You’ll Never Guess the Ingredient that Makes This Pasta Recipe So Healthy

Lean, green, and packed with protein, this pasta bowl will be your new post-workout go-to.

The pasta I use for this recipe is made out of chickpeas, making it packed with fiber (which I love!). Plus, this bowl is filled with veggies and other sources of protein, to keep your body running top notch, even after a tough gym sesh. 

This recipe is not only nutritionally A+, it’s also super versatile. Want to make it light? Use a little less pasta and more grilled veggies and spinach. Want to make it simpler and/or cheaper? Buy a frozen mix of peppers and onion and some pre-cooked chicken (personally, I’m a fan of Trader Joe’s balsamic chicken). You can also replace Eat Banza with the usual whole grain pasta (to reduce cost).

This dish also tastes great as leftovers, so feel free to double the recipe and pack some for lunch tomorrow!

Time: 30-40 minutes

When to eat it: Dinner, lunch 

Perks: High protein, high fiber, gluten free, can be made vegetarian/vegan, meal for one, perfect post-workout meal, vitamin packed 

Sh*t You Need:

Eat Banza chickpea pasta shells (I love these for the fiber)
1/4 of a red bell pepper
1/4 of a green bell pepper
1/4 of a white onion
1/4 cup black beans
4 cherry tomatoes
Spinach
Fresh basil
Garlic salt
Ground pepper
Olive oil
Optional: 3 oz chicken breast. You can also make this vegan/vegetarian by omitting the chicken or replacing it with tofu/tempeh, which would taste great with this dish.

Small pan with lid
Small pot
Colander

The Recipe:

1. If making with chicken breast, start by grilling it in a pan. I use a little olive oil spray and garlic salt in the pan to add flavor. 

2. After 5 minutes, spray the chicken with olive oil spray (or drizzle with 1 tsp. olive oil) and cover the chicken with pan lid to make it moist. Check every few minutes and keep cooking until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Cut into strips.

3. Time to slice and dice. Grab your red and green bell peppers, onion, and tomato. Cut peppers into thin strips and onion into small cubes. Dice tomato into small chunks. 

4. Separate the tomato into a bowl and add fresh basil, a pinch of garlic salt, and ground pepper to your liking. Add a dash of olive oil to the mixture.

5. Put a pot of water on to bring to a boil.

6. In a separate pan sprayed with olive oil spray (or olive oil, Pam, etc.), add your peppers and onions, cooking them on medium heat till they get a little crispy (this should take around 10 minutes). 

7. When the peppers/onions are almost done throw in a handful of spinach, spraying with some more olive oil spray, and continue cooking the vegetables until the spinach is wilted (just takes a minute).

8. Once the water in your pan is boiling, add your Eat Banza pasta (or other pasta). I usually make enough for one serving.

9. Open the can of black beans, drain, and rinse. Measure out 1/4 cup.

10. Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain and put on the bottom of your plate. Layer on your peppers and onions, black beans, tomato mix, and chicken on top. You can also add a drizzle of olive oil to your pasta if you'd like. However, I found it flavorful enough without it! 

 

A photo posted by Nicole on Mar 31, 2016 at 3:19pm PDT

Recipe was contributed by Nicole VanNostrand (Buffalo School of Pharmacy). Check out her blog and  for more. 

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