It’s true… I think the common dietary staple that’s a prominent member of a major food group in Australia should be suing for defamation of character.

Pasta’s had a hard time of it over the past decade or so. Mr Atkins (rest his soul) has a lot to answer for. While there was a short reprieve there for a few years when fat was seen as the ultimate dietary enemy, and to be avoided at all costs, pasta made a resurgence back to dinner tables everywhere (well that could be a little exaggeration).

Sadly it’s back in the dog house and being shoved to the back of the pantry behind the quinoa, amaranth and other supergrains.
And if it hasn’t enough problems of its own, pasta is also the poster child of high carb foods (which are blamed for making us fat!) and heaven forbid it passes your lips after 3pm.

So I think it’s time to uncover the truth… here’s 5 reasons to reunite with a little fettuccine, fusilli or tagliatelle.

1. Pasta like other high carb foods don’t make us fat. An imbalance of energy-in with energy-out is what makes us stack on the kilos. And remember carbs provide the same amount of energy per gram as protein.
2. Pasta is low GI, and low GI foods help you feel fuller for longer
3. A half a cup serve of cooked wholegrain pasta provides around 395 kJ (or less than 100 cal) which is about the same as 1/2 a cup of cooked quinoa.
4. Choosing a high fibre or whole grain pasta can help boost the fibre in your diet, especially kids diets
5. Regular pasta is made using durum wheat which is a type of wheat higher in protein (this one’s just a fun fact to impress your friends!)

….and you can buy a 500g bag of pasta for less than a dollar, endurance athletes would be lost without it and it helps prop up you B vitamin intake.

Here’s a pasta dish that often appears in our weekly dinner rotation.

Enjoy, B xx

ZUCCHINI & PESTO PASTA

Ingredients:

• 200g of spaghetti (I used Vetta Pasta’s Low GI, High Fibre spaghetti)
• 2 large zucchini, thinly sliced longways (I used a V-Slicer)
• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup of pitted olives, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 small jar of pesto (or you could make your own)

Method:

1. Cook spaghetti
2. Stir-fry tomatoes, olives and garlic for about 1-2 minutes
3. Add zucchini to the tomato mixture and lightly toss through until the zucchini becomes soft
4. Add the cooked spaghetti and pesto to the tomato and zucchini mixture and stir through
5. Serve on its own or with cooked and sliced chicken breast strips

Nutritional Profile (per serve): serves 4

• Energy – 1430kJ / 340cal
• Protein – 10.5g
• Total Fat – 14.1g
• Sat Fat – 2.1g
• Carbs – 39.5g
• Sugars – 4.8g
• Fibre – 4.6g
• Sodium – 770mg