get tired of.
Hearty Italian Sandwiches
Flatout flatbreads and Foldits are also great choices for making favorite Italian sandwiches like a traditional sub or meatball sub. Start with your choice of a ProteinUp, gluten-free or other Flatout flatbread. For a filling sub, use just one meat choice, such as lean ham or turkey, instead of salami. Add plenty of lettuce, sliced tomatoes, olives, green bell peppers and slivered onions. Top with some low-fat white cheese and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Reduce the calories in a meatball sub by using just one turkey meatball sliced into several pieces, served on a Flatout Foldit. Place the meat on top of shredded (not sliced) low-fat provolone cheese, then add your favorite veggies and drizzle more tomato sauce. Small portions meatball, cheese and tomato sauce will pack plenty of flavor in each bite.
Chicago is not only famous for its deep-dish pizza, but also it’s delicious Italian beef sandwiches. To make this sandwich, which is similar to a French dip (but with more seasoning), marinate lean beef in Italian spices overnight. You can find Italian beef recipes online. After slow-roasting the beef for several hours, let it sit for 30 minutes before shaving the meat thin. Serve in a Flatout Foldit with julienned, caramelized onions and green bell peppers for a delicious sandwich.
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