Ye haw! I’ve jumped on the healthy pasta bandwagon—carrot spirals, lentil sedanini, tofu noodles, edamame spaghetti, zoodles, brown rice and millet ramen, spaghetti squash, and more.

Most recently, I tried Trader Joe’s Organic Black Bean Rotini. It’s like eating a bowl of beans (holy protein!), but it tastes like pasta!

After cooking the black bean pasta (or pasta-shaped beans?), I rounded out the dish with Trader Giotto’s Roasted Garlic Marinara sauce, fresh basil, and homemade mozzarella cheese.

The protein-filled, black bean base filled me up far faster than typical pasta, which is why I’m calling this dish Hearty Black Bean Pasta.

One caution is that Trader Joe’s Organic Black Bean Rotini tastes distinctly of black beans, unlike their Organic Red Lentil Sedanini, which has a more subtle flavor profile. Even the texture is a bit more grainy and dry, just like black beans. Next time I use this pasta, I’d like to try a more southwestern style pasta dish to well complement the black bean taste.

I hope you try out this black bean pasta and let me know what you think.

Items used in this post:

• Large pot
• Stirring spoon
• Cutting board
• Knife

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Hearty Black Bean Pasta with Marinara

Cook Time

12 mins

Total Time

12 mins

 

Servings: 4

Author: Nina

Ingredients

• 1 bag black bean pasta (Trader Joe’s Organic Black Bean Rotini)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups marinara sauce (Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Marinara)
• 1 sprig fresh basil
• 1 round fresh mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. In a large pot bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil.

2. Add salt if desired; add pasta and stir gently.

3. Return to a medium boil and cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Do not overcook.

4. Remove from heat, drain and rinse foam.

5. Top pasta with marinara sauce, slice of fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil leaf.