Black Bean Pasta - Mediterranean Style
One of my new favorite finds in the health market is Black Bean Pasta. These black spaghetti like noodles are full of protein: 20.5 grams per serving wrapped up in 187 calories. That's like eating a chicken breast but still getting the joy of eating noodles! I wanted to make something hearty for my husband but still keep it vegan. I searched my refrigerator for a colorful combination of vegetables to bring loads of flavor to my little black noodles.
Ingredients:
- 2 servings of Black Bean Pasta
- Roasted tomatoes: ~2 1/2 cups from my dad's garden this summer*
- 1/2 of large yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- Fresh spinach
- Frozen basil: from my plant
- Fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup red wine: I used a Cab
- 2 red peppers, sliced
Directions:
Heat up a large high sided saute pan to medium or med/low. Add sliced onion and red peppers. Season with pepper and salt (minimal!) Cook until translucent and peppers softened. Meanwhile boil water for noodles. Add black bean noodles to boiling water and cook about 6 minutes. Drain over colander and rinse immediately. Put noodles back into pan to keep warm.
Add chopped garlic to onion/pepper mixture. Cook until lightly brown, only about a minute. Add roasted tomatoes to onion mixture. My tomatoes were frozen and thawed. I had roasted them at the end of the summer to bring out their flavor. Next stir in tomato paste, frozen basil, wine and parsley. Turn the mixture down to a simmer on low heat and cover to let flavors marry and help thicken.
Here is where I sat and enjoyed a glass of the Cab with my husband while watching Modern Family!
Once thickened, add in fresh spinach leaves, black bean noodles and mix together to warm through.
I had chopped shrimp for an additional option. Add fresh parsley to the top. If you like, add fresh parmesean or low-fat mozzarella cheese. This pan makes two large servings. It provides tons of protein and lots of vegetables. Don't feel bad about eating this large serving of pasta! If you have a gluten intolerance, this one is gluten-free so enjoy!
