Ana Reisdorf, MS, RD Health & Nutrition Author Registered Dietitian & Nutritionist |
Why Gluten Free | Nightshades | Mediterranean Diet | Nutrition Facts
The combination of zucchini, white beans, garlic and oregano create the famous Mediterranean aromas and flavors to satisfy your taste buds, lift your spirit, nourish your body, and support your health.
For the recipe, we use the gluten free penne pasta variety, which is made with corn and rice without wheat.
Typically, this dish would have tomatoes, which can aggravate arthritis pain or cause inflammation in some people, so they aren’t included in this dish.
The flavors are so robust, you won’t miss them. If you are concerned about inflammation, you may also want to skip the red peppers flakes (optional in the recipe).
The Gluten Free Pasta Recipe
Gluten Free Pasta Recipe: Mediterranean, Anti-inflammatory, One-pot Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion cut into ¼-inch dice
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 small zucchini cut into ¼-inch slices
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 8 ounces gluten-free penne pasta
- 1 cup canned white beans
- ¼ cup grated sheep's milk pecorino cheese optional, see vegan options below
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil over high heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, sea salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes (if using) and mix well.
- Add the broth and penne and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until the penne is tender, 8-12 minutes.
- Stir in the beans, sprinkle with the pecorino cheese (if using), and serve.
- Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for several months.
Vegan Option
- To make it vegan, omit the cheese, or if omnivorous, substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth.
Nutrition
Gluten Free Pasta Recipe Nutrition Facts
Why We Love This Recipe
Cleanse Joy’s Team Notes
This gluten free pasta recipe is an excellent example of how easy healthy cooking can be. Especially when you are looking for these quick wins.
In just a few minutes you can eat healthy without giving up flavor, carbs. No need to work all day in the kitchen.
Using one-pot to make pasta is actually very effective. Store (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 5 day.
From a health perspective, the recipe considers one of the main concerns of modern diets and lifestyle, chronic inflammation. Diet plays a key role. Just like certain foods trigger inflammation, others can help your body to have it under control. More on that on the evidence section below.
Feel free to experiment with the recipe. Based on the many requests we get, we are going to test other sources of pasta with this recipe. Especially the chickpea pasta which is lower in carbs, higher in protein and is also gluten free.
Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to learn how it turned out, or share your own comments below.
For more healthy & easy recipes by Ana for see the anti-inflammatory diet, see: One-Pot Cookbook.
Gluten Free Pasta Recipe: Evidence
Now as always, time to look at the evidence:
Should I Go Gluten Free?
Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, has been getting a lot of bad rap lately. Many health experts suggest gluten may be linked to a large number of health conditions, even for people who do not have Celiac disease.
Time for some quick definitions:
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed people, where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide.[1]
What about those people who do not have Celiac disease? Can they eat Gluten?
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity:
Recent studies now show that significant percentage of the population have problems caused by wheat or gluten ingestion, even if they do not have celiac disease. Most patients report improvement of symptoms on a gluten-free diet.[2]
In fact, many health experts consider gluten as one of the top foods that can cause gut inflammation. Not surprisingly, many dietary protocols such as the elimination diet, and the inflammation diet exclude gluten foods.
So if you have digestive issues or inflammation, you may want to eliminate gluten from your diet for a few weeks and see how you feel.
Tomatoes, Nightshades & Inflammation
You may wondering why all of a sudden we are saying that tomatoes are bad for you.
Tomatoes belong to a group of fruits and vegetables called Nightshades. According to some evidence, Solanine, a natural chemical found in Nightshades can aggravate arthritis pain or inflammation in some people.
The research data on this topic is not conclusive. According to the medical community, most people should eat nightshades due to their many health benefits.
If you have arthritis pain or inflammation symptoms, however, you may want to talk to your health care professional, to see if eliminating Nightshades for a few weeks can make your symptoms better.
Common Nightshades fruits and vegetables include: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, potatoes and goji berries.
The Mediterranean Diet
This gluten free pasta recipe is inspired by the famous Mediterranean diet. Known for its rich deep colors, aromas, and flavors, numerous studies have shown that this type of eating can help control inflammation, prevent disease and even increase your lifespan.
The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating that is based on the traditional cuisine of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The diet is typically high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, herbs, garlic, red onions, nut and seeds, pasta, and olive oil.[3,4]. Just like you see in this recipe.
- Gluten Free Pasta Recipe: Anti Inflammatory Mediterranean Diet, One-pot - October 20, 2019