NEW RECIPE: One Pot Coconut Curry Pasta (Vegan and Gluten-Free!)

When I started my undergraduate career at UC Davis, I wasn't a food scientist, food blogger, or food anything. I was a pre-med student who enjoyed cooking. After a culinary competition vaulted me onto the food science track, I've met so many people who love food just as much or more than I do and learned many ways that food is heading towards the future.

Everything that I've learned about food came to a fitting conclusion for my UC Davis tenure last week. (For those of you that don't know, I'll be heading to Southern California for school in the fall, so my time at Davis will be coming to an end.) This past weekend, I competed in the UC Davis Food Science Graduate Student Association's Food Championship with people from many backgrounds of my life who love food just as much as I do: A nutrition student with a killer Instagram on cleaned-up food recipes (@fooddhism, give her a follow!), a friend of mine from church group with a strong passion for food, and a fellow food science student. Together, we bonded through the intense culinary competitions, field games, and trivia. We ultimately won the competition, which made a full circle for me since it was winning a food competition that inspired me onto the food science track in the first place. 

This recipe ties into all of that because this was the last recipe our group came up with - with a few twists that extend outside of the competition rules. The goal of the recipe was to make a fast, hearty meal for the end of the day. This meal is quick, delicious, and very healthy. By being very simple to make, it makes for a perfect lazy night meal! 

Recipe serves 6-8 people.

Ingredients:

1 package Thai red rice pasta (any short pasta also works, but this one is gluten-free and plays into the Thai coconut curry flavors)
6 Cromini mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 large yellow zucchini/summer squash, diced
2 cups kale
8 oz tofu, sliced
3 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup water (or vegetable stock)

Cooking/Assembling:

1) Stir together the coconut milk, curry powder, and soy sauce in a mixing bowl.

2) In a large pot, pour in your uncooked pasta. Arrange the vegetables and tofu in the way you want to serve your pasta.

3) Add in your liquids, and bring up to a boil while the pot is covered.

4) When the pot is boiling, cook the pasta according to package instructions uncovered.

This meal is quick to make, and packs a ton of nutrients in a healthy but hearty way. It's a great last minute meal with the wonderful flavors of curry and a variety of vegetables and proteins! This meal can be customized however you like - orzo pasta, chicken, tomatoes, and whatever other vegetables, grains, and proteins you want! The point is that it's a quick meal that is easy to make and clean! 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =)