Delicious High Protein Pastas and Vegan Sauces

Pasta made from red lentils, mung beans, fava beans, and edamame??? Yes - and they are delicious. 

I want to share some of the wonderful high protein pastas that I received from a company called Explore Cuisine. 

 

Don't they look amazing?  AND they are!! 

Part of the fun of being a blogger is being asked to review books and products. I received 5 boxes of this new high protein pasta. 

I tried the fava bean fusilli and the red lentil pasta first. I enjoyed them both. 

I have always loved pasta (who hasn't? ) but as an adult, I usually have avoided it because it is low in protein and low in fiber. In addition, many pastas that are gluten -free often get gooey and gummy. That was not my experience with these pastas. 

I was pleased to see the high amount of both fiber and protein in each of these Explore Cuisine boxes. In addition, these pastas are organic and gluten-free -another big plus for me!

After trying all five boxes that they sent me, I decided that fava bean fusilli tastes and looks like most like regular pasta. This is good news because I often make pasta for my grandkids and they are FUSSY. The fava been fusilli meets my grandkid's taste standards and my standards for both taste, fiber, protein, and nutrients.

The fava bean fusilli provides 25 grams of protein per 3.5 ounce serving. That is amazing! Certainly enough protein for any meal. The red lentil pasta has the least protein with 12 grams which is still a significant amount of protein considering the following guidelines (always check with your doctor to be sure of your own needs)

General Protein Needs

1-3 year olds need about 13 grams of protein per day

4-5 year olds need about 19 grams of protein per day

6-13 year olds need about 20-35 grams of protein per day depending on their weight and height

Adult females need about 46 grams of protein per day depending on their weight and height

Adult males need about 56 grams of protein per day depending on their weight and height.

I know that my daughter-in-laws are always concerned about the grandkids eating enough protein. These delicious pastas are a mother's dream come true. 

Perhaps you are trying to cut back on meat and other animal products. High protein pasta is a great choice! 

I'm really enjoying these Explore Cuisine healthy high protein bean pastas. 

I live in South Florida and I haven't seen them in my local markets, but I have seen them in my local Costco. 

Creamy Almond Tomato Sauce 

Ingredients : 

2 cups of red lentil penne pasta, cooked according to the directions on the box and set aside.

1 clove of fresh garlic

1/2 cup of basil

3/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, all liquid drained

2/3 cup of blanched almonds

3 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 and half cups of nut milk

 

Directions: 

Add garlic and fresh basil to a food processor and process until chopped ( adding a tablespoon of water if needed). Add sun dried tomatoes, almonds, tomato paste and continue to process adding small amounts of nut milk to begin to get a saucy consistency. Toss into the pasta for a wonderful plant-based dinner.

Try some of my other delicious sauces

Eggplant Sauce for Pasta

Marinated Cherry Tomato Sauce for Pasta 

Cashew Basil Cream Sauce 

Creamy Vegan Alfredo Sauce

Disclaimer: Although I was provided with the products all thoughts in the review are my own.

NOTES: 

The 5 pastas that I reviewed meet gluten-free standards