Italian dinner dietary restriction puzzle

LucyS added 5 months ago

Sorry! Don't know why this posted twice.

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Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.

added 5 months ago

I know when you are dealing with old school Italians it can be difficult to please, I know they avoid vegetables but almost every Italian I know eats broccoli rabe, you could do an orecchiette with broccoli rabe, and use Italian turkey sausage instead of pork. It has plenty of flavor without having to use a lot of salt so thats good for high blood pressure and regarding the diabetic they can eat more of the sausage and broccoli rabe and less of the pasta. I like your lasagna idea it is always a great option.

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LisaMC added 5 months ago

Totally agree with the Italian turkey sausage! Pasta is a simple carb and can effect sugar levels but there are many whole grain pasta options out there which will help with this. Maybe consider polenta layered with Italian turkey sausage, a dribble of marinara then sprinkled with your favorite Mozzerella (naturally a lower sodium cheese). Also, minestrone soup is a nice & easy one pot way for some variety. Whole grain bread on the side...yum!

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lloreen added 5 months ago

Pasta isn't great for diabetics, so this is tough. Marcella has some good braised short rib recipes that would freeze well.

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healthierkitchen added 5 months ago

Like minestrone, maybe a pasta e fagioli, using farro instead of pasta or a mix of farro and whole wheat orzo? Use canned tomatoes with no added salt. For a veggie lasagna, I find that my family doesn't mind whole wheat lasagna noodles. I also make what we call lasagna rollups but I've also seen called rosettes, where you use the long skinny whole wheat lasagna noodles, then fill them with a combo of ricotta cheese and spinach and sauteed mushrooms (and some tomato sauce) roll them on end with some more tomato sauce and a little cheese sprinkled on top.

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