Everyone loves pasta. But because it’s a refined carb, too much of it too often will cause weight gain. The problem is we’ve all lost perspective on what a serving size of pasta looks like. It’s way smaller than you think! One serving of pasta is 2 ounces—one-eighth of a box. Those 2 ounces have 200 calories and about 42 grams of carbs. So it’s easy to see how fattening pasta can be since most people eat at least twice that much. I’ve been to restaurants that serve what looks like a half a pound of pasta as a single serving. . .

The way to eat pasta is to treat it like a condiment, not the star of the meal. Combine it with loads of veggies and/or legumes so that 2 ounces is really filling and the dish is really healthy.

A great example of an ideal pasta dish is this one from Yotam Ottolenghi. It’s honestly the first time I’ve come across a pasta recipe that calls for a half-pound of pasta to serve 4 people. It has loads of chickpeas, a good amount of fresh baby spinach and an unusual combination of spices and flavors that makes it both interesting and delicious. I used Sfoglini brand organic pasta, my current favorite. The recipe calls for gigli, which is just a wavy-edge pasta. I used trumpets; orecchiette or shells would work too. Don’t leave out the anchovies—they do NOT make the dish fishy but add a little salty bite (plus a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids). I used a lot less thyme than he called for because I only had about an 1/8 cup worth and didn’t feel like going to the store. But using the full 1/2 cup will probably be smart, I’ve never been disappointed by Ottolenghi’s recipes. This is from his most recent book, Simple.

Ottolenghi’s Gigli with Chickpeas and Za’atar

3 TBSP olive oil, plus more for serving

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 cup thyme leaves, finely chopped

7 anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped

1 lemon, finely grate peel of half and juice rest to yield 2 TBSP

Salt and black pepper

2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tsp brown sugar

1 2/3 cups chicken stock

7-8 oz gigli pasta (or another shape)

2 oz baby spinach

3/4 cup chopped parsley

1 1/2 tsp za’atar

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan on high and add onion, garlic, cumin, thyme, anchovies, lemon peel, 1/2 tsp salt and a grind of pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Decrease heat to medium and add chickpeas and sugar; cook 8 minutes. Add stock and lemon juice and cook 6 minutes, until sauce reduces a bit. Remove from heat.
Cook pasta for about 8 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
Add spinach and parsley to chickpeas and stir until spinach wilts. Add pasta and stir to combine. Divide among 4 bowls and top each with a sprinkle or za’atar and a drizzle of olive oil.

The Right Way to Eat Pasta