When Italian food is mentioned, two things come to mind: tasty and unhealthy. The former is given almost always. What about the latter? Not so. Some Italian cuisines are quite on the healthy side. Sometimes this means doing away with lots of cheeses, pasts, wine, and creamy sauces but even with the elimination of all these foods, the taste remains unchanged.
Curious about some of the healthy foods to eat in an Italian restaurant Westlake Village? Well, here are top 5 options to consider:
1. Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken is a protein-rich, healthy meal that cuts across the board. The rustic Italian dish — Chicken Cacciatore is prepared from braised chicken accompanied by several ingredients including tomato, onion, bell peppers, aromatic herbs, and red wine. What makes the dish healthy is that the chicken is not deep fried but rather braised and seared. Put simply, the taste is out of this world.
2. Pasta Primavera
Pasta Primavera is a bright dish that was invented somewhere in a New York City’s Italian restaurant not long ago. Basically, the dish features lightly cooked veggies such as lemon, chives, garlic and an assortment of other seasonal vegetables that grow in every corner of the planet. Some recipes would throw in a spoonful of crème fraiche but the traditional recipe is low in fat.
3. Risotto
If you have ever visited an Italian restaurant Westlake Village, you have probably come across risotto. It is a staple among Italians who enjoy its creamy and indulgent texture. Turns out this cream actually comes from Arborio rice — some type of short-grain rice and not cream itself. This rice doesn’t only awaken the dish but adds fiber to it and doesn’t require a dairy base, heavy sauce.
4. Shrimp Pomodoro
Shrimp may be high in cholesterol but is it surely low in calories. The Italian dish of sweet and tender shrimp is made with flavor-rich ingredients such as white wine, red pepper flakes, basil, and tomato and served with sweet and spicy Pomodoro sauce.
5. Cacciucco
Also known as the Tuscan seafood stew, Cacciucco is a rich, perfectly-seasoned stew that brings out the savory nature of Italian cuisines without utilizing pasta. This seafood stew makes use of squid, octopus, and shrimp and obtains its tangy and overwhelmingly sweet flavor from being cooked with sage, garlic, and rice.
Final Thoughts
By and large, Italian food menus are certainly savory, especially the non-healthy ones. That is not to say healthy options are less- than delicious. Try the suggested ones and see how hard you’ll fall for them.
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