I shared a quick-and-dirty version of this recipe in my “7 Budget Meals” post from the other day, but I wanted to expand on that because I think this dish really is that good. It will honestly take you a mere 20 minutes to put together and requires little to no skill. Can you boil water? Good.

First of all, let’s talk about “alternative” pastas. I generally consume pastas made with beans, lentils or quinoa rather than those made with enriched flour because they’re lower in carbs/calories and are generally less processed. For example, take the Black Bean Rotini from Trader Joe’s—one serving, 3/4 cup, delivers 200 calories, 35g carbs, 2g sugar and 14g protein. On the flip side, let’s look at Barilla Rotini. A serving of this traditional pasta is 2 oz., or 1/4 cup, so I’l have to multiple the stats x3 to adequately compare it with the black bean pasta. After doing the math, a 3/4 cup serving of Barilla Rotini contains 600 calories, 126g carbs, 3g sugar and 21g protein. That’s real life, folks!

Last night we tried a new brand, Zeroodle, and went with their Black Bean Fettuccine. This is a Canadian brand, which means I had to convert grams to American measurements, so please appreciate the amount of fiddly math involved—for a 3/4 cup serving, this pasta contains 351 calories, 35g carbs, 8g sugar and 40g protein. More sugar and calories than the Trader Joe’s brand, but way more protein! It’s a trade-off, for sure. I’ve noticed that the rotini can get mushy even if you just slightly overcook it, but the fettuccine tends to hold its shape, just FYI.

Enough math. Let’s get to the good stuff: veggies, goat cheese and healthy pasta!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. black bean or lentil pasta

• 1 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed & cut into 1 in. pieces

• ¼ c. olive oil

• 1 T. finely grated lemon peel

• 2 t. tarragon

• 4-5 oz. log soft goat cheese

• Fresh juice from one lemon

• 1/2 t. each of oregano & rosemary

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• Frozen peas

• 1 head broccoli, chopped

STEPS

1) Cook pasta until it’s almost tender, about three minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about two or three minutes. Drain together.

2) Meanwhile, cook the peas and roast the broccoli in the oven with oregano, rosemary, olive oil and garlic.

3) In a bowl, combine additional olive oil, lemon peel, tarragon, lemon juice and goat cheese. Add hot pasta and asparagus + peas. Toss and season generously with salt and pepper. Top with broccoli.