Fat-burning Pasta Salad Recipe is Hearty and Healthy
A pasta dish that’s bursting with flavor and good for your health? Yes, please! That’s what makes our fat-burning pasta salad recipe such a meal-time must. This dish uses whole-wheat pasta, which is higher in fiber than refined pasta, helping to stabilize blood sugar and keep you feeling satisfied longer. It also contains chicken, a lean protein; good-for-you greens like spinach or arugula and nutrient-rich tomatoes.
But here’s the real secret behind this pasta dish’s power: Make it and refrigerate it before eating it and the starch in the pasta turns into resistant starch, a type of fiber in many plant foods. Including more resistant starch in your diet has been found to improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels and improve gut health. In addition, your body has to work harder to digest resistant starch, so you burn more calories. All that while you get to enjoy a delicious meal that takes just minutes to make! Watch our video and see how simple it is.
Yields
Total Time
Prep Time
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked whole-wheat pasta, such as penne
- 4 handfuls arugula or baby spinach
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella, diced
- 1 small jar (about 6 oz.) pesto, at room temp.
Instructions
In large bowl, toss ingredients until combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
This recipe originally appeared in our print magazine.
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This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 5:30 AM.