For a protein-packed Meatless Monday meal enjoy this recipe for cheese-filled tortellini covered in a tomato chickpea sauce.
Hi Friends!
Who tries to follow Meatless Monday?! My family doesn’t necessarily go meatless on Monday, but we definitely eat several meatless meals throughout the week. I have not always eaten meatless meals though. I grew up in the midwest and unless it was pizza night, going meatless was not common. All of our family meals included some form of meat, whether it be chicken, beef, pork, etc. As I started learning more about Meatless Monday and the potential health benefits of eating meatless a few times a week, I really wanted to give it a chance but it seemed like such a challenge.
More recently while at nutrition conferences or dining out at restaurants and friends’ homes I have been exposed to delicious meatless meals. Most of the meals do include a protein source, but just a vegetarian source such as beans, chickpeas, tofu, or quinoa. Needless to say, the delicious vegetarian meal exposure outside of the home encouraged me to start experimenting with cooking vegetarian meals at home. I hope to share one of my favorite bean burrito recipes with you soon!
But for now, I want to share this recipe for Cheese Tortellini in a Chickpea Red Sauce! I got the idea for this recipe from my work cafeteria. One day at lunch they were serving a Cheese and Chickpea Tortellini for lunch, and I thought what a perfect recipe to recreate at home! I certainly had never seen the combination of tortellini and chickpeas, but absolutely loved the idea.
To keep things simple I just picked up a frozen package of cheese tortellini. You could also use the shelf-stable or refrigerated options. I did make a simple red sauce out of can diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and spices, but you could also use a canned tomato sauce if you want to keep things super simple. To add extra flavor, I suggest garnishing the pasta with basil and/or parmesan cheese.
Do you think your family would be excited about this meal? My husband was definitely excited about the twist on traditional tortellini in a red sauce recipe. On the other hand, my picky toddler was not quite as excited by the chickpeas. While he does eat hummus, we will continue to expose him to chickpeas in hopes he will someday be more excited by them!
Hope you enjoy this recipe for Cheese Tortellini in a Chickpea Red Sauce!
Your Family’s Dietitian,
