ONLINE EXTRA -- PASTA REPAST: Spicy Lemon Shrimp . . . Shrimp Dijonnaise . . . Angel Hair Pasta with Bacon Cream Sauce and Peas, etc.

Spicy Lemon Shrimp

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper

½ teaspoon salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined

½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

½ cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fat-free milk

Set oven’s control to broil. In a medium bowl, stir lemon peel, lemon juice, red pepper, salt, garlic and oil until well-mixed. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Spread shrimp onto a non-stick baking sheet and broil the shrimp about 4 inches from the heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm.

In a food processor, place the basil, light mayonnaise and milk. Cover and process until smooth. Serve shrimp with the mayonnaise.

Yield: Serves 4 as an entree.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving (¼ of the shrimp with 2 tablespoons basil mayonnaise): 260 calories, 14.8 grams fat, 6 grams carbohydrates, 636 milligrams sodium, 172 milligrams cholesterol, 23 grams protein.

Shrimp Dijonnaise

½ cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined

In a large resealable bag, combine all ingredients, seal the bag and turn to coat shrimp thoroughly. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, turning occasionally. Drain and discard marinade. Preheat your oven’s broiler. Spread shrimp onto a nonstick baking sheet and broil the shrimp about 4 inches from the heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm.

Yield: Serves 4 as an entree.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving (¼ of shrimp): 237 calories, 12.7 grams fat, 6 grams carbohydrates, 317 milligrams sodium, 172 milligrams cholesterol, 23 grams protein.

Angel Hair Pasta with Bacon Cream Sauce and Peas

6 strips raw bacon

½ pound dry angel hair pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil or more as needed

¼ cup minced onions or shallots

1 clove garlic, peeled, minced

½ cup frozen peas, thawed and rinsed

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut the bacon into 1/8-inch pieces. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon pieces until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside on a paper towel.

Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet.

Cook the pasta according to package directions, less 1 minute. Drain the pasta and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Heat the remaining bacon fat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and peas and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the bacon and cream and cook until simmering. Add the cooked pasta, stir to combine and cook 1 minute more. Top with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Yield: Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 606 calories, 61 percent of calories from fat, 41 grams fat (19 grams saturated), 47 grams carbohydrates, 14 grams protein, 305 milligrams sodium, 100 milligrams cholesterol, 87 milligrams calcium, 3 grams fiber.

Pasta, Pesto and Bean Soup

Olive oil spray

½ medium onion, sliced (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, sliced (about 1 cup)

2½ cups fat-free, low-salt chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup acini pepe pasta

1 cup rinsed and drained canned cannellini beans

½ cup frozen peas

Several drops hot pepper sauce

3 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce

Heat a large sauce pan over high heat and spray with olive oil. Add onion and carrots and saute, stirring, 3 minutes. Add broth, wine, pasta and beans. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Add peas and hot pepper sauce; simmer 5 more minutes. Remove soup from heat and stir in pesto sauce.

Yield: Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 570 calories (20 percent from fat), 12.4 grams fat (2.8 grams saturated, 8.3 grams monounsaturated), 8 milligrams cholesterol, 22.9 grams protein, 72.5 grams carbohydrates, 12.1 grams fiber, 1,026 milligrams sodium.

Baked Pasta Alla Pizzaiola

SAUCE AND PASTA:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 28-ounce can crushed Italian tomatoes

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or ½ teaspoon dried

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

Freshly ground pepper and/or crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1 pound dried pasta, such as orecchiette, cavatappi, campanelle or rigatoni

Add-ins (choose two or more):

2 cups cooked, crumbled Italian sausage

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup grilled assorted vegetables, such as eggplant and zucchini, roughly chopped

½ cup diced pepperoni or prosciutto

½ cup squeeze-dried, thawed, frozen chopped spinach

½ cup chopped mixed pitted olives

½ cup sliced mushrooms

CHEESES:

½ pound fresh mozzarella, patted dry, diced

2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella

2 to 4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Chopped fresh parsley, optional

For the sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan, Add the onion; cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, basil, salt, oregano and peppers. Simmer 10 minutes; cool. (Sauce can be made several days in advance, refrigerate covered.)

