In this recipe:
Quick & Easy Pasta Strata Recipe
This Quick & Easy Pasta Strata Recipe is a healthy twist on a traditional favorite. Adding chickpea and lentil pasta to the dish and eliminating the bread gives you a healthy dose of protein and fiber without sacrificing those delicious flavors.
This month, Robyn wanted to share a Chickapea holiday dish and and who doesn’t love an easy breakfast strata!
Everyone loves an easy strata over the holidays, right? It’s especially convenient when you’ve got a houseful of guests and don’t want to be busy at the stove instead of spending precious family and friend time.
This dish can be prepared the night before and assembled in the morning for an easy and nutritious breakfast.
This is another dish that you can get creative with:
- Use Chickapea Pasta shells, spirals or penne
- Some red peppers and mushrooms would be delicious with this if that’s your thing
- You can use sausage, ground chicken or pork or leave it out entirely and have a vegetarian strata
- Use your favorite cheese and if you’re not all about cheddar, Parmesan would work very well.
- Use your favorite tomato based sauced – marinara, arrabiata, garlic and basil or totally turn the tables and go alfredo!
This is why I love to cook because you can let your imagination take over. It doesn’t need to be precise (most times) and you can discover your creative genius in the kitchen using all your favorite ingredients.
It’s as easy as layering pasta/cheesy beef tomato sauce/more pasta/egg mixture – Presto! This will be on your breakfast table!
I have lots of blogger friends who cook with Chickapea Pasta as well and here are some of the healthy dishes being created in their kitchens these days:
- Baked Eggplant Parmesan (Gluten-Free) | Vitamin Sunshine
- 25 Ways to Stuff Your Veggies | Peas and Crayons
- One Bowl Gingerbread Waffles | Flavor the Moments
Share your holiday and every day creations with us on Instagram by tagging @Chickapeapasta and using the hashtag #chickapeapasta so I can see what you’re doing in your kitchen too. Cheers!
- 1 pound Chickapea Pasta, spirals or shells
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup spinach, chopped
- 5 eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 green onions, chopped or chives
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Preheat oven to 375 F
Cook pasta al dente. (a couple minutes less than package instructions)
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Heat oil in large pan, saute garlic and onion for 3-4 minutes until onion is soft and translucent. Add ground beef and cook until browned.
Drain extra fat from the pan.
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Add tomato sauce and half of fresh herbs, and salt and pepper to taste; cooking for 5 minutes before removing from heat. Add cheese and spinach, mixing well.
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Combine eggs, milk, remaining fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
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Into a 9 x 11 inch baking dish layer:
Half of the pasta
Cheesy Tomato Beef Mixture
Remaining half of pasta
Egg Mixture
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Bake 45-50 minutes. Remove and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with green onions or chives and serve.
- Use Chickapea Pasta shells, spirals or penne
- Some red peppers and mushrooms would be delicious with this if that’s your thing
- You can use sausage, ground chicken or pork or leave it out entirely and have a vegetarian strata
- Use your favorite cheese if you’re not all about cheddar . Parmesan would work very well.
- Use your favorite tomato based sauced – marinara, arrabiata, garlic and basil or totally turn the tables and go alfredo!