I’ve had this pasta dish on my list of bookmarked recipes waiting to be made for awhile. Combining two of my favorite cuisines, Mexican and Italian, I knew before I started that this would be a winner. And it was. Prevention RD often features a lot of yummy vegetarian dishes on her site.
Aside from mixing cuisines, what also captivated me about this recipe was the use of yogurt instead of cheese. It’s a low-fat way to add to add a touch of creaminess to a plate of pasta. Speaking of low-fat, this entire dish is 100% healthy, packed with fiber, protein, and heart-helpful fats. It also comes with a ton of flavor that can jam out entirely in one pan. Hello decrease in extra dishes. Always a good recipe trait in my opinion.
Topped with avocado and fresh cilantro, the king and queen of Mexican adornment, you really can’t go wrong with this dish. And it’s a total success too with whole wheat pasta. Maybe I should let these two cuisines mix and mingle more often.
slightly modified version via Prevention RD
Ingredients
- -1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- -1 medium onion, diced
- -1 bell pepper, diced
- -3/4 tsp. garlic salt (or salt)
- -4 cloves garlic, minced
- -1 Tbsp. ground chili powder
- -1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne
- -1 lb whole wheat dry pasta, shape of choice
- -1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
- -2 1/2 cups water
- -2 (14-oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- -12 oz. 2% plain Greek yogurt
- -3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
- -1 avocado, diced, and sprinkled with salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, and salt and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and spices and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the pasta, diced tomatoes with juices, water, and beans. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir about half of the simmering pasta mixture into the yogurt. Stir this tempered yogurt into the pasta. Cover and simmer over low heat until heated, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and avocado. Serve.
No Comments
infinebalance
March 8, 2012 at 9:04 amthis looks to me to be the perfect week night meal. I’m bookmarking this one!
frugalfeeding
March 8, 2012 at 2:15 pmWhat an incredibly beautiful photos! This sounds utterly delicious, it really does! Delicious.
Ragamuffin Diaries
March 8, 2012 at 4:00 pmLooks wonderful! I remember the first time I decided to try using pasta for a taco style dish; I wasn’t totally sure how it would be, but totally loved it! My younger brothers are usually skeptical about my cooking (too “healthy”!), but they gobbled it right up. Using yogurt here was a great idea!
yogininoms
March 8, 2012 at 4:58 pmThis looks unusual but delicious nonetheless!
Nate!
March 8, 2012 at 10:13 pmI am making this right now! so excited!
Nicole, RD
March 9, 2012 at 7:38 amI’m so glad you enjoyed this! Beautiful photos…it’s hard to make this yummy dish actually look good! You did it 🙂 Happy weekend!
The Candid RD
March 10, 2012 at 7:21 amYUM!! Sounds wonderful, and I’m sure it would be Nick approved (I love it when I can sneak yogurt into his dishes…muahaha!)