Italian · Authentic-ish Italian
Spaghetti al Pomodoro e Basilico
387 kcal a serving, against 592 for the traditional version. That is 205 kcal off, or 35%, with 13.4g of protein. Serves 4. 30 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Sweet summer tomatoes cooked down into a rapid sauce with garlic and basil, emulsified with a heavy pour of olive oil, and tossed aggressively with spaghetti. Simple, perfect, and traditionally very heavy on the fat.
What changed, and what each change costs
400g of dried white pasta to 320g of dried wholewheat pasta
White pasta is magnificent, but it offers very little protein for the calories it brings. Wholewheat bumps up the fibre and the protein for the calories, which is exactly what I need to make the numbers work.
What it costs you. Wholewheat pasta has a nutty, assertive taste. In a heavy ragu, you barely notice. Here, against a naked tomato sauce, it shouts loudly. You'll lose the clean, slippery elegance of white spaghetti.
80g of olive oil down to 20g
Olive oil is pure fat at 900 calories for every 100g. It's beautiful, but it's heavy. If you want to cut calories in a dish that only contains tomatoes, pasta and oil, the oil has to take the hit.
What it costs you. A massive loss in texture. The original sauce coats your lips and clings to the pasta because of the fat emulsion. This version is much thinner and tastes like a fresh tomato salad.
800g of fresh tomatoes up to 1000g
Because I've cut the pasta and oil, the bowls will look miserable without extra bulk. Tomatoes are cheap on calories and carry all the flavour.
What it costs you. You've got to cook them slightly longer to drive off the extra water, otherwise your sauce will flood the plate.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 592 | 387 |
| Protein | 15.2g | 13.4g |
| Fat | 22g | 7.7g |
| Saturated fat | 3.1g | 1.1g |
| Carbohydrate | 84.1g | 69.9g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.6g | 3.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Italian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten.
The method is in the book
I'll be honest with you. The traditional version is vastly superior. The loss of the olive oil emulsion hurts, and the wholewheat pasta bullies the delicate tomatoes. But it works as a fast, sharp dinner when you want something light. It cuts the calories heavily, pushes the protein up, and keeps you full. Sometimes, that's all you need a recipe to do.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Italian, along with 59 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.