How tasty is Mexican pasta! There’s no particular reason to call it that way except for the fact that the sauce recipe is very similar to Chili con carne. In fact, most of the ingredients are there: Mexican beans, peppers, spices. The ground meat is missing primarily because this recipe is vegan and also because adding soy mince would really be adding too much protein in my opinion…
And it’s tasty even without mince, trust me. It’s a pasta dish that acts as a complete one-dish meal. I also added arugula to include a vegetable from the cruciferous family, which have many benefits but I won’t list them here otherwise we’ll talk about the recipe another day!
Also, since I tried it, I assure you that Mexican pasta is very good even once cooled down, like a pasta salad, so to speak. Not fridge cold but at room temperature. So if you bring lunch to work, this is an idea for you!
I’ll also leave you some other one-dish pasta ideas before moving on to the recipe:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
For alternative ingredients, read the FAQ at the end of the recipe.
- 5.6 oz pasta
- 7.1 oz red kidney beans (the English name is kidney beans)
- 7.1 oz tomato pulp
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 carrot
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 measuring teaspoons)
- 1 tsp curry
- to taste hot chili pepper
- 3.5 oz arugula
- to taste salt
- Total points = 22 WW points
- Points per serving = 11 WW points
Tools
- Frying pan
- Pot
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Wooden spoon
Steps
Start by preparing all the vegetables: slice the onion thinly, chop the garlic into small pieces (if you want to remove it at the end of cooking, then just in 2 parts), cut the peppers and carrot into cubes.
Pour the 2 teaspoons of oil and the onion into the frying pan. As soon as it starts to fry, lower the heat and add chili pepper and curry. Spices taste better if toasted for a few minutes at the start. If it dries out too much, add a little water.
Add garlic, carrot, and peppers, also a little salt and stir. Cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes, enough time to flavor the vegetables.
Also add the tomato pulp and rinsed and drained beans. Cover and let cook over low heat.
Meanwhile, prepare the pasta. When the pasta is almost cooked, also add the arugula to the frying pan, stir and turn off the heat: it just needs to wilt, not cook. Adjust salt.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it, pour it into the pan with the sauce, and mix well.
Our Mexican pasta is ready! Very colorful and so fragrant!
Truly a meal that fills you up and at few Weight Watchers points. Considering it’s a complete meal, 11 WW points are just right for a meal!
As I said before, this pasta is delicious both served just cooked and at room temperature. So this is an ideal meal to take to work or for a picnic. Give it a try and then let me know if you liked it.
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
I can’t find red beans…
I recommend using red beans that are typically found in Mexican recipes, sometimes you find them with their English name: kidney beans. If you really can’t find them, you can use borlotti beans but the result will be creamy while the red beans stay crunchy when cooked and don’t mush.
I can’t find yellow peppers…
I prefer to use peppers of different colors to create a colorful dish, but common red peppers will do just fine!
I can’t find arugula this season…
Then use spinach which is nutritious even though it’s not a cruciferous. The cooking method will be the same: just 1 minute to wilt them. If you’re more daring, you could use the tender part of kale leaves, letting them cook just a couple of minutes. This way you also have a cruciferous in the dish!
Which type of pasta is more suitable?
The pasta in this diet is always 1 point per 10 g uncooked. You can use whatever pasta you prefer! I usually use whole wheat pasta, and for this dish, I usually choose penne or fusilli. But nothing prevents you from using another type or even gluten-free pasta if you can’t tolerate gluten.
How can it be stored?
If you have leftovers or want to prepare it the day before, put it in a container in the fridge; it will last at least 3 days. But take it out of the fridge a few hours before: in my opinion, it’s better at room temperature than fridge cold. I’m not sure if it can be frozen; aside from lasagna, I never freeze pasta… The sauce, however, can be frozen but without the arugula, which is better added later!
