This cowboy bean pasta is a high protein lunch or dinner, made with 3 types of beans, pantry pasta, and loaded with fresh vegetables & spices! A healthy high protein pasta and bean with canned beans and fresh or frozen veggies that is ready in about 30 minutes.
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I’ve been making tons of new beans recipes lately, and this cowboy bean pasta has been one of my favorites. Cowboy or Cowgirl, we’re all for equality here! It’s a hearty and plant-based dinner that comes together quickly, and will keep you full all day. This recipe is high in fiber and protein, and has a great texture from using 3 different kinds of beans. This stew is like meatless chili, but has a fun southwest flavor from the barbecue sauce.
This Cowboy Bean Pasta Recipe Is:
- Smoky
- Sweet
- Hearty
- Satisfying
- Loaded with Vegetables
- Flavorful
- A great recipe to use up canned beans
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and high protein
Meal Prep Bean and Pasta Recipes For the Win!
This cowboy bean pasta is the perfect recipe for healthy homemade meal prep. I am a huge fan of meal prepping, batch cooking, and making recipes ahead. I love the convenience of cooking once and being able to enjoy healthy homemade meals during the week when I don’t have time. There’s a whole section of TheHerbeevore.com dedicated to my favorite tried & true meal prep recipes. With just a little planning and prep, you can have a week’s worth of recipes ready in the time it would take to make one portion. Just batch cook, divide into individual containers, and place in the fridge or freezer for later! I also made a list of my favorite meal prep products on Amazon that I use weekly. They make cooking easy peasy.
What’s In This Vegetarian Cowboy Pasta Recipe?
- Macaroni Noodles: to make this gluten free, these awesome GF macaroni pasta noodles work perfect in this recipe. If you aren’t gluten free, then you can use normal macaroni, whole wheat, or a veggie pasta.
- Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity Zoe olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s really inexpensive online here, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry. For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
- Onion
- Garlic: I use fresh garlic when I have it, and this great jarred organic garlic when I don’t have fresh. It’s actually super convenient to have pre-chopped garlic on hand for quick and easy meal prep.
- Pinto Beans: are super creamy and protein-rich addition to this chili. I like these low sodium beans which are great because they are healthy, boxed (aka eco-friendly!) and sustainably packaged.
- No Salt Added Kidney Beans: These boxed kidney beans are a really fantastic alternative to canned beans. I only use no salt or low sodium beans which gives this dish a really great flavor without the salt.
- No Salt Added White Beans: like the kidney beans above, these low sodium cannellini beans are a great addition to this soup.
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Diced Tomatoes: I only use no salt added diced tomatoes, these boxed tomatoes are really great to stock up on! I like boxed tomatoes better because they are BPA free and more eco-friendly than aluminum cans. If you haven’t read about the dangers of consuming foods stored in BPA cans, head over to Nutrition Facts to read more.
- Bell Pepper
- Corn
- Reduced Sodium Vegetable Stock or Bouillon: I love this low sodium vegetable base for my recipes because it has a great flavor and is lower in sodium. I only develop my recipes with low sodium ingredients so the ingredients shine. You can always add salt to a recipe if it needs it, but it’s almost impossible to take it out! By starting with a low sodium broth or bouillon, you can build bright vibrant flavors and add more salt later if needed.
- BBQ Sauce: We absolutely love this fantastic BBQ sauce that you can find on Amazon… I like this one you can get online here! It has a nice spiciness and isn’t too sweet – perfect for this recipe.It’s vegan, gluten free, paleo, naturally sweet – so it gets the OK for my pantry.
- Jalapeno
Easy Dinner Recipes with Frozen Vegetables
I used a few frozen vegetables (bell pepper and corn) for this recipe instead of fresh produce. Frozen produce is a great option for finding fresh and flavorful vegetables in the off season. By using freezer ingredients, I can stock up when they are on sale, and use them in all kinds of great dishes. It saves me a trip to the store, and I can add amazing veggies right into the recipe. Frozen vegetables are often picked at peak ripeness, so they are a much better option than canned. Check out all my recipes that use Freezer Ingredients on The Herbeevore – great for those nights when you want dinner ready fast! And check out my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples for long-lasting staples that I always keep on hand.
One of the BEST Pantry Staple Pasta and Beans Recipes
This vegetarian cowboy pasta recipe is a fantastic pantry-staple meal! It uses almost all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards – most of which you probably have on hand. Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious and healthy meals using a few staples you can rotate. I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep stocked. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple ingredients in my Amazon shop here. By stocking up on healthy whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!
How Do I Make Vegan Cowboy Pasta and Beans?
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over low heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the beans, chili powder, onion powder, diced tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, vegetable stock, and barbecue sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes over low heat.
- After the beans have cooked for 30 minutes and the veggies have softened, stir in the barbecue sauce and the cooked pasta. Test and adjust seasoning to taste.
- When ready to serve, top with jalapenos if desired and enjoy!
Other Healthy High Protein Beans Recipes You’ll Love
Get the Same Ingredients I Use for My Vegan Cowboy Pasta Recipe:
Cowboy Bean Pasta (Vegan, GF)
This cowboy bean pasta is a healthy high protein lunch or dinner, made with pinto, navy, and kidney beans and loaded with fresh vegetables & spices! A healthy high protein recipe with canned beans and fresh or frozen veggies that is ready in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce box pasta gluten free, I used macaroni noodles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 14 ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 14 ounce can navy beans drained and rinsed
- 1 14 ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 cup corn
- 4 cups water or vegetable stock
- 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 jalapeno sliced
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over low heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the beans, chili powder, onion powder, diced tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, vegetable stock, and barbecue sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes over low heat.
- After the beans has cooked for 30 minutes and the veggies have softened, stir in the barbecue sauce and the pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
- When ready to serve, top with jalapenos and dairy free cheddar if desired and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 251kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 11gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 774mgPotassium: 601mgFiber: 9gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 645IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 3mg
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This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Herbeevore and our beehives!