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DinnerMediterranean · 20 min · 2 servingsPasta integral con requesón, espinacas y limón

Whole-wheat pasta with ricotta, spinach, and lemon

Each serving has 380 kcal, 23.2 g of protein, and 6 g of fiber, or 6.1 g of protein per 100 kcal. Ready in 20 minutes; makes 2 servings.

  • High in protein
  • High in fiber
  • Easy to digest
  • Nutritious in small servings

Per serving

  • 380 kcalCalories
  • 23.2 gProtein
  • 6 gFiber

Calculated ingredient by ingredient from USDA FoodData Central. 6.1 g of protein per 100 kcal.

Whole-wheat pasta with ricotta, spinach, and lemon, seen from above
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Ingredients

2 servings

Plus, with no meaningful nutrition (not counted in the table):

  • Salted water for cooking the pasta
  • Garlic (1 clove)
  • Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Nutmeg and pepper to taste

Weights are for each food as described on its page: raw, cooked, or drained, as noted. Grams are the reference used for the math; ounces and cups are rounded US equivalents.

Directions

  1. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package, until tender, and save about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wide skillet and cook the chopped garlic over low heat for 1 minute.
  3. Add the spinach and stir for 2 minutes, until wilted.
  4. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the ricotta, lemon zest, nutmeg, and a few tablespoons of the cooking water until creamy.
  5. Add the drained pasta and toss; add more cooking water if needed.
  6. Serve with the Parmesan, pepper, and a few drops of lemon juice.

Why it is filling

Ricotta makes a creamy sauce with no heavy cream and supplies most of the protein in the dish. Spinach cooks down a lot and adds volume and water for very few calories, and a modest amount of whole-wheat pasta adds fiber. It is a soft, warm dinner that, on a GLP-1 medication, usually sits better than pasta in a rich sauce.

In numbers, each serving has 23.2 g of protein and 6 g of fiber, with an energy density of 131 kcal per 100 g of the dish. In the satiety index by Holt and colleagues (1995), the foods that were most filling per calorie were those with more protein, fiber, and water and less fat.

High in protein
At least 15 g of protein per serving and 6 g per 100 kcal.
High in fiber
At least 5 g of fiber per serving, a fifth of EFSA’s 25 g daily reference.
Easy to digest
A soft dish with little fat (20 g or less per serving) and no large amounts of ingredients that often cause gas or nausea. This is an editorial call, not a measurement.
Nutritious in small servings
A serving of 300 g (about 10.5 oz) or less with at least 10 g of protein: a lot of nutrition in a small volume.

If your appetite is small

  • If your appetite is small, serve yourself more sauce and less pasta: the protein is in the ricotta.
  • Small pasta shapes, like elbows or short macaroni, take less effort to eat.

Nutrition facts

Values per serving and for the whole recipe (2 servings), calculated from the ingredients. Protein per 100 kcal: 6.1 g.
NutrientPer servingWhole recipe
Calories380 kcal759 kcal
Protein23.2 g46.3 g
Carbohydrates43.7 g87.4 g
Fiber6 g12 g
Fat14.2 g28.4 g
Approximate weight290 g (10 oz)580 g (20 oz)

How it is calculated

Each ingredient contributes its per-100 g values from the site’s food database, multiplied by the amount in the recipe. Seasonings, water, and lemon or lime juice are not counted. It is an approximation: the actual size of the foods and how you cook them shift the result a little.

What each ingredient contributes to the whole recipe.
IngredientAmountCaloriesProteinFiber
Cooked whole-wheat pasta240 g358 kcal14.4 g9.4 g
Part-skim ricotta200 g276 kcal22.8 g0 g
Spinach120 g28 kcal3.4 g2.6 g
Parmesan16 g63 kcal5.7 g0 g
Olive oil4 g35 kcal0 g0 g

To plan your meals

More recipes

See all recipes

Sources

Nutrition values for each ingredient (USDA FoodData Central) and the satiety reference, with the access date.

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Pasta, whole-wheat, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) (FDC ID 168910).accessed .
  2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, ricotta, part skim milk (FDC ID 171248).accessed .
  3. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Spinach, raw (FDC ID 168462).accessed .
  4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Cheese, parmesan, hard (FDC ID 170848).accessed .
  5. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC ID 171413).accessed .
  6. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (PubMed).Holt SH, Miller JC, Petocz P, Farmakalidis E. A satiety index of common foods. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1995;49(9):675-90.accessed .