This one goes out to those who struggle to build satisfying and filling balanced meals. It also goes out to the ones who prefer to keep things quick and simple! If this sounds like you, then you're in the right place. Today, I'm going to be sharing a tasty and colorful pasta dish that covers all your bases (carb, protein, fat, color, flavor), that also doesn't take all evening to prep. If you have 20 minutes, then you're good to go. So, let's build this simple, balanced pasta dinner together!

Building balanced meals can seem so daunting, especially with all the noise out there spewing food rules and a whole bunch of “should's” and “shouldn'ts.”😅 Let me tell you that balanced eating does not have to be so complicated!

As we say here on the blog, balanced eating is a tool, not a rule. By no means do you have to “balance out” your pasta dish if you don't want to (or any dish for that matter). This tool is available for when you want to use it; it's not something you *have* to use. I love a simple pasta with red sauce as much as the next person! And when I want something that covers my macronutrient bases, I turn to the simple balancing guideline below:

**Aim for half the plate to be full of color, a quarter of the plate protein, and a quarter of the plate carb. Add-in fat and flavor where you can!**

You can also skew these rough measurements depending on what you want… No right or wrong here, just deciding what will best meet your needs on a given day!

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, let's get to cookin! 👩‍🍳

P.S. Not sure if you have seen, but Ryann is pregnant and due in October! While this means she is not taking on any new individual clients until 2024, she DOES have some special offers coming out in the next few weeks to jumpstart your healing journey! 

To be the first to hear about those offers, ensure you’re on the waitlist!  

P.P.S. You can find more simple balanced eating and meal inspo on my Instagram @isabels.plate, my Tiktok @isabel.megale, or on the blog under Healthy Recipes!

Turning Pasta into a Balanced Meal!

Author: Isabel Megale Recipe Keys:simple dinner recipe, pasta recipe, balanced meals

Difficulty:BeginnerTotal time: 20 minutes Best Season:Available

Description

Building balanced meals can seem so daunting, especially with all the noise out there spewing food rules and a whole bunch of “should's” and “shouldn'ts.”😅 Let me tell you that balanced eating does not have to be so complicated. So, let's build this simple, balanced pasta dinner together!

Ingredients

• pasta of choice
• broccoli rabe
• cannellini beans
• cherry tomatoes
• Italian sausage (or protein of choice)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• chili flakes

Instructions

1. cook pasta according to box.
2. in a separate pan, at the same sauté cut-up sausage in a drizzle of oil on low heat
3. chop your broccoli rabe then add to pan on low-medium heat with generous serving of olive oil. season with salt and pepper, then cook until soft.
4. drain and rinse cannellini beans.
5. once sauté is soft, add beans to pan with more olive oil, salt, and pepper.
6. stir then add your cooked pasta and halved cherry tomatoes.
7. finish with chili flakes and another genius drizzle of olive oil (either to the pot or to your bowl once served)
8. add your cooked sausage and enjoy!

Notes

• Don't do meat? Add a seafood protein option (like shrimp or salmon), or vegan protein option (like tofu or tempeh)!
• You can find more simple, balanced meal inspo on my Instagram @isabels.plate and Tiktok @isabel.megale

Keywords:simple dinner recipe, pasta recipe, balanced meals