Serve your guests the food they want, just the way they want it! Prepare one base recipe, then modify it with a variety of ingredients to fit everyone's individual tastes. Everyone will be happy. You'll be a hero.

Pasta Bar
Serve with breadsticks and mixed green salad
Serves 5

One basic pasta
Use any short pasta you have on hand for your pasta bar. Other good choices include seashell pasta, elbow macaroni, rotini, fusilli, or radiatore. We've used a short pasta for all these variations because the short types work well with all the sauces. The rule of thumb for pastas and sauces is: the thinner the sauce, the longer the pasta.

Four different sauces:
·cheesy pasta
·roasted red pepper pasta
·chicken cacciatore pasta
·asian-style pasta

Each sauce recipe makes enough for one serving, so if you or your guests want more, just multiply the ingredients by the number of servings needed. To keep things simple, we recommend choosing two or three sauces, but you know best how to satisfy your crew.

Basic Pasta

Prep: 1 minute
Cook: 8 minutes

3 cups ditalini (tiny, very short tubes of pasta)
3 tablespoons light butter
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions; omitting salt and fat. Drain. Toss with butter and remaining ingredients. Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

CALORIES 317 (14% from fat); FAT 4.8g (sat 2.6g, mono 0.1g, poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 10.5g; CARB 57.8g; FIBER 2.1g; CHOL 12mg; IRON 3.2mg; SODIUM 164mg; CALC 25mg

Cheesy Pasta

Prep: 1 minute
Cook: 1 minute

1/4 cup refrigerated reduced-fat Alfredo sauce
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1 cup hot cooked BASIC PASTA

Place Alfredo sauce in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave at HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Remove from microwave, and stir in cheese. Combine cheese sauce and hot pasta; stir well. Serve immediately. Yield: 1 serving (serving size: 1 cup pasta and 1/4 cup sauce).

CALORIES 478 (28% from fat); FAT 14.9g (sat 9.1g, mono 0.1g, poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 23.7g; CARB 63.3g; FIBER 2.1g; CHOL 52mg; IRON 3.2mg; SODIUM 717mg; CALC 379mg

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
There's no need to get out another saucepan if you make this no-cook sauce.

Prep: 3 minutes

1 bottled roasted red bell pepper (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup hot cooked BASIC PASTA
1 tablespoon preshredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon pine nuts

Place first 4 ingredients in a food processor. Pulse 15 to 20 seconds or until mixture is almost smooth. Toss with hot pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese, basil, and pine nuts. Yield: 1 serving (serving size: 1 cup pasta and 1/3 cup sauce).

CALORIES 376 (16% from fat); FAT 6.8g (sat 3.6g, mono 0.6g, poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 13.9g; CARB 64.7g; FIBER 3g; CHOL 16mg; IRON 4.1mg; SODIUM 612mg; CALC 108mg

Chicken Cacciatore Pasta
Add this chunky chicken-tomato sauce to hot pasta for a quick-fix version of an Italian classic.

Prep: 3 minutes
Cook: 3 minutes

1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
2 tablespoons sliced green bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup low-fat pasta sauce
1/4 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
1 cup hot cooked BASIC PASTA
1 teaspoon preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and next 3 ingredients; cook 2 to 3 minutes or just until tender. Add sauce and chicken, and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Pour over hot cooked pasta, and top with Parmesan cheese. Yield: 1 serving (serving size: 1 cup pasta and 1/2 cup sauce).

CALORIES 454 (21% from fat); FAT 10.4g (sat 4g, mono 3g, poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 23.4g; CARB 66.9g; FIBER 3.9g; CHOL 43mg; IRON 4.4mg; SODIUM 414mg; CALC 79mg

Asian-Style Pasta
Add Asian flair to plain pasta with creamy peanut butter, crisp snow peas, and peppery ginger.

Prep: 6 minutes
Cook: 1 minute

1 1/2 tablespoons reduced-fat creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons hot water
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup hot cooked BASIC PASTA
1/4 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1/4 cup coarsely chopped snow peas
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Combine peanut butter and water in a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper; stir until smooth. Microwave at HIGH 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Combine hot cooked pasta, sauce, carrots, and snow peas; toss well. Top with green onions. Yield: 1 serving (serving size: 1 cup pasta and 3 tablespoons sauce).

CALORIES 471 (25% from fat); FAT 13g (sat 4g, mono 4.3g, poly 3g); PROTEIN 18.5g; CARB 72.2g; FIBER 5.6g; CHOL 12mg; IRON 4.4mg; SODIUM 667mg; CALC 53mg