These 55 Recipes All Have The Perfect Balance Of Nutrients For Weight Loss

The "Creamy" Pasta I Make When There Are No Groceries In The House

Despite generally being pretty on top of my family's grocery cycle and planning trips to the supermarket accordingly, every once in a while I find myself staring at a mostly bare pantry. What to do? I have a few go-to moves - red lentil soup, scrambled eggs, tuna mayo bowls, and spam fried rice.

One of my favorites, though, is an upgraded version of my childhood favorite: pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese. I picked the recipe up from someone I used to work with at America's Test Kitchen, who ate it often as a kid (I guess she had a more sophisticated palate than little me). It's creamy, delicious, and feels just a bit fancy, considering I always make it when I seemingly have no groceries. The secret to this super-simple pasta sauce is something I almost always have on hand: eggs.

My typical bare-pantry pasta method of simply mixing cooked pasta with butter, Parmesan, and pasta water to make a cheesy sauce has been elevated with the knowledge that by adding a couple of egg yolks, a pinch of mustard powder, and some garlic powder, the whole dish soars to new heights.

How to Make Creamy Egg Pasta

Boil pasta. Any pasta will do here (this is an empty-pantry dish, after all; it's flexible). For two people I usually use about 12 ounces of pasta, but this sauce can scale up or down depending on your needs.

Start the sauce. While the pasta is boiling, add 1 large egg yolk per person to a large bowl. Add about 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder to the bowl, and whisk until combined. Next, add some of the pasta water (start with about 1/4 cup) to the bowl and whisk until a smooth sauce forms. If you need additional pasta water to get to a good saucy consistency, add it 1 tablespoon at a time.

Taste and adjust. At this point you can taste the sauce and make any adjustments you'd like. This sauce is meant to be flexible and customizable, so if you want less mustard flavor, for example, start with 1/4 teaspoon, use more or less garlic powder, etc. You can also add any additional ingredients here, like red pepper flakes, a little hot sauce, or, my personal favorite, some dried tarragon which adds an herby, slightly anise-y flavor to the whole dish.

Add pasta. Drain the cooked pasta, reserving about 1/4 cup of the starchy cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and toss in the warm sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt and serve up the best bare-pantry pasta you've had in years.

Tips for Making Creamy Egg Pasta

Make it your own. I love this pasta the very simple way it was taught to me, but I also love it with additions. Because I most often make this when I haven't got much around, I'll throw in whatever leftover bits and bobs are hanging around. I've added everything from leftover roasted vegetables to jarred capers to tinned fish. Feel free to get creative!

Start with less. Remember, you can always add, but you can never take away. Err on the side of less when adding spices and pasta water to the sauce, knowing you can build on it if you want an extra punch of flavor or need to adjust the consistency.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The Cheap & Easy 3-Ingredient Pasta Sauce I Make When I Have No Groceries in the House

Credit: Andrea Rivera Wawrzyn Credit: Andrea Rivera Wawrzyn

17 Creamy Pasta Bakes You'll Want To Make Forever

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel

Pop one of these pasta bakes in the oven for a creamy and satisfying dinner tonight. Highly rated with four- and five-star reviews, these pasta dishes are so delicious, you'll be looking forward to your leftovers. Recipes like our Creamy Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Pasta Bake and our Baked Feta-Mushroom Pasta are healthy and tasty dishes you'll make again and again.

Creamy Zucchini & Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Bake

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf

This creamy zucchini and chicken pasta bake is the perfect choice for dinner tonight. The zucchini melts into the sauce, while Dijon mustard and lemon zest brighten the flavor.

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Creamy Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Pasta Bake

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel

This creamy pasta bake is a comforting crowd-pleaser that's sure to satisfy everyone at the table. This dish features tender pieces of chicken, fresh spinach and pasta, all enveloped in a rich and creamy garlic-Parmesan sauce.

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Baked Feta-Mushroom Pasta

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

This pasta bake brings together the creamy tang of melted feta with the earthy, savory notes of cremini mushrooms. The convenience of pre-sliced cremini mushrooms makes this dish a timesaver, but you can easily switch things up by incorporating other varieties like oyster, shiitake or maitake mushrooms for added depth and complexity.

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Creamy Lemon & Spinach Pasta Bake

Fred Hardy (photographer); Jennifer Wendorf (food stylist); Shell Royster (prop stylist)

This creamy and comforting vegetarian pasta bake is perfect when you want a pasta dinner that is light, bright and flavorful. This easy pasta bake is packed with spinach. Feel free to swap the spinach out for another green like kale if you have it on hand.

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Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Torie Cox, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

This chicken pasta bake is cheesy with a smoky kick, thanks to the combination of chipotle peppers and smoked Gouda cheese. If you want to mellow the smoky flavor, regular Gouda works just as well.

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Baked Spinach & Feta Pasta

Jason Donnelly

Feta softens in the oven before it's combined with spinach and pasta, with the pasta cooking right in the baking dish. Enjoy this one-pan pasta with feta dish on its own as a vegetarian main or serve with sautéed chicken breast for a boost of protein.

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Four-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

The more cheese the merrier in this baked macaroni recipe, which also features butternut squash and whole-grain pasta.

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Baked Tomato & Feta Pasta

Jason Donnelly

Tomatoes and briny feta cheese form the base of the sauce that coats the pasta in this easy one-pan meal. Enjoy on its own as a vegetarian dinner or top with grilled chicken for some extra protein.

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Chicken Tinga Baked Pasta

Jacob Fox

This spicy baked pasta features leftover chicken tinga, a dish hailing from Puebla, Mexico. The rich tomato-chipotle sauce adds heat and creaminess to the dish.

