Beef and Pasta Skillet Primavera

Beef...it's what's for dinner! Quick, easy, delicious, and HEALTHY!

Did you know that a three ounce serving of lean beef gives you?
(according to Beef. It's What's for Dinner.)

• Nearly half of the daily value for protein
  
• Less than 10 grams of fat
  
• 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat
  
• Less than 95 mg of cholesterol
  
  
  
  

Give the Beef. It's What's for Dinner website a look.  There is a really awesome interactive meatcase in the Butcher counter section, that allows you to choose the cut of beef you want and gives you an explanation of that cut, the best way to cook it, nutrition information and even recipes!   

This Beef and Pasta Skillet Primavera the perfect healthy one skillet dish when you use lean ground beef and whole grain pasta.

You can find the recipe for this dish HERE.  I only altered the recipe a bit by adding salt, pepper, and some Italian seasonings and sauteing up some onion before browning up the beef.  My entire family gave this "two thumbs up"on taste and I gave it "two thumbs up" on ease of preparation.  Serve with a garden salad for a delicious, complete and healthy meal you can have on the table in record time. (Disclaimer:  I was provided with product for this recipe via Allrecipes as part of the Allstars program.  I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions expressed in this post are mine.)

Nutrition information for Beef and Pasta Skillet Primavera is as follows:
Servings - 4  Serving Size - 1/4th of recipe   Points Plus per Serving - 8 Points+
Calories  332,   Total Fat - 12.9g,   Carb. - 25.4g,   Protein - 28.1g,   Fiber - 3.7g

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This is the perfect dish to make your own.  For a bit of zing, substitute the Italian canned tomatoes with tomatoes with chilies and add a bit of cumin to the ground beef when browning it.  You can use any type of whole grain pasta you like.  I used farfalle...but there are so many choices for whole grain pastas out there today!  You could also play with the vegetables and either substitute other vegetables for the squash or add more to the mix, such as green or red peppers.  Honestly, the variations are almost endless.  

I was a bit skeptical on cooking the pasta along with the beef and broth in the skillet.  (I've had less than desirable results when using this method in the past)  But the liquid to pasta ratio in this recipe worked out great and the pasta was flavorful and had good texture.  

I am a fan of good recipes that cook up quick and are healthy.   How about you?