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Thank goodness for dairy-free pasta recipes! I was caught on the hop. I’d not done any meal planning for the week, what with life and its various distractions.
And everyone in the family was HUNGRY. As in, verging on the hangry and looking into the abyss of emotional destruction. Not what you want midway through a Sunday.
I had to feed everyone. Fast. Something that all the children would enjoy without fuss.
An Easy and Quick Gluten-free pasta recipe
Hence the pasta. Always a winner. And this gluten free pasta from Zen B is a cunning way to smuggle more protein and fibre into the diet, what with it being made of yellow peas.
A quick pasta is always such a hit. You can serve it with salad on the side. Again, this is a speedy way to get some goodness into everyone. I always have a bag of supermarket salad ready in the fridge, you know, the sort with a variety of leaves e.g. spinach, rocket, beetroot etc.
Although this is more expensive than buying a couple of different lettuces / bags of leaves and creating your own massive stash of salad, it’s super useful for these moments when everyone needs to be fed asap.
We’re still trying to get the veggie patch underway. In an ideal world, we’d have a cut-and-come-again sort of garden out the back. Really, this is the cheapest and healthiest option for all and something we’re aiming for amidst the busyness of family life. If you can, then GROW YOUR OWN.
How do you make a diary-free pasta creamy?
But back to the pasta, and the question you’re all dying to know the answer to… how is this dairy-free pasta recipe creamy?
Avocado. Very ripe and almost about to turn but not quite. You want them as squishy as possible so that you can smoosh the flesh up and then run it through the warm pasta at the last minute. As avocado has such a neutral flavour, this works wonders for the more “discerning” eaters in a family.
The bonus is that avocados are such a useful source of goodness. But my children think they are abominations. Which is awkward. This recipe is a cunning way to get it into their bellies.
What can I use instead of cheese in a dairy-free pasta recipe?
So now we’ve sorted out how to replace the creaminess in this dairy-free pasta recipe. But what about the umami-ness of parmesan cheese.
One word: BACON.
You could also throw in a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard if you fancied. That’s something I use as a cheese replacement in my savoury, gluten-free baking. However, the bacon is just delicious.
Fry it in olive oil until it starts to go crispy and brown. The bacon fat will also mix well with the avocado, adding to the unctuousness of texture that you normally associate with dairy.
In addition to the bacon, a good few dollops of pesto just builds upon the great flavour of this meal.
God bless all you vegans out there (ignore those previous sentences about bacon, please) as you’ve pushed a market for dairy-free delights. In this case, pesto from Tesco’s Free From range.
No parmesan in there, but they’ve created a perfect pesto replacement. I’m not normally one for direct “Free-From” swaps as there can be a lot of processed nonsense in the products. Vegan alternatives can be an example of this.
However, when most of the meal is homemade, full of good fats, protein, vitamins, roughage and other delights… then a dabble in some faux pesto will do no harm.
And the children will be fed and no longer hangry. FOCUS ON THE GOAL!
A healthy meal with leftovers
So that’s the avocado, bacon and pesto covered. Oh, and this particular form of healthy and tasty gluten-free pasta.
Now for the chickpeas… all hail the Mighty Chickpea!
Why are chickpeas so good for you?
Chickpeas are a source of… well, I can’t remember precisely what. Fortunately, the internet has come up trumps and HERE’S a post extolling their virtues.
But the point is, Chickpeas are Good for You. Entire civilizations have been built upon their tiny, proteiny, fibery mightyness. And they taste flippin’ delicious with bacon.
I have a couple of children who love all things humus. I have a child who spurns all things humus. Yet all are so very happy to eat chickpeas with bacon and pasta.
Everyone’s a winner. And I hope your family will be too with this meal in their bellies!
Lastly, bulking out this pasta dish, or quite frankly any pasta recipe or stew type recipe with chickpeas or other legumes makes for leftovers.
And leftovers means a better household budget, better health and better time management.
Ultimately, it means a better life for the family. And what’s not to love about all of that?
Frequently Asked Questions
Does gluten free pasta have milk?
NO. Gluten free pasta is made with non-wheat flours, such as corn or rice or even ground pulses like chickpeas, lentils or peas. No dairy is involved. Even normal, gluteny pasta is made with water, oil and flour. The dairy comes in the sauces or cheese you top it up with.
How do you make creamy sauce without dairy?
In this instance, I’ve squashed up ripe avocado and run it through the pasta. You can also use avocado as a butter alternative with crackers or savoury pancakes or on gluten-free bread.
How healthy is gluten free pasta?
Depends on what the pasta is made of and what sauce you put with it. A pasta made with a pulse, such as a pea or lentil, is a good source of fibre and protein.
Because these are more complex carbohydrates, this means they give you energy for longer. Rice and corn are simpler carbs so you get a quicker energy hit that fizzles up sooner.
As for the sauce, if you buy a ready made pot of something with lots of sugar and additives in there, well, that’s possibly not as healthy (but arguably still delicious) as a homemade sauce. Your call!
Easy, Creamy Chickpea Pasta || Gluten Free & Dairy Free
A delicious, hearty and umami - infused pasta meal. You wouldn't even know there's no dairy in there! The avocado adds creaminess, the chickpeas are for fibre, protein and general goodness. As for the bacon pancetta... well! It's food of the gods.
This dish will feed 6 and there will be leftovers for a cold pasta salad lunch. And this is all gluten free. AMAZING.
Ingredients
- 250g diced pancetta
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tins of chickpeas
- 2 large and very ripe avocados (optional)
- 5 generous tablespoons of vegan basil pesto
- 500g GF pasta
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and put on the side.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put on the side.
- Top, tail and peel the garlic cloves. Leave them for 15 minutes then chop them up.
- In another bowl, squish together the avocado and pesto. This
has to be as smooth as possible if you are feeding discerning / picky
eaters. - Fry the bacon / pancetta in olive oil. Lots of it. As it is delicious. When it’s going crispy…
- Add the chickpeas. Stir for a couple of minutes. It’s ok if they get a bit mushed.
- Add the chopped garlic and stir together for a few moment.
- Next, put the pasta in the pot with the bacony, chickpea goodness and stir.
- Finally, add the avocado pesto mix. Stir through until the pasta is
coated. - SERVE UP! Eat. Enjoy with a salad on the side or whatever leftover vegetables you can muster.
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