Keen as a Bean - Protein-Packed Pasta Salad

By Hayley Tia

When the food stores are looking less favorable, this quick and simple pesto pasta salad can be prepared ahead of time from basic cupboard ingredients and enjoyed whilst underway.

Ingredients

3 cups of wholegrain pasta

3 cups of cubed pumpkin

1 can of cannellini beans

Sauce Ingredients

1 anchovy

3 tablespoons of sundried tomato strips and the oil

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 teaspoons of whole grain mustard

¼ cup roasted almonds

1 teaspoon of mixed dried herbs

1 clove of garlic

1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

½ teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

Instructions

1. Add pasta and diced pumpkin to a large saucepan, covering with water. Bring to the boil.

2. Whilst you wait for the pasta to cook prepare the stir through the sauce. Add all of the pesto ingredients to a bench-top blender; anchovy, sundried tomatoes & oil, tomato paste, whole grain mustard, almonds, mixed dried herbs, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and salt & pepper, as well as ¼ cup of water, to help get it all moving in the blender. Blitz for 5-10 seconds or until ingredients are combined, still retaining some larger chunks for texture.

3. By this time your pasta should be cooked, testing to see that the pumpkin is soft and the pasta is al dente.

4. Drain the pasta and pumpkin before mixing the sauce and cannellini beans through the warm pasta in the pot you used to cook the pasta.

5. Serve with fresh boat-grown micro herbs or hydro greens and a wedge of lemon. Haven't dived into the world of growing micro greens or hydroponics on a boat yet? Now is the perfect time!

Serves 4

Sure you can purchase a store-bought stir-through pasta sauce but what you lose is bucketfuls of flavor and nutrition. This recipe balances the perfect sweetness from the sun-dried tomatoes, with a hint of spice from the freshly crushed garlic, that salty ocean flair from the anchovy and just the right amount of acidity from the Apple Cider Vinegar. It is these ingredients together with the whole grain pasta and cannellini beans that provide a bowl full of goodness that will have your taste buds tingling for more!

Hayley Tia

A liveaboard sailor and professional copywriter, creating content from the cabin of her floating home. Prior to life on the water, Hayley owned and operated a seaside cafe for over 7 years whilst starting a degree in marine biology. She now enjoys the space and time the liveaboard life has given her and enjoys preparing nutritious meals in the galley as well as utilising her qualifications as a yoga instructor to lead morning yoga sessions on the beach at each new anchorage.

See her on Instagram

@sv_chasingeden