Rigatoni That Hustles

Here’s a quick low-fat pasta recipe to tuck into your file for those times when friends pop in unexpectedly or you need to fix a meal in a hurry for your family.

Ripe red tomatoes, a jar of roasted peppers and a can of nonfat chicken broth make a wonderfully flavored pasta sauce to spoon over rigatoni.

If you haven’t used up all your fat grams for the day, combine freshly grated Parmesan cheese and dry Jack cheese in equal amounts and sprinkle a little over the top before eating.

RIGATONI WITH PORTABELLOS AND PEPPER SAUCE (30 MINUTES OR LESS)

Nonstick cooking spray

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup minced onion

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 (15-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, roughly chopped

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can nonfat chicken broth

Salt

1 (1-pound) package bite-size rigatoni

1 (6-ounce) package portabello mushrooms

1 bunch arugula, torn into leaf-size pieces

1/4 cup chopped basil

1 Hungarian green pepper, cut into crosswise slices

Spray large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add garlic and onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and peppers. When hot, add chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer to blend flavors, about 10 minutes. Puree in blender. Add salt to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon, and keep warm until ready to serve.

Cook rigatoni in boiling, salted water until just tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain and keep warm.

Spray stove-top grill pan with nonstick cooking spray and cook mushrooms on hot grill, spraying each side once to prevent sticking and turning to brown both sides until tender, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on size of mushrooms.

Let mushrooms cool slightly and slice. Toss with arugula and basil and stir into hot pasta until greens are slightly wilted.

Spoon pepper sauce over each serving and top with few pepper slices.

6 servings. Each serving:

341 calories; 117 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 69 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 1.27 grams fiber.

* Napkin from Windows, Pasadena.