Penne with goat's cheese and pine nuts
Many keen exercisers don't realise that one of the key elements to improving their performance is rest and recovery. The body is able to recover much more efficiently if you eat within an hour or so of finishing your workout. This is the peak time for the body to metabolise and store nutrients, which will replenish energy stores and help the muscles repair and become stronger. This means you need a dish that is simple to make and will be ready in minutes when you get home. This pasta dish fits the bill perfectly. The pasta provides carbohydrate to top up muscle energy stores and the goat's cheese provides easy-to-digest protein that will help muscles develop. The pine nuts are a rich source of zinc, also needed for muscle growth.
Ingredients
Per portion: 485 kcal, 20g protein, 16g fat, 70g carbohydrate
500g cherry tomatoes
Spray of olive oil
25g pine nuts
1 jar of artichoke hearts, drained
1 large jar of tomato and chilli sauce
300g penne pasta
100g goat's cheese, diced
Fresh basil leaves
Method
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and gently move around the pan for 3-4 minutes so they start to collapse. Add the pine nuts and cook for another 3 minutes, keeping everything moving to avoid burning.
Meanwhile, boil the penne according to the packet instructions.
Add the artichoke hearts and sauce to the tomatoes, heat through and allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Then stir in the goat's cheese and basil leaves and heat for a further minute. Serve with the pasta.
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