Higher-Protein Pasta

Come down from holiday overindulgence with this satisfying dish that won’t blow send your blood sugar soaring.

- JONNY BOWDEN, PHD, CNS, AND JEANNETTE BESSINGER, CHHC

A lot of people don’t know this, but the way a food is cooked has a lot to do with the impact it has on your blood sugar (also known as the glycemic index or glycemic load). Well-done, wet-noodle type pasta not only tastes like cardboard, it also affects your blood sugar in a far more negative way than pasta al dente, which is actually the proper way to make pasta anyway. Why? Because overcooking destroys fiber and turns a perfectly good food into mush that doesn’t have to be broken down by the body.

When a food is high in carbs— as pasta is—overcooking can cause a much more dramatic impact on your blood sugar. This tender pasta cooks up in seconds—all it really needs is a hot bath—and the carb load is offset by the protein and healthy fat in the fresh chèvre, significantly reducing the impact of this delicious dish on your blood sugar. Bonus nutrition points for the antioxidant lycopene in the tomatoes, and the iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fiber in the spinach!

make it!

Italian Pasta with Veggies

Serves 6

10 oz. small pasta shells

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

4 lightly packed cups baby spinach or baby arugula, or a mix of both

1 14-oz. can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped, optional

¹⁄³ cup tender sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste