How good is Mexican pasta! There’s no particular reason to call it that except that the recipe for the sauce is very similar to Chili con carne. In fact, almost all the ingredients are the same: kidney beans, bell peppers, spices. The ground meat is missing primarily because this recipe is vegan, and also because adding textured soy would, in my opinion, make it a bit too protein-heavy…
And it’s tasty even without ground meat, trust me. It’s a pasta dish that serves as a complete one-dish meal. I also added arugula to include a cruciferous-family vegetable, which has many benefits, but I won’t list them here or we’d be talking about that instead of the recipe!
Also, from my tests, I can assure you that Mexican pasta is very good even once cooled, like a pasta salad. Not straight from the fridge, but at room temperature. So if you bring lunch to work, this is a great idea for you.
I’ll leave you a few other one-dish pasta ideas before the recipe:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
For alternative ingredients, read the FAQ at the end of the recipe.
- 6 oz pasta
- 7 oz red kidney beans (the English name is kidney beans)
- 1 cup 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
- 4 cups arugula
- to taste salt
- Total points = 22 WW points
- Points per serving = 11 WW points
Tools
- Knife
- Pan
- Pot
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, just cut it in half), and dice the bell peppers and carrot.
Pour 2 teaspoons of oil into the pan and add the onion. As soon as it starts to sauté, lower the heat and add chili and curry. Spices taste better if they are toasted for a few minutes at the beginning. If the mixture dries out too much, add a little water.
Add the garlic, carrot and bell peppers, a little salt as well, and stir. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to let the vegetables develop flavor.
Also add the tomato pulp and the rinsed and drained beans. Cover and let simmer over low heat.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta. When the pasta is almost done, add the arugula to the pan, stir and turn off the heat: it should only wilt, not fully cook. Adjust salt to taste.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it, pour it into the pan with the sauce and mix well.
Our Mexican pasta is ready! Colorful and very fragrant!
Truly a very filling meal and worth only a few Weight Watchers points. Considering that it’s complete, 11 WW points are just right for a meal!
As I said before, this pasta is delicious both served freshly cooked and at room temperature. So it’s an ideal meal to take to work or for a picnic. Try it and then let me know if you liked it.
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
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 serving: in my opinion it’s better at room temperature than straight from the refrigerator.
I’m not sure about freezing it; apart from lasagna I never freeze pasta. You can freeze the sauce, however, but without the arugula, which is better added at serving time.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
I can’t find red kidney beans…
I recommend using red kidney beans which are typically found in Mexican recipes; sometimes you’ll find them labeled in English as kidney beans. If you really can’t find them, you can use borlotti beans, but the result will be creamier, while red beans remain firmer during cooking and don’t fall apart.
I can’t find yellow bell peppers…
I prefer using peppers of different colors to create a colorful dish, but common red bell peppers work perfectly well!
I can’t find arugula in this season…
Then use spinach, which is nutritious even if it’s not a crucifer. The cooking method is identical: just 1 minute to wilt. If you’re more adventurous you can use the more tender parts of cavolo nero (Tuscan kale), letting them cook just a couple of minutes. That way you’ll also have a crucifer on the plate!
Which type of pasta is best?
In this diet, pasta is always 1 point per 0.35 oz uncooked. You can use whichever pasta you prefer! I usually use whole wheat and for this dish I generally choose penne or fusilli. But nothing stops you from using another shape or even gluten-free pasta, if you don’t tolerate gluten.
