Nuts, seeds and grains
High protein pasta on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 22 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), chickpea or lentil pasta, dry, for around 350 calories. A small serve, weighed dry, about 80 g (2.8 oz), gives roughly 18 g of protein for 280 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from high protein pasta alone you would need about 136 g (4.8 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How high protein pasta sits on a GLP-1
Pasta made from chickpeas or red lentils carries about 22 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz) dry, nearly double ordinary wheat pasta at about 13 g. It cooks to a softer, slightly grainy texture that breaks more easily and goes mushy if it is overcooked, and it has a mild bean flavour that a sauce covers. On a GLP-1 that softness is a plus, and the higher protein means a small bowl does more. A small serve is still a filling bowl, so it needs a sauce that carries protein rather than a big pile of plain pasta.
When your appetite is small
Weigh 60 g (2 oz) dry, not the 100 g a packet suggests, and cook it a minute under the packet time. That is about 13 g from the pasta, and a small bowl of it with 80 g (2.8 oz) of beef mince in tomato sauce and parmesan on top is about 38 g. Half of that bowl, saved for later, is still a real stop.
Three ways to prepare it
Small shapes in a wet bolognese
Chickpea shells or penne in a bolognese made with extra passata. The sauce keeps the pasta soft and the mince carries the meal.
Cooked, drained and stirred through tinned tuna and lemon
Warm pasta, a tin of tuna, lemon, olive oil and parsley. About 35 g in a small bowl and no cooking beyond the pasta.
Cold in a lunch box with feta and cherry tomatoes
Chickpea pasta holds up cold. A small container with feta, tomato and olives is about 20 g and travels well.
What to eat it with
Mince, tuna, chicken, feta, ricotta, parmesan. A tomato or pesto sauce with a real protein in it. High protein pasta with only a jar of sauce is a better bowl than wheat pasta and still short of a stop.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High protein pasta | about 22 g | 350 kcal | this page |
| Lentils | about 9 g | 115 kcal | See the page |
| Chickpeas | about 8 g | 150 kcal | See the page |
| Beef mince | about 26 g | 180 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, chickpea or lentil pasta, dry, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Chickpea, red lentil and pulse pasta in all three countries. Banza is the big US chickpea brand; UK and Australian supermarkets sell red lentil and chickpea pasta under their own labels and brands such as San Remo Pulse Pasta in Australia. Protein pasta made from wheat with added gluten or egg sits lower, around 15 to 18 g per 100 g (3.5 oz) dry.
Questions people ask
Is chickpea pasta really high in protein?
Yes, about 20 to 25 g per 100 g (3.5 oz) dry against about 13 g for wheat pasta, though it is still not a complete protein on its own. A small 60 g (2 oz) dry serve gives about 13 g, and the sauce should carry the rest.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.