I have found some other ways to make up for the salt. Last week, I had made some Spicy Thai Noodles that were delicious by the way. The recipe said to heat the crushed red pepper flakes in the sesame oil to release their spices more. Holy crap, if you like spicy that is the way to make something spicy. This pasta recipe called for the exact same step but to use some olive oil instead. Instead of using salt, why not add some spice instead like crushed red pepper?

I had this pasta when I went to Minneapolis the last time to visit my brother in the cities. He took us to a place called Buca Di Beppo. That place was awesome. It’s a family style restaurant where they give you huge servings of lasagna/pasta. Better to come with a lot of people so you can try different things. I managed to get this down to only 126 mg of sodium per serving! What I did was use no salt added tomato sauce from Hunt’s and I made my own alfredo sauce. I basically just added some milk and some parmesan cheese to the red sauce. Hope you enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni recipe from Taste Book

Servings: 7

Ingredients

1/4 cup oil  (I used only 2 teaspoons of olive oil)
1/2 Tbs crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbs chopped garlic
6 oz chicken, sliced
3/4 cup. Marinara sauce
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce (by some low fat alfredo or make your own)
1/4 cup peas
1 lb Rigatoni pasta, cooked according to package directions (I used only 16 oz of pasta)
additional 1/2 t crushed red pepper (for garnish)

Directions:

In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper and garlic and sauté just long enough for garlic to caramelize and red pepper to release flavor into the oil. Add sliced chicken and sauté briefly to coat in spices and garlic.
2

Add Marinara Sauce first and then Alfredo Sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens slightly and chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°. Turn off flame, add butter and peas and incorporate into sauce.
3

Drop cooked pasta in boiling water for 3 seconds. Let drain for 15 seconds. Toss with the sauce. Place pasta and sauce in pasta bowl, reserving the majority of the chicken to be placed on top of the pasta. Using a rubber spatula, scrape any remaining sauce from the pan to the pasta. Garnish with crushed red pepper and serve.