Whole Wheat Hummus Pasta

Pasta is always a good dish to make when you are looking for something nutritious and quick. It is probably one of my favorite foods and I don't eat it nearly enough! I know some people might get all in a huff about pasta due to the carbs because for some reason people think carbs are bad? You need carbs in order to be active. Carbs=energy! If I didn't eat carbs I'm fairly certain I would pass out on a daily basis and to me, that does not sound like a very good time.

Make it a goal to get in a serving of carbs at each meal. Select whole grain options such as oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, and whole wheat pastas. Whole grain carbs provide substantial amounts of fiber and have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. There is a slew of health benefits associated with whole grains, which you can learn about here. 

Back to the pasta. 

The other evening I was looking to make something quick and stumbled upon a bag of Whole Food's organic 365 brand whole wheat pasta in my pantry. I decided to throw a serving in a pot and as I waited for the pasta to cook, I searched the rest of my pantry and fridge for suitable toppings and sauces. Pesto and marinara are always great choices but on this particular night, I wanted something a bit different. I spied a tub of Tribe sweet roasted red pepper hummus and decided it would make an excellent substitution. I also grabbed a bag of Eden Organic spicy pumpkin seeds, some nutritional yeast, and a bag of spinach. Once the pasta was ready, I drained the water and immediately placed a big handful of spinach into the pot with the hot pasta, allowing it to wilt a bit. Then, I added about a tablespoon of the hummus and mixed it all together. I placed the mixture into a bowl and topped it with the pumpkin seeds and nutritional yeast. With this dish you have good fats from the hummus and pumpkin seeds, fiber from the whole wheat pasta, and tons of vitamins and nutrients from the spinach and nutritional yeast. 

This was a really delicious meal and even better, it took only about 15 minutes to put together. This will be going in my recipe rotation for sure! 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups (dry) whole wheat pasta (any style works)
• 1 tbsp of hummus
• handful organic spinach
• sprinkle of pumpkin seeds
• sprinkle of nutritional yeast

Directions

1. bring water to a boil, add pasta, cook for 10-12 min
2. drain pasta, put back into pot and add spinach (stove is off at this point)
3. add hummus and mix
4. plate and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and nutritional yeast

A great, simple recipe made from nutritious, whole foods. Definitely a winner in my book.

Question of the day: What is your favorite pasta dish?

Be Well,

Ashleigh