There are few meals where I get over 8 grams of fiber in one serving and it’s delicious. If I were to pair this with a salad, that would add even more fiber. Remember, you should always aim for about 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories you eat. If you don’t track your calories (like me), that’s about 25g on average for women and 38g on average for men.
I love all of these flavors together and my 9 year old does too. He had two bowls. I stayed at one, that was filling enough for me. The fiber comes from the whole wheat pasta, chickpeas, and the spinach. You could keep it there and this pasta would be delicious. But, my kids love sausage and 2/3 love spicy, so that’s what I went with today.
If you want to change this up, here are some ideas:
- Change out the turkey/pork sausage with grilled chicken breast
- Swap out the fresh spinach for frozen
- Swap out the fresh spinach for chopped kale
- Use white beans instead of chickpeas
- Roast the chickpeas before adding them to the skillet
That last tip is what I’m going to do next – I love roasted chickpeas and that little bit of time roasting them would be so worth it. For now, this is a less than 30 minute meal.
I hope you try this for a light lunch or add a salad and have for dinner. Let me know in the comments if you like it.
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Spicy sausage penne with chickpeas and spinach
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat penne pasta
8 ounces spicy pork sausage (could also use spicy turkey sausage)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1, 5 ounce bag baby spinach, about 4–5 cups
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1, 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside.
In a medium skillet over medium high heat, add sausage and cook until no longer pink and cooked through drain and set aside.
Wipe out any excess grease in the skillet.
In the same skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and onions – saute until translucent.
Add garlic and spinach – stir and allow spinach to wilt down.
Stir in salt, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes (optional).
Add chickpeas, sausage, and pasta and stir to heat through.
Stir in parmesan cheese until melted
Serve warm.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Delicious and so easy to make!
★★★★★
Thanks Lyndsey!!