Isn’t it the best when you find an easy and quick recipe that is nutritious and packed with protein? It just makes life so much easier as you add it into your meal rotation and have a tasty dinner that you can look forward to without a crazy amount of work. If you haven’t figured it out yet, this is one of those recipes!
This creamy, protein packed, sun-dried tomato pasta can be made in just thirty minutes and is a crowd pleaser for everyone. If you’re looking for more great weeknight dinners that won’t have you laboring over the stove or taking up too much of your night, this is the one to try. It’s nutritious, delicious, and comes packed with about 33 grams of protein per serving.
Meal Prep?
You could definitely try meal prepping this pasta! It makes 4 servings so it would be close to enough for an entire week of lunches and you could double it if need be. I will say, sometimes it can be tricky to make pastas in larger batches as the sauce doesn’t always seem to come out the same, but do what works for you! This pasta is best when consumed warm so I would recommend reheating it before eating it throughout the week.
What Equipment Do I Need?
- Large Sauce Pan
- High Speed Blender or Food Processor
- Garlic Press – optional as you could dice it instead
- Cutting Board & Knife
- Can Opener
- Large Pasta Pot
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Wooden Spatula
Ingredients
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Oil
- Large Eggplant
- Baby Spinach
- Fresh Basil
- Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
- Raw Whole Cashews
- Garlic Cloves
- Yellow Onion
- Canned White Beans
- Banza Cavatappi Chickpea Pasta
- Tomato Paste
Substitutions
- Garlic Cloves – Feel free to use minced garlic or garlic powder instead.
- Chickpea Pasta – You can make this with lentil pasta or regular gluten free pasta instead. However, if you use regular gluten free pasta, you’ll miss out on a lot of the protein!
Recipe Tips
- This pasta is best served when warm. I’ve topped it with some plant based cheese and gluten free breadcrumbs before and it adds some great texture and flavor!
- If you’re looking to add even more protein to this dish, you can finely grind up some cashews with nutritional yeast and sprinkle this mixture on top.
Recipe
Protein Packed Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz sun dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 large eggplant
- 5 oz baby spinach
- 1 cup basil
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup whole raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 15.5 oz can of white beans
- 2 boxes Banza cavatappi chickpea pasta
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
Instructions
- Heat 2 cups of water in the microwave for 4 minutes. Soak the cashews in this for 15 minutes.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Dice the onion and add it to a large sauce pan on medium heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
- Use a garlic press to press the garlic into the sauce pan or dice it. Sauté until onions are soft and mixture is fragrant.
- Dice the eggplant and add it to the saucepan. Cook until softened with lid on for about 5 minutes. Halfway through, add the sun-dried tomatoes to the pan – don’t pour it in, you don’t want all of the oil, use a fork to remove the tomatoes from the jar.
- While that’s cooking, drain the cashews and add them to a high speed blender or food processor with the 1/2 cup of water. Blend until smooth. Add an extra 1/4 cup of water if needed to create a smoother cashew cream.
- Add the tomato paste to the pan and mix it in. Then, add the vegetable broth. Put the lid on and cook for two minutes.
- Pour the cashew cream into the pan and mix it in.
- Drain and rinse the can of white beans – add them to the pan. Mix in the basil and spinach until softened.
- Pour the cooked pasta into the pan and stir until it’s covered in sauce.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
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