Organic Black Bean Spaghetti With Peppers
Black bean spaghetti? What next? I know it sounds a bit weird, but it’s true! I made this delicious pasta dish with spaghetti made from only two ingredients: organic black beans and water. I saw this package of Organic Black Bean Spaghetti by the brand Explore Asian sitting on the shelves of my local Whole Foods. When I read its nutritional profile on the back of the package, I was sold. Each 2 ounce serving has about 180 calories, 2 grams of fat, 4 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 12 grams of dietary fibers, and 25 grams of protein. Even more impressive is the fact that each serving supplies 36% of your iron and 13% of your daily calcium requirements. Furthermore, it is gluten-free, vegan, Kosher Parve, and USDA Certified Organic, and is healthy, versatile and simple to prepare. Why not give it a try? It could become your new staple food.
Explore Asian’s Organic Black Bean Spaghetti
I found this simple recipe for Black Bean Spaghetti With Peppers on the back of the package. It’s amazing how many wonderful recipes can be found on the back of your food packages! This dish is meant to be served cold, and I think it would make a great side dish at a luncheon or summer barbecue, or simply to keep in your refrigerator as a quick, healthy snack. The dressing for this dish does contain olive oil (I would consider trying sesame oil next time), so it is not completely fat-free; however, the amount of oil used is for the entire package of spaghetti, and much of the dressing falls to the bottom of the bowl after mixing. I was totally fine with it, but you may opt to concoct some type of fat-free dressing of your own.
These are the only ingredients you will need…
Ingredients
First, you will have to prepare the black bean spaghetti (which takes only 6-8 minutes), run it under cold water when finished and set aside.
Next, you will have to slice up some bell peppers and some scallions, and mix them together in a bowl.
Then, you will have to prepare the dressing in a separate bowl…
Mix all the ingredients together (ie. the black bean pasta, the vegetables and the dressing) in a big bowl…
Add garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste, and voila!
Organic Black Bean Pasta With Peppers
ORGANIC BLACK BEAN SPAGHETTI WITH PEPPERS
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Package of Explore Asian Black Bean Spaghetti
3 bell peppers of different colors
1/2 cup of finely chopped scallions (or spring onions)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Garlic, salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Cook the spaghetti by boiling 8 cups of water. Add spaghetti to the boiling water, then simmer gently for 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Immediately rinse under cold running water and set aside.
Cut the peppers into thin strips and add to the finely chopped scallions.
Mix the sauce ingredients together in a separate bowl: the olive oil, the white wine vinegar and the balsamic vinegar.
Mix all of the ingredients together with the pasta and season, to taste, with the garlic, salt and pepper.
Serve cold.
just wanted to say your dish looks awesome and must taste awesome too but i don’t think this black bean pasta should be trusted. The ingredients are “Organic Black Beans 92%, Water 8%”. 100g of raw black beans is composed of 22g protein, 62g carbs, 11g water, and a few other grams. so in order to make this product out of 92% black beans they would have to remove most of the water, 30g of carbs while adding A LOT of fiber (100g of black beans have 15g while 100g of this pasta would have 21g of fiber). this product cannot be legit unless they have magic black beans made up of more fiber and more protein.
Thanks for pointing all this out! Good to know our readers are so astute!
From what I have read, my understanding is that they are made from black soy beans. I carry them in my office and just sent an email to the company asking for clarification! They really are delicious and are such a great alternative to pasta so I hope everything they are claiming is in fact truth.
Please let me know how the company replies!
Hi, I just tried these noodles tonight for the first time. Did you ever get a reply from the company? Thank you!
Karolyn never commented about whether she received a reply from the company. Did you like the noodles?
This was was our exact exchange:
Dear Karolyn,
The carbs are calculated according to the European way (I.e. Net carbs which excludes the fibers) and not the usa way which is net carbs). Therefore, the total carbs are 29g which is much more in line with black beans!! It is still much lower than rice or corn pastas or regular wheat pastas as it is from beans.
On our next print run, we will be making a dedicated USA packaging and a dedicated European packaging and we will correct this issue.
MY RESPONSE:
Okay great thank you. And we were also assuming the serving size is 2 oz dry which we equated to two cups cooked.
Thanks for your help!
HIS RESPONSE:
You can not compare the nutrition of a cooked in boiling water, us black bean to our Chinese black bean which is grounded into a flour dry with its skin and soaked in very little water and then extruded at very low temperature into a spaghetti shape and air dried. Also the variety of our black bean has a different micro nutrition profile than US black bean.
–Take from that what you will! We still enjoy it in 1/2 cup cooked portions and it is working fine.
Hope that helps!
This was our exact exchange:
Dear Karolyn,
The carbs are calculated according to the European way (I.e. Net carbs which excludes the fibers) and not the usa way which is net carbs). Therefore, the total carbs are 29g which is much more in line with black beans!! It is still much lower than rice or corn pastas or regular wheat pastas as it is from beans.
On our next print run, we will be making a dedicated USA packaging and a dedicated European packaging and we will correct this issue.
Thank you for writing in.
Joe
MY RESPONSE:
Okay great thank you. And we were also assuming the serving size is 2 oz dry which we equated to two cups cooked.
Thanks for your help!
HIS RESPONSE:
Dear Karolyn,
You can not compare the nutrition of a cooked in boiling water, us black bean to our Chinese black bean which is grounded into a flour dry with its skin and soaked in very little water and then extruded at very low temperature into a spaghetti shape and air dried. Also the variety of our black bean has a different micro nutrition profile than US black bean.
Sent from my iPhone
We have been doing 1/2 cup cooked without any problems — good weight loss results. I hope this helps!
Just wanted to chime in, in support of the pasta, because I am very sensitive to carbs and yet these don’t feel like they have much in them. They physically feel the same way as my old protein bars, which were 20g protein, 20g carbs. Maybe even less, really.
Thanks for chiming in, especially with such a positive comment! xoxo
I just whipped up a batch of salsa noodles.
Tummy growling…hmm whats fast. Black bean noodles 6-8 minutes.
I discovered a quick way to make any pasta add a little water turn on heat add noodles when warm and let them boil away.
Once something is in that small amount of water (covering the noodles)it makes water heat faster.
Ok while waiting for the 6-8 minutes…food processor chopped onions, jalapeño, green peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, cilantro.
Drain noodles, I catch the water the girlz love it ( hens) protein water!
Olive oil in the pan heat add chopped veggies add noodles add some cheese…wha la.
10 minute ole’ ! 🙂 enjoy!
Thank you so much Karen for this quick method of making pasta. Your recipe truly does sound “tummy growling!” xoxo