High Protein Pumpkin Pasta
A creamy, high-protein pasta made with pumpkin, lentils, and edamame. Perfect for a nutritious meal prep or a quick dinner.
Servings
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dry split red lentils
- 1 medium yellow onions chopped into quarters
- 1 cup butternut squash or pumpkin cubed
- 2 tbsp cashews
- 6.4 oz dry pasta wholemeal preferred
- ¾ cup shelled frozen edamame or substitute for frozen peas
- ⅔ cup soy milk
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 0.5 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp onion flakes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp harissa paste sub for 2 tbsp tomato puree for a non spicy option
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- sea salt flakes to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
To Serve
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 cups arugula
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear.
- Add the onion, pumpkin, cashews, and red lentils to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, until the pumpkin is fork-tender. Drain the water and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the packet instructions. Add the edamame (or peas) to the boiling water in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water. Drain.
- Transfer the cooked onions, pumpkin, cashews, and lentils to a blender with soy milk, nutritional yeast, paprika, onion granules, harissa, tomato paste, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Blend on high speed until perfectly smooth.
- Transfer the sauce to a large pan (big enough to contain both the sauce and pasta), and cook for 5 minutes on medium to low heat, stirring regularly.
- Add the pasta, edamame, and reserved pasta water. Stir well to coat, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, top with parsley, and rocket and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Harissa Paste: Harissa is a North African red chile paste. It's delicious and spicy. Many people in the community have tried it for the first time from our recipes and now use it regularly, so if it's available to you (probably located in the spices or international aisle of your supermarket), give it a try.
The nutritional information has been calculated using whole wheat pasta, edamame, and soy milk.
Nutritional Information - Per Serving
Calories 693kcal | Carbohydrates 96g | Protein 37g | Fat 12g | Sodium 201mg | Fiber 22g | Vitamin A 968IU | Vitamin C 78mg | Calcium 267mg | Iron 7mg