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Chicken Parmesan Casserole

We took the best parts of chicken Parmesan—ooey-gooey cheese, crispy breadcrumbs and plenty of tomato sauce—and spun them into an easy family-friendly casserole. We simplified it by skipping the breading on the chicken and, instead, loaded the top of the casserole with cheese and breadcrumbs. Serve with a crisp green salad to complete the meal.

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Spinach Alfredo Lasagna

This lightened-up lasagna packs in the nutrients with plenty of spinach, carrots and mushrooms—plus satisfies cheese cravings with ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.

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Baked Mac & Cheese

Mac & cheese can be a true comfort on a gloomy day, and our healthy update takes advantage of extra-sharp Cheddar balanced with creamy low-fat cottage cheese and tucks a layer of spinach into the middle, which may help picky eaters down their vegetables. Whole-wheat pasta adds robust flavor and extra fiber.

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Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Casserole

Sara Haas

This healthy vegetarian casserole is a standout on any table. Crushed red pepper provides a little kick to this creamy main dish. We love the ease of jarred roasted red peppers, but if you have time, feel free to roast them yourself.

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Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Karen Rankin

This chicken spaghetti casserole has a super-creamy sauce that coats pasta, chicken and a generous serving of veggies. Panko gives this family-friendly casserole a bit of crunch on top.

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Cheesy Meatball Casserole

Jen Causey

This cheesy meatball casserole is a family favorite, with basil adding flavor to the meatballs and grated onion adding moisture. Melted mozzarella cheese tames the spice, but feel free to cut back or eliminate the crushed red pepper if you prefer a milder dish.

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Mac & Cheese with Collards

Dark leafy collards add bold flavor and boost the calcium in this healthy skillet mac and cheese recipe with a crispy topping. If you don't have collards, kale, Swiss chard and spinach are delicious substitutes.

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White Chicken Lasagna

This creamy white chicken lasagna features no-boil noodles and precooked chicken to keep things simple and streamlined. Pre-sliced mushrooms, frozen spinach and shredded cheese also help shorten the prep time. Make this easy lasagna recipe anytime you're short on time and have leftover chicken on hand.

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Read the original article on EATINGWELL

How A Chef Turns Costco's $5 Rotisserie Chicken Into A Week Of Easy Meals At Home

The chicken can dress up a creamy, cheesy pasta dish. Rotisserie chicken can add protein to a simple pasta dish. Lizzy Briskin

I'm still on the baked-feta-pasta trend from a few years ago.

I prefer using a block of Lifeway Farmer soft cheese instead of feta because it's got a milder flavor and softer texture. Plus, it gets even meltier and creamier in the oven.

After preheating my oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, I cook my cheese and fresh cherry tomatoes or whole canned tomatoes in a small baking dish.

I leave them in the oven until the tomatoes burst and become sweet and saucy and the cheese is just turning golden on top. Then, I toss in cooked pasta and my diced or shredded rotisserie chicken.

Chilled chicken-salad sandwiches are an easy lunch. I like to add some kind of crunchy bits to my chicken salad. Lizzy Briskin

The white meat from the Costco rotisserie chicken is easy to chop into cubes for a classic creamy chicken salad.

I toss the meat with mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt and add any salty or crunchy bits I have in the fridge, such as diced pickles or pepperoncini, celery, or bell peppers. I also like to add something sweet, like sliced grapes or chopped dried fruit.

Then, I serve the salad on toasted sandwich bread, crackers, or sturdy romaine-lettuce cups.

I toss the chicken in salsa, then add it to burrito bowls. Burrito bowls can be a low-lift dinner, especially if you have a protein that's already cooked. Lizzy Briskin

There's nothing like a build-you-own-bowl dinner for a low-lift meal that makes everyone happy.

First, I'll make a batch of rice or another grain. If I'm short on time, I'll heat a packet of Somos Mexican street-corn rice in the microwave.

Then, I toss diced rotisserie chicken in salsa to dress it up and lay out assorted toppings. Everyone can add their own beans, guacamole, cheese, veggies, and cilantro to their bowls for a Chipotle-style experience right at home.

I stuff baked potatoes with chicken, too. Dress your baked potato with anything in your fridge. Lizzy Briskin

A loaded baked potato is super easy and cheap to make.

I stick a potato (or sweet potato) in a 400-degree oven for 40 minutes to an hour until it's easy to pierce with a fork.

If you're in a pinch, you can skip the oven and put the potato in the microwave for a few minutes — just be sure to pierce it all over with a fork beforehand.

Then I slice the potato down the center, fluff up its insides, and season it with softened butter, salt, and pepper.

From there, I add my favorite toppings — usually diced rotisserie chicken, sour cream, hot sauce, and any herbs I have on hand.

Chicken quesadillas are another great meal. Quesadillas are easy to customize. Lizzy Briskin

A quesadilla is one of my favorite three-ingredient lunches: tortilla, cheese, and hot sauce. Sometimes, I use bread instead of tortillas and make a grilled cheese.

If I have a rotisserie chicken on hand, I'll dice it up and add it as a filling for extra protein.

I also used the chicken's bones and skin. The bones, skin, and leftover bits of a rotisserie chicken can be used to make a tasty broth. Lizzy Briskin

At the end of the week, don't toss the chicken bones and skin. Instead, use it to make a homemade broth.

Place the chicken carcass in a large pot with a halved onion, a few carrots, and celery stalks.

Cover everything with water and simmer for about four hours. Strain the bits out, and you have delicious broth to sip or turn into soup.

This story was originally published on July 23, 2024, and most recently updated on January 16, 2025.

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These 55 Recipes All Have The Perfect Balance Of Nutrients For Weight Loss