Italian cuisines edition
Please see the sodium reduction strategies listed below based on Italian cuisines. These strategies can be used the next time you make homemade pizza or pasta.
- Use less cheese on pizzas and pasta.
- Make pasta sauces from scratch, using no salt added or low sodium ingredients.
- Add more vegetables to your pasta dishes.
- Use less salt when making pizza dough.
- Season with fresh or dried herbs and spices rather than salt.
- Use lower sodium ingredients for pizza toppings, such as fresh mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, asparagus, garlic, pineapple, fresh jalapeno pepper, fresh bell peppers, spinach, onion, grilled chicken, and basil.
- Try adding fresh sliced tomatoes, red onion, zucchini, summer squash, and fresh garlic to upgrade the traditional vegetarian pizza.
- Limit high sodium ingredients, including anchovies, olives, capers, pepperoni, salami, bacon, sausage, ham, canned mushrooms, or artichokes.
- Purchase fresh vegetables at your local farmers market. Try adding fresh sliced tomatoes, red onion, zucchini, summer squash, and fresh garlic to upgrade the traditional vegetarian pizza.
Try this salt free Italian seasoning blend below that can be added to a tomato sauce or used in pasta dishes.
- 1 cup dried oregano
- 1 cup dried basil
- 1/2 cup onion powder
- 1/2 cup dried thyme
- 1/2 cup garlic powder
- 1/2 cup black pepper
Shakera Williams, M.P.H., Assistant Nutrition Extension Agent-General & SNAP-Ed Nutrition
Webster/Claiborne Parishes, Office: (318) 371-1371
https://www.facebook.com/WebsterClaiborneNutrition