Rupy’s High-Protein Rigatoni

Dr Rupy says: “The walnut, tempeh, Puy lentil blend in this recipe delivers on the protein and fibre needs for your gut wellbeing, and the texture and flavour of this combination are phenomenal. With red wine and mixed herbs plus a bit of time you get a gorgeous bowl of food that is nourishing and delicious.”

Serves:

Protein: 56.7g
Fibre: 22.1g
Plant points: 7.75

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
100g onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tsp dried mixed herbs
2 tbsp tomato purée
100ml red wine
100g walnuts, roughly chopped or pulsed into a coarse crumb
200g tempeh, roughly chopped or pulsed into a coarse crumb
200ml vegetable stock
200ml passata
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
200g cooked Puy lentils
100g cavolo nero, stalks removed, and leaves massaged and roughly chopped
150g dried rigatoni pasta
20g Parmesan, finely grated, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large lidded casserole pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until softened and starting to turn golden.

2. Add the garlic and plenty of seasoning and cook for another minute before adding the mixed herbs and tomato purée. You want to cook the purée for 3–4 minutes to intensify the flavour.

3. Pour the red wine into the pan and cook for another 3 minutes until there is no smell of alcohol and the mixture becomes thick and sticky.

4. Add the walnuts and tempeh and stir to coat them in the sticky mixture. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, then pour in the stock, passata and vinegar and add the lentils.

5. Reduce the heat to low–medium, stir until combined and simmer, part-covered with the lid, for 15 minutes. Toss in the massaged cavolo nero for the last 2 minutes of cooking.

6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a mugful of the cooking water.

7. Add the pasta to the sauce with enough of the pasta cooking water to loosen. Serve in bowls, drizzled with olive oil and with the Parmesan scattered over.

Protein boost
Add more tempeh or walnuts. You can also use lean beef mince instead of tempeh. Just add 150g mince to the onions, garlic, tomato purée and herbs, and cook for 5 minutes before adding the red wine.

Extracted from Healthy High Protein by Dr Rupy Aujla (Ebury Press, £26). Photography by Andrew Burton

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