I don't know about you, but we could literally dive into a bowl of this veggie-loaded lentil pasta. And did we hear pesto? If there's pesto, we're in. This recipe is seriously one of the EASIEST we have on our blog, and it's so so good.
Bare Nutrition is all about finding ways to say yes to all foods. PASTA included (We're Italian, c'mon we practicaly have pasta in our blood). We also are all about finding ways to take comfort foods with virtually no nutritional content (aka starchy, refined carbs) and making them nutritionally dense meals. Exhibit A: this lentil pasta.
Lentil pasta is the best thing since sliced bread. You're replacing empty calories and processed carbs for fiber and protein. And if you get the right lentil pasta, it'll have organic lentils as the only ingredient. You could also do this with chickpea pasta (same rules apply). Trader Joe's has a great, inexpensive lentil pasta as well as Tolerant Foods.
A tip of ours, even when we make lentil pasta, is to volumize it with vegetables. What do we mean by this? Add bulk to the meal with veggies! Toss the pasta together with lots of veggies so that you can have a nice large portion with lots of nutrition without going overboard or feeling super full or bloated. Plus, this is an easy way to get in extra vitamins, minerals, and enzymes!
Ingredients: Serves 2-3
~4 oz lentil pasta (this is about half the package)
1 C sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 C artichoke hearts (marinated or steamed)
2 C baby kale or spinach
1 heaping Tbsp pesto (recipe for our healthy pesto here)
2 tsp olive oil
salt + pepper
garlic powder
crushed red pepper
Instructions:
1. Bring water to a boil.
2. While water boils, saute mushrooms in a separate pan on medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil.
3. Add pasta to boiling water and cook about 8 min or according to package.
4. When pasta is done, strain the water and add all other ingredients, including the mushrooms, and seasonings to taste.
5. Stir everything together until pesto is evenly coated throughout, and enjoy! How easy was that?!