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water according to package direc-tions until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain; rinse under cool water. Shake off excess water. (Pasta can be cooked in advance; toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and refrigerate in a covered container up to several days.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil one 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish or 6 to 8 smaller (2-cup capacity) individual baking dishes. Toss pasta with sauce in a large bowl. Put pasta into prepared baking dish(es); top with desired add-ins. Sprinkle with fresh mozzarella; mix gen-tly. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake until heated through and cheeses are nicely melted, 15 minutes for individual baking dishes or 20 to 5 minutes for one large dish. Cool a few minutes. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 513 calories, 38 percent of calories from fat, 22 grams fat (10 grams saturated) 53 milligrams cholesterol, 56 grams carbohydrates, 24 grams protein, 786 milligrams sodium, 6 grams fiber.

Red and Yellow Bell Pepper Sauce with Sausages on Pappardelle

3 bell peppers, 1 red, 2 yellow

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped onion

4 sweet Italian sausages, sliced in ½-inch pieces

¼ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup canned imported plum tomatoes, drained, chopped

1½ pounds pappardelle or rigatoni, cooked according to package directions

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more at the table

1 tablespoon butter

Split the peppers into 4 sections, discard seeds and cores. Peel sections with vegetable peeler, if desired. Cut into 1-inch pieces; set aside.

Put olive oil and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until onion turns pale gold, about 5 minutes. Add sausages; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add peppers; cook, turn-ing occasionally, 7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste; stir well.

Add tomatoes; reduce heat to low. Cook 20 minutes. Place pasta and sauce in serving bowl; toss. Add grated Parmesan and butter; toss. Serve with more Parmesan at the table.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 545 calories, 33 percent of calories from fat, 20 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 26 milligrams cholesterol, 69 grams carbohydrates, 21 grams protein, 528 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.

Taco Pasta Bowl

½ pound ground round

1 15 ½-ounce can chili beans (do not drain)

1 10-ounce can no-salt added diced tomatoes

2 ounces chopped green chilies

1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

¾ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon garlic powder

3 cups cooked pasta shells

1 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese

½ cup reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Cook ground round in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to crumble; drain. Stir in chili beans, tomatoes, green chilies, enchilada sauce, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Add pasta to mixture and heat 3 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted and well blended. Serve in bowls.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 357 calories (35 percent from fat), 14 grams total fat (6 grams saturated), 44 milligrams cholesterol, 38 grams carbohydrates, 18 grams protein, 480 milligrams sodium, 6 grams dietary fiber.

Summer Harvest Linguine

2 tablespoons each: olive oil, butter

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

1 medium eggplant, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 pound mushrooms, chopped

4 medium tomatoes chopped

1 large red or yellow bell pepper, seeded, chopped

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

¼ cup tomato paste

4 black oil-cured olives, pitted, finely chopped

1 large zucchini, grated

1 cup red wine

½ cup finely chopped parsley

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 1-pound box linguine, cooked to package directions

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, ½ teaspoon of the salt and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in eggplant and remaining ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occa-sionally, until eggplant begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms soften, about 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, bell pepper, basil and tomato paste, mixing well. Lower heat to a simmer; cover. Cook 10 minutes. Stir in olives, zucchini, wine, parsley and pepper; cover. Cook until flavors come together, about 15 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Serve with linguine.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 474 calories, 27 percent of calories from fat, 14 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 22 milligrams cholesterol, 69 grams carbohydrates, 19 grams protein, 746 milligrams sodium, 13 grams fiber.

Lemon Pasta Salad

1 pound rotini

Grated zest of 2 lemons

½ cup olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon each, or to taste: salt, freshly ground pepper

3 tomatoes, cored, chopped

1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

¼ cup dried basil, optional

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, combine the lemon zest, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl; set aside. Drain pasta; transfer to large bowl. Pour lemon-oil mixture over warm pasta. Toss; cover. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Stir in the tomatoes, fresh basil, cheese and dried basil. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour. Toss lightly before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 394 calories, 40 percent of calories from fat, 18 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 7 milligrams cholesterol, 47 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams protein, 465 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

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