Pasta Primavera is a smart dish to encourage more vegetable intake, without feeling like you’re eating a bunch of vegetables😉 It’s a scrumptious sauce with lots and lots of fresh veggies, and I encourage you to use whatever you may have on hand. Lentil pasta and cannellini beans up the protein significantly. I serve this Pasta Primavera over fresh zucchini noodles to add even more vegetables and bulk to my pasta portion.
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
What (your ingredients):
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 head broccolette, diced
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Pinch of paprika
Pinch of salt
2 handfuls kale, chopped
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar marinara sauce (I used a rich tomato sauce with Barolo wine)
12 oz. lentil Sedanini pasta (or any short pasta shape)
3 zucchini, spiralized
How (your directions):
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add red onion, bell pepper, broccolette, Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt. Stir and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add chopped kale and sauté for 2 minutes.
Stir in cannellini beans and marinara sauce. Heat through while pasta cooks, about 5-6 minutes.
Drain pasta and add to primavera sauce.
In each pasta bowl, place several curls of spiralized zucchini. Ladle pasta and primavera sauce over fresh zucchini noodles.
Enjoy!
Why (the science): Lentil pasta is high in protein (13 grams protein per serving!) which makes it a nutritious way to enjoy pasta and reach satiety sooner than you would with a white pasta.