This High Protein Lemon Pasta with Peas, Fennel, Toasted Hazelnuts and just a splash of white wine is a nutritious entree that is ready in 20 minutes. Made with red lentil penne, it packs 16 grams of protein per serving and a whole lot of flavor!
Holiday meals usually have two things in common:
- Yum factor
- Heaviness/decadence/not-exactly-healthy factor
Wouldn't it be great if you could have #1, without #2?
Enter 20 Minute High Protein Lemon Pasta.
A simple dish, that is full of flavor, satisfying and nutritious all at the same time! Packed with protein and fiber, bright an fresh, but still a great addition to any Holiday table. You can serve it along your other side dishes, or as a main meatless entree during Thanksgiving.
This high protein lemon pasta is made with Explore Cuisine Red Lentil Penne. It's one of our go to pastas, because:
- It's ready in no time
- Has 11 grams of plant based protein per serving
- It's gluten free, so anyone can enjoy it
- It's made with clean, organic ingredients
- It's incredibly filling and tastes great!
As for the vegetables, we went with fennel because 1) it's in season and 2) we love the slight sweetness it adds to the dish. When eaten raw, fennel is crisp and has a strong licorice flavor. But once it's cooked, it turns soft and almost buttery, and that strong flavor pretty much disappears. Make sure to pick one with a large bulb, and remove the fronds before slicing it. But don't discard them! They are great to flavor soups and stocks, and you can even make pesto with them. Steep them in hot water for a licorice flavored tea!
Chop some extra fennel and keep it in the refrigerator for some guilt free snacking when you're craving something crunchy.You can also use it to make:
- Braised Fennel with Apricots & Figs
- Fennel & Chickpeas Provençal
- Pickled Fennel & Carrots
- Fennel, Blood Orange & Hazelnut Salad
Freshly squeezed lemon juice ( don't use the bottled stuff, it just doesn't taste the same!) and a splash of white wine keep this dish bright and fresh; peas add a pop of color and a nice texture constrast.
Enjoy!
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Print20 Minute High Protein Lemon Pasta
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
Description
This High Protein Lemon Pasta with Peas, Fennel, Toasted Hazelnuts and just a splash of white wine is a nutritious entree that is ready in 20 minutes. Made with red lentil penne, it packs 16 grams of protein per serving and a whole lot of flavor!
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz pack Explore Cuisine Organic Red Lentil Penne
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 fennel bulb, diced small (about 1 ½ cups diced)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas, rinsed in cold water and drained
- ⅓ cup white wine
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp oregano
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- The zest of one lemon
Instructions
- Cook the red lentil pasta following the package instructions and drain well
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add the fennel and salt and cook over medium high heat for about 7 minutes or until it starts to caramelize
- Add the peas, white wine, lemon, oregano and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pasta and toss well. Top with hazelnuts, parsley and lemon zest right before serving
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 12
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 5.5
- Sodium: 673
- Fat: 8.3
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 7
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 49
- Fiber: 8.4
- Protein: 16
- Cholesterol: 0
Raquel says
I loving using high protein pasta, but I am so sick of pasta and tomato sauce, this is a great new and creative way to eat pasta! Thank you!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
You're welcome! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Maria says
I don’t usually write on websites, but this was so good! All the textures combined, white wine and xesty lemon! Just perfect all around. I used regular gluten free pasta and worked very well. Just goes to show food doesn’t have to be hard to make or complicated for that “Wow!” effect.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much Maria. We are so glad this recipe was such a success!
Emmy says
Made this tonight and I loved the flavors. The lemon, fennel, and lemon zest really brighten the flavor of the dish perfectly. Plus it was quick to make. Hardly any clean up.
The only substitution I made was dry cooking sherry instead of white wine (only cuz that’s what I had available).
My only issue with making the meal was with the red lentil pasta sticking together. It was my first time cooking with it and I found that the noodles all clumped together even though I added olive oil into the boiling water. I guess I over cooked the noddles and will try again. In the meantime, you have any advice?
Thank you for sharing. Will make again!!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much Emmy. We are so happy you enjoyed our lemon pasta.
Sandy says
We had to make a few substitutions for seasonality and allergies. But this is great! We swapped fennel for a mix of onion and chopped spinach, apple juice for the wine, and sunflower seeds for the hazelnuts. But I think we kept the spirit of the dish. We served it with a side of tuna for a light Mediterranean style lunch.
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Love your substitutions, thank you for sharing them with us.