High Protein Pasta
A creamy, nutrient-dense pasta dish with up to 25 grams of protein per serving that comes together in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 ounce high protein pasta chickpea- or lentil-based
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt for boiling water
Sauce & Add-Ins
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 0.5 pound lean ground turkey
- 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
- 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes with juices
- 1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 0.25 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 0.25 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
Pasta
- Bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil; season with salt. Stir in pasta and cook 8–10 minutes until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water and drain.
Sauce & Add-Ins
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add turkey, salt, and pepper; cook 5–6 minutes, breaking up meat, until no longer pink.
- Add onion and garlic; cook 2–3 minutes until fragrant and translucent.
- Stir in tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes; simmer 4–5 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Add pasta, spinach, and reserved pasta water; toss until spinach wilts and sauce coats pasta, about 1–2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan. Serve garnished with fresh basil if desired.
Notes
Prep Note: I weighed the pasta precisely on my scale to ensure each batch hit the right protein count and cooked evenly.
Cooking Note: During testing, keeping the skillet at a steady medium-high heat maintained a gentle bubbling that produced a glossy, cohesive sauce.
Storage Note: After refrigeration, the sauce thickened significantly; I found that stirring in a splash of broth when reheating revived the creamy texture without extra effort.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 36g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!