By Lia
When I’m busy at work, or just busy in general, I really hate eating bad food because it’s easier or more convenient. I used to do this a lot when I was younger, but a couple things happened along the way. One, I got older and when I eat bad food, the fat now just camps out on my body and does not magically disappear thanks to the wonders of youth. This is why I advise the young never to age. Second, I find that if I’m already feeling stressed or bad, eating bad food only adds to that. The temporary sugar or salt high is just that — temporary. Once it wears off, I wind up feeling a lot worse than I did before digging in.
So I’ve developed a few go-to dishes that are easy and fast, but don’t veer into unhealthy territory. One of those is ravioli with a light cream sauce. I cheat by buying the ravioli pre-made from the grocery store and believe it or not, you can make a really yummy cream sauce in just a few minutes with a little know-how. I know there are some of you who might say that even a light cream sauce isn’t exactly healthy, and I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with you. But it’s MUCH better than Chinese food or ice cream for dinner! So…you pick your poison. Plus, it satisfies that craving to go a little unhealthy, without expanding your waistline exponentially. These are the compromises you make in your 30s.
In any case, if you’re with me, here’s what you need!
- Light cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or peppercorn! I love peppercorns)
- One or two shakes of salt
- A few pinches of Parmesan cheese (add or subtract pinches depending on how cheesy you want it to be)
And here’s what you do:
Step one: Pour the whipping cream into a large pan. The cream thickens as it heats up, so pour a little more than you think you will need. If you’re just doing a single serving, I pretty much just coat the bottom of the pan with cream. Pour more the more people/servings you prepare to make. Before turning on the heat, add your pepper(corn), salt and Parmesan.
Step two: Stir the ingredients together in the pan.
Step three: Turn the heat on medium and try not to touch – let the ingredients boil up, like so:
Step four: Once boiling for one or two minutes, you’re done! Remove from the stove and stir a few more times.
Step five: Pour over your ravioli and dig in!
Forgive the fact that I didn't make any cosmetic changes to this photo before taking it. I was too hungry!
Any variations or tips on this? Would love to hear!
