This delicious summer pasta is the perfect balance with creamy ricotta, crunchy green beans and juicy cherry tomatoes.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked whole-wheat pasta (recommended: linguine)
½ cup part-skim ricotta
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ pound green beans, trimmed and halved lengthwise (recommended: French)
1 clove garlic, chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 lemon, zested

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl and add the ricotta cheese. Toss to combine.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, garlic, salt, and pepper and sauté for 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and continue until tender, about 4 more minutes. Add the pasta with ricotta to the pan with the green beans and toss to combine. Add the tomatoes and gently toss. Transfer to a serving plate and top with lemon zest. Serve.

Allowance: Makes 4 servings (1/2cup cooked pasta per serving)
Count each serving as 2 fats (Group 7) and 1 carbohydrate (Group 5)
Adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis from ‘Everyday Italian’ on the Food Network