But clean eating be damned, we all crave comfort food—physically and emotionally—probably more than anything else in our diet. The fact that we long for comfort food but often restrict ourselves is, of course, nothing new. We try to balance it out or find ways to make our favorite recipes a little bit healthier. There are entire cookbooks devoted to that purpose, and they’re godsends. But one trend is changing the game for good. Banza, the No. 1 pasta brand at Whole Foods, makes its pasta out of chickpeas. Their orange boxes of pasta, rice, and mac and cheese mimic the flavor of traditional pasta while providing extra nutritional benefits like more protein and fiber. While traditional pasta contains only 13 g of protein, Banza’s pasta contains 23 g of protein with twice the amount of fiber per serving and fewer net carbs. Plus, the texture of chickpea pasta is on point, too. Who can forget when gluten-free pasta first hit the market? The gummy-ish textures just didn’t satisfy a true pasta lover’s craving for that al dente chew. Now that pasta night has finally gotten healthier, we can indulge in a comforting bowl of noods whenever we want, guilt-free. Stock up on angel hair, ziti, rice, mac and cheese, and whatever falls under your comfort food shortlist. And if you need inspiration for dinner tonight, check out one of our favorite Banza recipes below!
