[nineteen]

Add white beans to it.

Just take canned white beans, drain them, and rinse them under hot water. Then just add to whatever pasta dish you're eating. They're high in protein and fiber and you can get full on a lot less pasta this way.

Hope you like it

[Fat Chick B Gone]

Wow what a brilliant idea. I bet they don't change the taste too much either do they?
Did you cook the beans first? (I've never had white beans, not sure what normal cooking would be)

~Heather

[audreymonroe]

What a fantastic idea! Thanks!!!!

[taragettingthin]

As Heather asked, I was also wondering if you cook the beans..?

[SassySar81]

Also...if you are eating pasta with sauce I saw this on TLC's "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" when she had an healthy living expert come....

She said to Bulk up your pasta sauce. Sauté (with non-fat cooking spray of course) veggies like bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli or whatever veggies you like and add them to the sauce. It is healthy and fills you up faster.

[nineteen]

Yeah it's definitely a great idea to bulk up your pasta sauce with veggies.

As for the beans...if they're canned (and there's nothing wrong with canned beans!), no cooking is necessary...all you need to do is just put 'em in a stainer, and rinse them with hot water (to remove the salt and heat them up).

Such a simple and easy thing to do, and it makes a huge difference.

I know you may not think you'd like beans in your pasta, but I think they give it a nice meaty texture and are really quite nice. There are different types of white beans, so you may want to experiment to find a kind you like. (I like Great Northern beans, personally).

[Fat Chick B Gone]

Thanks, I'll give it a shot - Pasta is quite possibly the love of my life. I do everything I can to make it as healthy as possible but it's not going anywhere!

On a side note - spaghetti squash is an awesome substitute for noodles when it's in season, and this is from a bona fide pasta lover.

[mayness]

I usually keep a can or two of canellini beans in the cupboard for pasta! My favorite is adding beans, a can of artichoke hearts, and (thawed) frozen broccoli. Yum, now I want pasta for lunch, hahaha.

[meowee]

I've read about replacing 1/2 the usual amount of pasta with cauliflower, but haven't tried it -- definitely works for stretching mashed potatoes.