Easy Pantry Minestrone from Weight Watchers What To Cook Now-and a Giveaway!

Like so many people I know, I’m trying to eat a little healthier during this new year. So when I heard about the new cookbook, Weight Watchers What To Cook Now, I was definitely interested in reviewing it! Not only did I receive a review copy, the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, is also providing a giveaway copy! I’ll tell you a little about the book and share a recipe from it with you, and then be sure to enter the giveaway by leaving a comment–see the end of this post for details on how to win!

This cookbook has more than 300 new recipes and lots of color photos. There’s a wonderful variety of great-sounding recipes to choose from–meals and desserts that your whole family can enjoy. And they look easy to prepare, too. All recipes include nutritional information and the Weight Watcher PointsPlus® values so those of you in Weight Watchers can easily keep track of your points. Even if you’re not in Weight Watches, though, I’m sure these recipes would appeal to any of you who are wanting to eat lighter and healthier.

The book starts out with tips and helpful information on good nutrition, the well-stocked pantry, must-have kitchen tools, food safety, and choosing and preparing fresh fruits and veggies. Then you’ll find recipes organized in the following chapters: Breakfasts and Brunches; Lunches; Appetizers and Snacks; Main Dishes–Beef, Pork, and Lamb; Main Dishes–Poultry; Main Dishes–Seafood; Main Dishes-Vegetarian; 20-Minute Main Dishes; Side Dishes; and Sweets. So there’s lots to choose from! Here are some recipes I’d like to try…

Coconut-Almond French Toast with Tropical Fruit
Asian Burgers with Honey-Lime Slaw
Spinach and Endive Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
Italian Beef and Mushroom Meat Loaf
Brown Sugar-Dijon Glazed Ham with Sweet Potatoes
Maple-Glazed Grilled Chicken
Pan-seared Tuna with Citrus-Avocado Salsa
Warm Mozzarella and Tomato Flatbreads
Gingery Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry
Garlicky Spinach and Fontina Pizza
Chocolate Brownie Ice-Cream Sandwiches

For this post, I decided to try the Easy Pantry Minestrone from the Vegetarian section, since I had been wanting to make minestrone this winter. It’s a good, healthy soup with lots of veggies (carrots, onion, celery, zucchini), red beans, and chickpeas. Dried basil also flavors the soup, and you serve it with a teaspoon-size dollop of pre-made refrigerated pesto which also adds nicely to the flavor!

EASY PANTRY MINESTRONE from Weight Watchers What To Cook Now

Makes 6 servings

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

7 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1 (15.5-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup whole wheat macaroni or other small pasta (uncooked)

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 small zucchini, chopped

2 Tablespoons refrigerated basil pesto

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Add broth, kidney beans, chickpeas, macaroni, and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and zucchini and simmer until pasta and vegetables are very tender, 10 minutes longer. Ladle into bowls and top each with 1 teaspoon pesto.

PER SERVING (1 bowl): 307 Cal, 6 g Total Fat, Og Trans Fat, 1 mg Chol, 876 mg Sod, 53 g Carb, 10 g Fib, 14 g Prot, 120 mg Calc.

PointsPlus value: 8

I really like the dollop of pesto–it gives the soup an extra little zing of flavor when you stir it in!

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Congratulations to commentor #8, Aline, for winning the book!

Now for the Giveaway…if you’d like to enter to win a copy of Weight Watchers What To Cook Now, leave a comment on this blog post between now and Wednesday, January 22, at 10 p.m. (CST)–the random drawing will be made from the comments on this post only! The winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org and announced on Thursday evening, January 23. Winner will be notified via email (if winner does not respond in 3 days, I’ll do another drawing). Giveaway limited to readers in the Continental U.S. and Canada.

First entry: Leave a comment on this post–it would be great to hear what your favorite healthy dish is!

Bonus entry: If you are a new or existing follower or subscriber, you can leave one extra comment telling me the way (or ways) you are following.

Note: If your comment doesn’t show up right away, it just means I need to click on it to approve it before it’s visible–I do this because of spam comments that sometimes come through!

31 thoughts on “Easy Pantry Minestrone from Weight Watchers What To Cook Now-and a Giveaway!”

Barbara Sinnott January 19, 2014 at 9:36

Sounds delicious. I love the idea of the pesto!

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31 thoughts on “Easy Pantry Minestrone from Weight Watchers What To Cook Now-and a Giveaway!”

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