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It's finally summer: lots of colorful fruit and vegetables await us - we're about to pounce on the very best tomatoes and turn them into a delicious summer pasta salad! Not only does it taste wonderful, but its many different types of vegetables make it particularly high in fiber and therefore a hit with the intestinal flora. But one thing at a time, first we'll show you what our pasta salad does for your gut bacteria and then there's the simple recipe to follow!
Why the gut flora loves our pasta salad
Our pasta salad contains six different vegetables: zucchinis, carrots, spinach, basil, cherry tomatoes and oxheart tomatoes. Each of these varieties is full of different types of fiber, also known as prebiotics. These prebiotics are fertilizer for the intestinal bacteria - the more fibre there is, the more different bacteria are promoted. This makes your microbiome more diverse and that's exactly what you need! A diverse microbiome, i.e. an intestinal flora consisting of many different bacteria, is healthy and stable against stress factors. Conclusion: the more fiber you eat, the healthier your microbiome will be. (1)
This delicious pasta salad is full of healthy fiber - your intestinal flora will be happy.
But we didn't just think about fiber when choosing the vegetables, but also for the pasta. We use protein pasta made from chickpea and lentil flour. These types of pasta are not only gluten-free, but also rich in protein and fiber. When selecting the ingredients, we also made sure to buy fresh, local produce - which is not only good for your gut, but also for the environment! And don't forget, seasonal vegetables are ripe and therefore taste so much better.
Ingredients
For 3 people
vegetarian, gluten-free
Preparation time approx. 20 minutes
You need these delicious ingredients for our refreshing pasta salad.
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250 g Pasta: penne oder spirelli made from chickpea and lentil flour (gluten-free), to wholemeal flour as an alternative
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250 g colorful cherry tomatoes
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1 Ooxheart tomatoe
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250 g fresh spinach
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1 large carrot
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1 small zucchini
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1 handful of fresh basil
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1 organic lemon
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100 g sheep's cream cheese or mozzarella
- 1 handful walnuts
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olive oil, salt, pepper
Preparation
Start by boiling the pasta water and cook the pasta in it according to the instructions on the packet. As soon as it is ready, strain and leave to cool.
Don't these colorful cherry tomatoes just look wonderful?
In the meantime, let's take care of the rest of the ingredients. To do this, wash all the vegetables. First, puree the oxheart tomato with three to four cherry tomatoes in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper, half the basil, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. This makes a delicious cold tomato sauce for our pasta salad.
Cut the remaining cherry tomatoes into quarters and peel thin slices off the carrot and zucchini with a vegetable peeler. It looks beautiful!
Cut the cheese into bite-sized pieces. Now we can mix everything together. Mix the delicious tomato sauce with the cooled pasta. Then add the tomatoes, zucchinis, carrots, spinach, remaining basil and cheese and fold all the ingredients in well. That's it!
Arrange the pasta salad on a plate and sprinkle with a few walnuts. Enjoy in the shade with a cool glass of water! This is the way to live.
Not just a visual eye-catcher: this delicious, refreshing pasta salad also goes wonderfully with barbecued food!
References
- Makki K, Deehan EC, Walter J, Bäckhed F. The Impact of Dietary Fiber on Gut Microbiota in Host Health and Disease. Cell Host Microbe. 2018;23(6):705-715.
