Pasta is one of the world’s most beloved comfort foods, and for good reason. There is nothing quite like indulging in a bowl of noodles, topped with a savory sauce! This recipe reimagines the traditional, carb-laden pasta and folds in the nutrition found in lentils, white beans, and broccoli to create a dish your family will love, with nutrients that love them back.
If you have never tried lentil pasta, get ready for a treat! Unlike traditional pastas, which can cause a spike in your blood sugar that leads to an energy crash, lentil pasta has excellent fiber content and protein to keep your blood sugar steady. This pasta comes in many different shapes and can be found in most grocery stores. (Hint: Check the gluten free section!)
You can experiment with different pasta shapes to see which you like best. I recommend rotini here, because each tight spiral shape grabs on to lots of savory sauce.
This recipe swaps traditional wheat pasta for a lentil-based type and coconut milk for butter or cream.
Ingredients
- 1 box red lentil rotini
- 2 cups broccoli
- 1 cup diced onion
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ can (4 ounces) white beans
- 1 can (8 ounces) coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Plant-based parmesan cheese, to taste
Preparation
In a large pot, bring 4-6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add salt to taste.
When water is boiling, add the rotini pasta and let boil until tender (7-9 minutes).
In a large saucepan, add avocado oil and minced garlic. Cook over high heat for 3 minutes.
Add white onion to the saucepan and cook until the onion is transparent (around 7 minutes).
Add coconut milk, salt, black pepper, red pepper, nutritional yeast, and white beans to the saucepan. Reduce the saucepan to low to medium heat and cook for 7-9 minutes.
While the sauce is cooking, steam the broccoli. Place ¼ cup water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. When water is boiling, add the broccoli. Cover the pan and let the broccoli cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add pasta to the saucepan, and add the broccoli, carefully mixing all the ingredients together.
Top with parmesan cheese if desired.
Benefits
- White beans and lentils are excellent sources of protein and fiber. Protein helps the body build healthy cells and repair damaged ones. Fiber aids in the digestive process and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. In contrast, wheat pasta raises your blood sugar more sharply and digests faster.
- White beans and lentils are both legumes, which are considered complementary proteins. This means that they contain some of the amino acids essential for life, and when combined with other proteins, they help build essential amino acids.
- White beans are high in polyphenol antioxidants, which help protect against several chronic illnesses, including heart disease and some cancers. They are also a good source of iron, which is essential for the body to transport and store oxygen.
- Coconut milk is made from the flesh of mature brown coconuts. It is used in many traditional cuisines around the world, and it is a source of healthy fat. In fact, 93% of its calories come from fat, including a special kind of saturated fats known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Unlike longer fat chain fats, MCTs go from the digestive tract directly to the liver, where they are used for energy or ketone production. Coconut milk has shown promise in improving cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
