Cooking with Pasta

Beloved pasta noodles are versatile and delicious. Here are some creative ways to use them in fun, new recipes.

LifeSmart Pasta with Prebiotic Fibre

If you like white pasta but want to add some extra fibre to your meals, try LifeSmart Pasta with Prebiotic Fibre from Inulin. It has 10 grams of fibre per 85 g serving, but looks like regular white pasta. Seven grams of that fibre comes from inulin, a natural fibre derived from vegetables such as chicory. The remaining fibre comes naturally from the durum wheat semolina.

Inulin is different than the insoluble fibre that’s normally found in wheat. This type of fibre is a “prebiotic,” which is important for digestion. It needs to be present in the gut in order for beneficial probiotics to do their job.

This pasta is also high in iron and folate, two nutrients that are required for proper growth and development. Those nutrients come from the durum wheat semolina, which is enriched with iron and folate.

LifeSmart Pasta with Prebiotic Fibre cooks to a perfect al dente consistency in just seven minutes, making dinner quick and easy. It’s available in three varieties: macaroni, penne and spaghetti.

Don’t overcook pasta

Foods we eat affect our blood sugar levels. Foods with high sugar or refined flour content break down quickly and make our blood sugar levels rise more rapidly.

Pasta is an interesting foods because even though it’s made with white flour, if it’s cooked al dente (with a slight chewiness and not overcooked), it breaks down more slowly in the body, and blood sugar levels to do rise as quickly. Overcooked pasta breaks down very quickly, with raises blood sugar levels in response.

When pasta is cooked al dente, it is considered to be a food with a low glycemic index. That’s a measure of how much a certain carbohydrate-containing food affects blood sugar levels. Overcooked pasta has a higher glycemic index. Eating foods with a lower glycemic index can be a strategy to control blood sugar levels.

Portion size is also important, as pasta contains carbohydrates, which is an important consideration if you are watching your blood sugar levels – if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes. You can still eat pasta, just keep the serving size reasonable and make sure it’s cooked al dente.

Inulin helps the body absorb calcium

In addition to inulin’s role as a prebiotic fibre, it also serves another important purpose. It helps the body absorb calcium that comes from calcium-rich foods, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, leafy greens and canned salmon. Pair your LifeSmart Pasta with Prebiotic Fibre with Parmesan cheese and kale or with goat cheese and chard.

Or make these Salmon patties and have pasta as your side dish.

See full recipe

Pair pasta with eggplant

Creamy, luxurious eggplant is the perfect partner for al dente-cooked pasta. Wrap it all up in a rich tomato sauce for an out of this world dinner entrée that’s rich in fibre, vitamin C and a bevvy of antioxidants.

Watch it all come together in perfect harmony with this recipe for Pasta Norma.

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Life Smart Spaghetti with Olives and Caper

Are you looking for an easy pasta dish that the whole family will enjoy? Try this LifeSmart spaghetti with olives and capers, which comes together in around 30 minutes. It’s the perfect vehicle for LifeSmart Pasta with Prebiotic Fibre, which pairs so nicely with olives, capers, garlic, tomato sauce and boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Top with fresh parsley to give it the restaurant-quality finishing touch and serve with a side salad for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

Or make these Salmon patties and have pasta as your side dish.

See full recipe

Add fresh herbs to pasta dishes

Whether you favour basil, oregano, chives or mint, nothing brings pasta alive like the flavour of fresh herbs. Here are some delicious pairings:

Parsley + seafood pasta
Cilantro + noodles with peanut sauce
Basil + tomato sauce and mozzarella pasta
Oregano + red peppers and feta cheese pasta
Chives + smoked salmon pasta

Try the wonderful combination of basil, olives and bocconcini in this pasta dish.

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Pair pasta shapes with the right sauces

Canadian durum wheat is grown in the western prairie provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. Pasta lovers globally demand Canadian durum since the climate and growing conditions in the prairies are ideal for growing high-protein, low-starch wheat. Pasta comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and each pairs well with a different sauce: