I love big giant bowls of pasta as much as the next person. There’s something so comforting about a giant bowl of carbs, however, it’s not the most nutritionally balanced meals. Everyone knows how to cook pasta, so a fault new-vegetarians run into is only knowing how to make pasta, so they end up feeling weak due to the lack of protein. Even though I’ve gotten considerably better at incorporating protein into vegan meals, sometimes I just want pasta for lunch and that’s okay too. This protein-packed meat-free pasta will save your poor, culinary challenged ass!
What you need:
- Chickpea pasta
- Wholewheat pasta
- Pesto of choice
- Mixed peppers
- Spinach
- Sweetcorn
- Sunflower seeds
I make a single portion with 20grams of chickpea pasta to 80 grams of wholewheat pasta. Around 1/4 jar of pesto per person, half a tablespoon of sunflower seeds per person, and a good serving of veggies & spinach.
Method
Regular pasta takes 10 minutes to cook, chickpea pasta takes 9 so you have to time this recipe well. Boil your water with your wholewheat pasta, once it starts bubbling bring it down to a simmer and add the chickpea pasta.
In the meantime, start cutting up your peppers, and any other veggies you might want to add. If you use frozen sweetcorn like me, add it to the pasta a minute or two before it’s finished cooking to defrost it. You’re more than welcome to boil the peppers, but personally, I prefer to leave them raw because raw veggies pack an extra nutritional punch.
Once 9-minutes are up, drain the water from the pasta then add your pesto, veggies, and sunflower seeds. I’m not going to give an exact measure of things because it’s entirely up to you, but I recommend a 1:4 ratio of chickpea pasta to brown pasta.
Be warned that chickpea pasta tastes nothing like wheat pasta, so you will be grateful for the pasta which covers the taste so well, it blends perfectly with the brown pasta.
There we have it! This protein-packed, meat-free pasta is so simple but comforting!
Chickpeas are such a staple in vegan and vegetarian diets, so you might also enjoy these spicy crunchy chickpeas.
What do you think of this protein-packed, meat-free pasta? Will you be trying it? Do you prefer red pesto or green pesto?
I’d love to DIY pesto someday, but for now, store-bought will do!
Nutritional Breakdown
The exact breakdown of this meat-free protein pasta will depend on what pesto you use, and your ratio of chickpea pasta to brown pasta, but it should roughly fall close enough to the breakdown of mine which is below:
| PER SERVING | |
|---|---|
| Calories | 593 |
| Fat | 20 g |
| Carbohydrate | 73g |
| Fibre | 13g |
| Protein | 18g |
| Salt | 2012mg |
Reader Comments
I had no idea that chickpea pasta even existed! I love chickpeas so I imagine the pasta would be something I’d really enjoy too. Thanks for sharing! X
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
I’m not vegetarian or vegan but we are trying to reduce our meat consumption (except for Sunday roasts) so if we can find any chickpea pasta this is one we’ll be trying for sure. It looks delicious, thank you for sharing 🙂 x
This looks absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing
Sounds like a great option! I just discovered chickpea pasta not that long ago. It’s such a great way to incorporate some of our nutritional needs while also giving in a little to our guilty pleasures (I’m a pasta lover too). Thank you for sharing!
Yum, this looks delicious! I love that it’s also healthy and packed full of protein. Thank you for sharing!
This pasta looks delicious and seems straightforward enough to make!!!! Thanks for sharing.
Holly x
http://www.adailydoseofholly.com
This dish sounds lovely! Whether I prefer red or green pesto depends on the kind of pasta I have. I’m not a fan of chickpea pasta and can’t eat wheat but I’d love to try this dish with pea or lentil pasta x
Sophie
Ok, so this was super helpful, as I’ve been struggling with new recipes and maintaining my plant-based diet! Thank you!
Even though I’m a 100% confirmed, meat-loving T-Rex in human form, this dish looks good to me.