Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Paula’s Fond of Fryers

I know we just posted a recipe for fried chicken yesterday, but I’ve got another Fried Food makeover that turned out amazing! Paula’s original recipe for Fried Ravioli with Marinara Cream Sauce looked so tasty I couldn't wait to try it after my month-long run of fishy fiascos. It’s supposed to be an appetizer, but I just turned it into an entrée. The final product, as Paula would say, “It’s out of this world, y’all!”


First up, I cooked and coated my little guys. I bought the light ravioli because it was lower in calories and fat (and also filling, according to Cody), opted to use fresh breadcrumbs made from some double fiber bread and use 2 egg whites instead of a whole egg.


Once I had all my stations prepped, I dipped, dredged and popped the little nuggets into the oven. While they got toasty, I worked on the dipping sauce.



For the marinara cream sauce, I used my favorite spicy pasta sauce and added fat free half and half to make it creamy.


They came out toasty and golden and crispy. They were absolutely gorgeous! I’m telling you how fab they looked because once I got our plates ready I completely forgot to take a picture! I swear, I was overtaken with tunnel vision! All I could see was fried bites of ravioli and everything else was just background.


I thought they were delish, but I will say that Cody felt like there wasn’t enough filling on the inside (perhaps because they’re light?) and would have liked a heartier stuffing. I think next time I'll try a regular ravioli or one stuffed with meat to make it more filling for him and just serve myself a smaller portion. Love is all about compromise, right?


The stats are a big difference. I think the difference can be attributed to cutting out so much of the fat (from the egg yolk, heavy whipping cream, ground nuts). I didn’t add the oil in the recipe calculation because I wasn’t sure how much would actually be absorbed and consumed AND I only calculated half of the coating in each recipe because I ended up only using about half.


Nutritional Information (OLD) Nutritional Information (NEW)
Servings Per Recipe: 4 Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving (11 pieces) Amount Per Serving (11 pieces)
Calories: 733 Calories: 360
Fat: 51.7 g Fat: 10 g
Sodium: 1396 mg Sodium: 1015 mg
Fiber: 7 g Fiber: 7 g


Here’s the recipe.


Oven Fried Ravioli with Dipping Sauce


Ravioli:
9 oz package of light ravioli
2 slices Nature's Own Double Fiber Bread, toasted and ground into crumbs
1/4 c wheat germ

1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 c skim milk
2 egg whites
pepper


Tomato Cream Sauce:
1 1/2 prepared marinara sauce
1/2 c fat free half and half

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a baking sheet in the oven, before turning the oven on.

Cook the ravioli for 2 minutes. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Combine the bread crumbs, wheat germ, and Parmesan cheese and set aside in a shallow dish.

Whisk the milk and egg whites in a bowl and set aside.

Dip the ravioli in the egg mixture and then dredge in the bread crumb mixture. Arranged on the preheated baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes or until crispy.

While the ravioli bake, heat the marinara sauce and fat free half and half. Serve alongside the ravioli for dipping.

5 comments:

  1. I am so excited to make this recipe! I had the chance to sample the leftovers yesterday. They were a bit chewy, likely 2/2 the reheating process, but I am sure that when they are fresh they are incredible!

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  2. These sound really good. I think this is another recipe that you should add to your Thanksgiving list.

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  3. Wow this sounds too good to be true!

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  4. Wheat germ. Is this for health, texture or both?

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  5. A little of both, actually. I had a little bit left in the fridge that I wanted to use up so I added it in with my breadcrumbs. Plus, it's a good source of Vitamin E!

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