Hello friends – I am so excited that our family is getting back into the tradition of our “Meatless Monday” dinners! In case you haven’t followed our veggie dinner journey in the past, there are a few reasons we decided on this. For one, my hubby and I have agreed that our bodies feel better when we do a few lighter vegetarian dinners a week. Also, in our quest to live a more sustainable lifestyle, cutting back on meat consumption is one significant thing we can do to help reduce our carbon footprint.
To some, subbing meat out of meals sounds like a diet change that will leave them hungry or unsatisfied. However, that really is only true if you are not adding enough protein or fiber. My hubby is a very hungry guy and would NEVER partake in this idea if it left his tummy grumbling! So to appease his appetite we always make sure to work in lots of beans and legumes in lieu of meat and it seems to do the trick.
That is one reason we are loving these Banza Chickpea Noodles! An average wheat-based pasta has only 13 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber, where these Banza noodles come in at 25 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber! On top of that, they are gluten-free, vegan and have almost half the carbs so they really tick a lot of boxes when it comes to specialized dietary needs. With all this extra protein and fiber since they are bean-based they really do a great job filling us up, and I think the consistency is great… not one of those foods where it is trying to be something and isn’t able to accomplish that. They are a little more expensive – around $3.50 to $5 a box. I get mine on Amazon in bundles to save a little cash using my free Prime shipping.
Anyways, on to the recipe!
Not only do I love this because it is a nice fresh and healthy vegetarian dinner, but it also is a super quick one to throw together too. You of course can opt for large diced tomatoes, diced mozzarella, etc. but then that is lots of slicing on your part. With the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls you can just throw those bad boys in whole and skip any prep work! Realistically I think this dinner can be thrown together in 10-15 minutes. All you need to do is toss your ingredients in a bowl and mix in the pasta once it is cooked. The other thing I like about this recipe is you can serve it hot or cold. I think it makes a nice cold pasta salad in summer, but if you prefer it as a hot dinner just rinse your noodles with warm water instead of cold and the heat will melt the mozzarella a little when you stir it all together.
Ingredients:
-8oz box of Banza Chickpea Noodles (feel free to sub in any noodle here)
-1 package (approx 2.5 grams) fresh mozzarella pearls
-1 pint cherry tomatoes
-4oz fresh basil, chopped
-14oz (one can) of quartered artichoke hearts
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
-1/2 tsp ground pepper (or to taste)
-1/2 tsp garlic powder(or to taste)
-drizzle of balsamic
Directions:
Set water to boil for the pasta. Follow directions on the pasta package for cooking.
While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice your basil. In a large service dish combine all ingredients.
Strain your pasta and rinse quickly with cool water. Be sure to strain all extra water out, and toss your pasta in the serving dish. Toss and either serve immediately hot or refrigerate and serve later as a cool.
Super easy!
Just a disclaimer, with my seasonings I say ‘to taste’ just because I think those are the minimum amounts of the ingredients to use. However I don’t want to scare anyone off with over seasoning (I REALLY like garlic), and with the garlic powder I likely use more than that. However if you are not a garlic fan fell free to omit!
Be sure to pin so you can look back on this recipe for one of your veggie nights, or a time where you are searching for an easy meal to throw together. Enjoy!
X.O. – Abbey Co.
*Disclaimer* I am an Amazon affiliate and get a tiny kickback if you purchase anything from my links… I only share things that I use and love, and it is just a small avenue for me to earn money to support my blog as I go.
OMG i can totally get on board with meatless monday’s, i love that! & this looks absolutely spectacular YUMMMM, gotta try this 🙌🏻
This looks soo good. Thank you for sharing this with us 🙂