Hidden Veggie Pasta

Have you ever wished, halfway through your second heaping bowl, that pasta was good for you? Well this pasta actually is! Packed with six different veggies and 20 grams of protein (per serving!), this is guilt-free pasta at its best! Like with any recipe, I encourage you to tweak the ingredients to meet your needs and preferences. Key in this recipe is the Banza pasta. Banza makes their pasta noodles out of chickpeas, helping you sneak in that sixth veggie and accounting for half of the protein in this meal. While you can use any brand and kind of pasta, and certainly should use up what you have on hand first, the nutritional perks of this dish will be diminished some if you opt for a traditional, wheat-based pasta.

With that said, let's get cookin'!

Ingredients:

1 Butternut Squash

1 cup Cherry Tomatoes

1 Pepper

3-4 large Carrots

1-2 cups Veg of Choice (in this case I used cauliflower, but you can use zucchini, broccoli, or mix and match any combination of stout veg you have on hand)

1 Onion

1 head Garlic

1 cup Milk of Choice (I used Good Karma's Flaxmilk+protein) or Vegetable Broth to get even more veggies (your sauce just won't end up as creamy)

1-2 boxes Banza Noodles (I used Gemelli and Rotini made from chickpeas—it's what I had in my pantry, but you can use whatever you want)

1 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Sage

1 tsp Fennel

1 tsp Chili Flakes (to taste)

1 tbs Nutritional Yeast (my favourite brand)

1 handful Mozzarella Pearls (optional)

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 380°F (193°C).

2) Prepare the listed veg and place in a baking dish or on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Make sure that, to the best of your abilities, the veg is only a single layer thick. This will help decrease your roasting time.

3) Sprinkle all spices (not the nutritional yeast) over veg and drizzle the whole thing with olive oil. If using a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil.

4) Roast for 1 hour or until the veg is golden and soft and the garlic can be squeezed out of its sheathing leaves by hand.

5) While your veg roasts, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles based on package directions (usually 5-10 minutes). Drain noodles and return to the now-empty pot (off the heat).

6) Once your veg is cool enough to handle, combine with the milk/vegetable broth and nutritional yeast in a blender and blend until smooth. Some chunks are okay. Add more milk as you blend for a creamier texture.

7) Once your sauce is blended to a texture of your liking, combine with the noodles in a pot over low to medium heat. Stir to cover the noodles completely with the sauce. If using mozzarella pearls, add them in here and stir occasionally until the mozzarella is melted.

8) Serve up and enjoy with the knowledge that you're getting six veggies and plenty of protein. Pairs well with sparkling apple cider or your favourite wine.

9) Go back for guilt-free seconds. 😉

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe and what you think of it. I'd love to know what tweaks you made to make it your own.

Looking for more recipes like this one? Check out my other recipes here.

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With love, flavor, and antics.