Last weekend my family and I decided to start a form of Weight Watchers together. My siblings and I were talking about how each of us weren’t happy with our current weight (I mean, Connell is three now so I can’t use the, “I just had a baby,” excuse anymore), so we decided that each week we will weigh in together and hold each other accountable to our goal. Since this was my first week on the new plan, it took me a couple of days to figure out what I was going to blog on that wouldn’t totally kill my diet as I get used to figuring out my meal plans for the week. Then I came across this. It was perfect! Something that’s a little more elegant, but not over the top and definitely more calorie friendly (not to mention easy to make).

As usual, Bill helped me in the kitchen with this pasta dish. He and I cook dinner together often. It’s a nice way of spending time together and it’s something we’ve enjoyed doing since we were dating. It’s a quick dish to make already, but with Bill’s help, we were eating in minutes (which was great because I think both of us were starving).

This pasta originally called for zucchini ribbons, which would totally be great, but I just recently received my organic veggie and fruit delivery so I had quite the over abundance of broccoli, so I went with it. Broccoli totally worked and this was a great dish! Very filling too. As for Bill, he loves anything pasta, so he was obviously one happy camper.

BROCCOLI AND PAPPARDELLI WITH GARLIC CANNELLINI BEAN SAUCE

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb. pappardelle
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced/crushed
• 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tbs. white wine
• 1/2 cup cannellini beans, cooked
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus some to top at serving time

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2. While waiting for water to boil: chop the broccoli into florets, and mash the cannellini beans into a paste.
3. In another pan (med-high), saute the garlic in olive oil, for approx. a minute, add broth, wine, bean paste and thyme. Cut down to simmer.
4. Add salt and pappardelle to pasta water. When about four minutes into cooking, add the broccoli to the water. Boil for the remaining minutes until the pasta is done, then drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
5. Combine the sauce, broccoli, and pasta and stir to coat. Add a little of the reserved pasta water and grated Parmesan to make a smooth sauce and incorporate the cheese.
6. Serve with more grated cheese and cracked black pepper.