Pasta Salad with Mango & Roast Beef
Mango in a pasta salad with roast beef sounds like two cuisines competing for the same bowl. It works because the fruit’s sweetness plays against the peppery arugula and salty mozzarella — a contrast that makes every forkful different from the last.
Cold-rinsed whole wheat penne holds it all together. 783 kcal, 37g of protein, 83g of carbs from eight ingredients and 15 minutes.
Mango in a pasta salad with roast beef sounds like two cuisines competing for the same bowl. It works because the fruit’s sweetness plays against the peppery arugula and salty mozzarella — a contrast that makes every forkful different from the last.
Cold-rinsed whole wheat penne holds it all together. 783 kcal, 37g of protein, 83g of carbs from eight ingredients and 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- mango chunks (frozen) 4 ounces
- penne, whole wheat 3 ounces
- bell pepper 1
- cucumber 0.5
- mozzarella, low-moisture part skim 1.5 ounces
- roast beef 4 slices
- arugula 1 handful
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
Method
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Let the mango pieces thaw.
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Cook the penne according to the package instructions. Then rinse with cold water, let it drain in a colander and add it to a large bowl.
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Dice the bell pepper and cucumber. Cut the mozzarella into pieces. Halve the slices of roast beef. Add this along with the arugula and mango to the bowl with the pasta. Drizzle the salad with oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss together.
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Serve the pasta salad on a plate.
Rinsing the penne with cold water in Step 2 does more than stop the cooking. When cooked pasta cools down, part of the starch changes structure and becomes harder for your gut to break down — researchers call it resistant starch. Since this salad is served cold, that structure stays intact.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Why does the recipe say to rinse the pasta with cold water?
Rinsing stops the cooking and cools the penne for a cold salad, but it also triggers a structural change in the starch. When cooked pasta cools down, some of the starch re-crystallizes into resistant starch — a form that passes through the small intestine largely undigested. Since this salad is served cold, that structure stays intact.
Read the full evidence reviewIs 37 grams of protein enough for one meal?
The old fitness-culture belief that the body maxes out at 20–30g of protein per meal has been challenged by more recent research. At 37g from roast beef and mozzarella, this salad lands well inside the window studies have connected to muscle protein synthesis.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use regular pasta instead of whole wheat?
Yes — the recipe works with any short pasta shape. Whole wheat penne adds 11g of fiber to the meal and holds its texture better when cold-rinsed, but regular penne or fusilli will work fine.
Does the olive oil do anything besides add flavor?
The olive oil provides the fat that the orange and red pigments in mango and bell pepper need to be absorbed in the gut. These pigments — collectively called carotenoids — dissolve in fat, not water. Without the olive oil drizzle, a large portion of them would pass through the digestive system without being used.
Read the full evidence review
