Protein Packed Thai Pasta Bowl

Protein Pasta

I know this protein-packed thai pasta bowl will be a saviour for all of you looking for more easy, nutritious, plant-based weekday meals. It comes together easily, is comforting and budget-friendly (something I have been trying to keep too!). 

Have you tried chickpea or legume pasta? There are so many options out there for those of you looking to reduce your gluten intake and up your plant-based protein all in one go. Plus they are much more readily available to us…you can even find it at Costco now:) But the nice thing about this recipe is it works with whatever pasta you have on hand. I still love brown rice pasta and it tastes amazing with the red curry peanut sauce as well.

The one thing I want to encourage all of you to get on board with is making your own sauces. It saves money, plastic bottles, and is much healthier. Most store-bought sauces use canola oil, a ton of sodium and sugar in their sauces. My red curry peanut sauce is so healthy you could drink it. It adds to the nutrients of the meal in a major way so load it on:)

WHAT YOU NEED

  • 1/2  small red cabbage
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 red pepper
  • 3 carrots, shredded
  • 1 head of broccoli
  • 3 green onions
  • a small amount of cilantro
  • ginger
  • garlic
  • Chickpea pasta (1 box or double the recipe and do 2) or any kind of pasta works

FOR THE RED CURRY PEANUT DRESSING

  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tbsp of red curry paste
  • 1 numb of ginger
  • juice of one lime
  • 1 tbsp of sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1-2 tbsp of maple syrup
  • water to thin out if needed.

WHAT TO DO

  1. Chop all the veggies and bring a pot of water to boil.
  2. Heat some sesame oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and start to saute until fragrant and soft.
  3. Add the cabbage, onion and carrots and continue to saute on medium heat.
  4. While veggies are cooking, make your dressing by adding everything to your high-speed blender. Add splashes of water if you find it too thick.
  5. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water and add the pasta to the veggies and drizzle the sauce on top. You may turn off the heat and allow the flavours to marry.
  6. Garnish with green onion and/or cilantro.
  7. VOILA

This is a family friendly meal that packs a punch of protein and fibre from the chickpea pasta and a ton of veggies and healthy herbs and spices. I always double my recipe so we have lots of leftovers for the week.