Coconut Thyme Pasta
Plant based, creamy goodness
This recipe is so quick to make, that you don’t even need to meal prep the pasta sauce! (But you still totally could if you wanted an ultra fast dinner or lunch) It’s also made with simple, everyday ingredients, so no running to the grocery store for a specific ingredient - SCORE!
Coconut cream is a great (dairy free) way to add creaminess to a recipe. Healthy fats?- check, Delicious coconut flavour? - check, anti fungal properties?- check. Healthy fats will help to slow down digestion of the pasta ( which is a good thing!), this can reduce the amount of glucose going to the blood at once, that could encourage a blood sugar spike, and then drop. Byebye blood-sugar rollercoaster.
Thyme can be used as a digestive aid, cough and sore throat remedy and antiseptic. Thyme can be used in teas, as well as oil, but should not be used during pregnancy, unless as a seasoning.
I love adding veggies to my pastas as another way to sneak them in. Getting in that 4-5 cups a day isn’t always easy! I’ve tried adding diced bell peppers to this sauce, and while good, gives it a bit of a sweeter taste. I like using leafy greens the best, because they do no add any sort of flavour (not even bitterness from the kale!). Leafy greens like kale provide calcium, which has found to be more absorbable by the body than the calcium in milk. some key nutrients found in kale are fibre, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamin C and B vitamins. It is important not to over cook your kale, as some key vitamins, like B and C, can be destroyed by heat.
Coconut Thyme Pasta
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 3 cups sauce
ingredients
1.5 cups finely diced yellow onion.
1 tbsp dried Thyme
1 tbsp garlic cloves (pressed or minced)
1.5 cans of coconut cream (full fat, not light) - you’ll be adding 1 whole can, and just the solidified cream from the second can
1 tbsp dijon mustard, I use Maison Orphee organic old fashioned raw mustard
0.5 tbsp Brags soya sauce, or tamari
3-4 handfuls of chopped and stemmed kale, or whole fresh spinach leaves
1-2 pinches of red pepper flakes to taste *optional
1 bag Tinkyada rice pasta, or favourite pasta brand, or zucchini noodles (the options are endless!)
garnish with fresh thyme and a squeeze of lemon, if that’s your thing
method
In a frying pan add a little bit of oil (I use coconut), add onion and thyme and sauté over low heat until onions are translucent. you do not want your onions to crisp up, so if they start drying out, reduce the heat.
Once onions are translucent add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add full can of coconut cream, and JUST the solid cream from a second can. (set the left over water aside and add to smoothies, or freeze)
Begin to stir and turn heat up to medium
Once fully combined, add in mustard and soya sauce, continuing to stir while it thickens.
Depending what brand of mustard and soya sauce you use, you may need to add a little more of each, keep tasting and adding in a little extra at a time, if needed. Turn to low while you prepare your pasta.
Place your pasta in a pot and cook according to package. stir the pasta
Wash and prepare your greens, and add them in, constantly stirring until they are wilted.
Once pasta is cooked, add to the sauce
Add your red chili flakes to taste, and plate with a lemon!