Quick and Easy Oil-Free, Plant-Based Pasta
This easy pasta recipe makes the perfect weeknight dinner! Healthy, gluten-Free Banza Gemelli chickpea pasta is packed with vegan protein. Fresh corn, sweet leeks, and delicate zucchini create a light, flavorful sauce. You’ll love this oil-free recipe for a healthy, plant-based meal!
Why Gemelli Pasta?
Gemelli translates from the Italian word for “twins”. It references the twin noodles that spiral around each other. This spiral shape creates a pasta with lots of nooks and crannies. In turn, it’s perfect for holding the zucchini ribbons, sliced leeks, and fresh corn in this plant-based recipe.
Hearty, Satisfying Gluten-Free Pasta
You’ll love this pasta dish! It is:
- Hearty and satisfying
- Full of fresh summer flavor
- Simple and light
- An easy weeknight dinner
- Gluten-free, Oil-Free, Plant-Based, Vegan
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips:
No Chickpea Pasta? Gluten-Free Chickpea pasta is a healthy way to add extra plant-based protein to your meal. However, you can use any whole grain pasta for this recipe. Whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and lentil pasta all work well.
Pasta Water: One chef’s trick for creating a rich, creamy sauce is to use some of the water from cooking the pasta. Before draining your cooked pasta, reserve some of the water. Use this in your sauce. Use this trick any time you make pasta.
No Gemelli Pasta? If you don’t have gemelli pasta, use another curvy noodle with ridges. Macaroni, penne rigati, and rigatoni would all work. You can use brown rice pasta, lenil pasta, mung bean, black bean, or any other gluten-free pasta variety.
Japanese Mandolin: A small, hand-held Japanese mandolin makes it quick and easy to thinly slice vegetables. It’s one of my secret chef’s tools. I use it for all kinds of slaws, salads, and pretty garnishes.
No fresh corn? If you don’t have fresh corn (or when corn isn’t in season), you can use frozen corn kernels. 1 ear of corn = about ¾ cup corn kernels. Therefor, for this recipe, you’ll need about 1 ½ cups corn kernels, thawed.
Gemelli pasta translates from Italian “twins” as two twin noodles wrap around each other. This pasta is great for holding creamy sauces like pest or pumpkin sage sauce 
Gluten-free Gemelli pasta are made from chickpeas. They look like regular pasta but are gluten-free and have tons of healthy, plant-based protein 
Sweat the leek just until soft and tender 
1 ear of corn = 3/4 cup corn kernels. You can substitute with frozen corn if fresh corn on the cob isn’t available 
Use a mandolin to thinly slice the zucchini into ribbons. If you don’t have one, you can use your knife to thinly slice the zucchini 
Using the pasta water creates a light, fresh broth for this healthy pasta dish 
Zucchini ribbons create a beautiful presentation 
Gemelli Pasta with Leeks, Corn, and Zucchini Ribbons – Healthy, Plant-Based, Oil-Free Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule
Watching the Farmer’s Market Video:
Gemelli Pasta with Leeks, Corn, and Zucchini Ribbons
- Easy
- Servings: 4
- Ready In: 20 minutes
- Yield: about 12 cups
If you like this, you’ll also
- Pasta “
alla Norma” withEggplan t - Oil-Free Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad
- 1-Pot Pumpkin Sage Pasta with Chickpea Gemelli Noodles
- Gluten-Free Fusilli Pasta with Walnut Sauce
- 10-Minute Pasta Romana
Gemelli Pasta with Leeks, Corn, and Zucchini Ribbons
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cavatelli pasta 1 box Banza cavatelli pasta
- 1 leek trimmed, cleaned thoroughly, and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
- 2 ears of corn kernels cut from the cobs
- 2 medium zucchini thinly sliced into ribbons on a mandolin
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To make the Gemelli Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. When the pot of water is boiling, add the Gemelli chickpea pasta noodles. Stir. Return to a boil. Cook a couple of minutes short of done, when the pasta is still “al dente”. This is usually 4-5 minutes. When the pasta is done, scoop out 2 cups of the pasta water. Then drain the pasta. Set aside.
- While the water is coming to a boil, prepare the leek, garlic, corn, and zucchini.
To make the oil-free Leeks, Corn, and Zucchini Ribbons:
- In a wide saute pan, sweet the leeks over medium heat until tender, 7-8 minutes. Be careful not to brown the leeks. If they start to burn, reduce the heat and add a splash of water.
- When the leeks are tender, add the red chili flake, garlic, and corn. Saute until aromatic, 1-2 minutes.
- At this point, you need your pasta to be ready. If it’s not, turn down the heat on the leeks until your pasta is “al dente”.
To make the Gemelli Pasta with Leeks, Corn, and Zucchini Ribbons:
- When the pasta is “al dente”, pour 2 cups of the pasta boiling water into the pan with the leeks. Drain the remaining water. Add the pasta to the pan, along with the corn and zucchini ribbons. Cook over medium heat until the zucchini is tender, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the lemon zest and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Taste to adjust seasoning. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 293 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 3 g | 4 % |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 88 mg | 4 % |
| Potassium 610 mg | 17 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 53 g | 18 % |
| Dietary Fiber 11 g | 44 % |
| Sugars 8 g | |
| Protein 18 g | 36 % |
| Vitamin A | 20 % |
| Vitamin C | 25 % |
| Calcium | 24 % |
| Iron | 24 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Shopping List
- Banza Chickpea Penne Pasta, 8 Ounce (Pack of 2)
- Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Adjustable Mandoline
- NOW Nutritional Yeast Flakes,10-Ounce
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