I Gave Meghan Markle’s Viral Pasta Recipe a High-Protein Makeover—and Kept It to Just One Pot

Easy dinner recipes can be your savior on busy weeknights, so it’s no surprise that Meghan Markle’s one-pot pasta recipe from her new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, has struck a chord with the masses. On the surface, the creamy tomato dish with citrusy greens has all the makings of a dinner that seems too good to be true—minimal prep, a handful of ingredients, and only one pot to clean up afterward—so naturally lots of folks are skeptical.

To be fair, that’s totally understandable, because who among us hasn’t at some point been burned by a so-called simple recipe? Often they’re either not as much of a no-brainer as they seem or they really are that low-maintenance, but majorly lacking in the flavor or nutrition department. It’s no wonder so many have trust issues surrounding the topic.

For my part, I wasn’t really worried about how Meghan’s pasta recipe was going to taste because it wasn’t the first time I had encountered a dish like it. I’d already tried the version from Martha Stewart, as well as the original Italian dish known as pasta all’assassina (or, more cheekily, assassin’s pasta) which serves as the inspiration for both of those recipes. So when I first made Meghan’s one-pan pasta recipe, I knew that it would deliver on all the important culinary fronts: flavor, texture, and ease of preparation.

What I was worried about, though, was how it stacked up nutritionally. That’s because, aside from a few grams in the Parmesan, the recipe is noticeably lacking in protein, a macronutrient that greatly contributes to satiety. While I was pretty sure the dish would shake out deliciously, I had doubts that it would actually fill me up.

Generally, registered dietitians recommend shooting for at least 20 grams of protein for each meal, though the number can rise depending on factors like activity level, size, or muscle mass. Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD, of Street Smart Nutrition, tells SELF that Meghan’s recipe likely comes in just under that, at an estimated 15 grams or so of protein per five-ounce serving. It’s hard to know for sure the exact nutritional profile, though, because Meghan didn’t provide specific ingredient measurements or serving sizes (and the versions online vary in small to large degrees), so keep in mind it’s just an estimation. That being said, odds are this dish isn’t going to leave everyone (myself included) feeling satisfied.

But the allure of a pasta dish that’s quick, easy, and tasty was too strong to move on from. So I got to thinking, What if there was a way to have my pasta—and plenty of protein too?

After all, Meghan’s one-pot pasta recipe was pretty simple, and the blueprint it was built upon is infinitely versatile. So I figured there had to be an ingredient that you could throw in with the others, one that required no additional work or lengthy cook times—a magic bullet, if you will, to round out this otherwise impressively easy dish.

Harbstreet had a few ideas: shredded rotisserie chicken, canned fish like salmon, mackerel, or trout, and precooked frozen shrimp—all of which are relatively neutral in flavor, won’t drastically change the way this dish tastes, and add little to no work to the existing recipe. I hesitated over the first option. It’s a good one if you already have a rotisserie chicken on hand, but I didn’t, and the thought of going to the extra effort of procuring a bird and carving it felt like it kind of defeated the purpose.

Both the canned fish and shrimp promised to be equally easy additions, and I actually already had frozen shrimp in my freezer. So I decided to take that rec and set out to proteinify my pasta.

Audrey Bruno

First, the pre-prep: You gotta defrost your shrimp. The best way to do it? Simply transfer your prawns to the fridge the night before cooking so they have plenty of time to warm up to the right temp without any safety risks. While that’s the best way, it’s not the only way, and if you, um, forgot this step existed until roughly 20 minutes before dinner time (guilty here), you can still make it work. I let my shrimp sit under cold, running water for the two minutes it took to start my chopping, and it worked perfectly fine.

While my shrimp were thawing, I started slicing a couple cloves of garlic and halving a pint of cherry tomatoes; I added them to a hot, wide-rimmed pot (though you can also use a deep pan) with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. When the garlic and tomatoes became translucent, I put eight ounces of spaghetti on top, and filled it with enough broth to just barely cover it. I covered it, and set a timer for eight minutes. (This timing can vary depending on how long your pasta takes to cook. Mine had a 12-minute cook time, but if yours is at 10, you’ll want to let it simmer for six minutes in this step). After that, the pasta was very al dente—you don’t want it fully tender because there’s still more cooking to come.

Audrey Bruno

While the pasta was cooking, I cut up my greens. Meghan’s one-pot pasta recipe uses rainbow chard, but I’ve seen plenty of iterations that swap it—kale, spinach, arugula, you name it—so don’t be afraid to use what you have or to opt for something pre-chopped so you can skip this step. I couldn’t find rainbow chard, but I did find a half a head of Swiss chard and it worked equally well.

When my timer for the pasta went off, I placed the greens on top and covered it with the lid until they steamed and shrunk. Then I added the now defrosted shrimp, re-covered the pot, and allowed them to steam along with the other ingredients for an extra two minutes. My shrimp were precooked, but you’ll know they’re ready to eat when they’ve shrunk slightly. Using raw shrimp? In that case, they’re good to go once they’ve turned pink.

Last but not least, it was time to swirl in the Parmesan. Along with a bit of extra protein, this ingredient has the added bonus of emulsifying the remaining liquid into a thicker, creamier sauce. I removed the lid and added my cheese, stirring to combine and simmering for a couple of additional minutes until the sauce coated the pasta. And before I knew it, dinner was served.

Audrey Bruno

All in all, my cook time only increased by a couple minutes, but the payout was a new grand total of 35 grams of protein per five-ounce serving, per Harbstreet’s estimations. Compared to how I felt after eating the normal version the night before, the results were conclusive: I was full and happy all night long.

Don’t feel (spaghetti) boxed into using shellfish just because I did, though. “Meghan’s approach to cooking is just that: approachable, so my best tips are to shop for protein-rich additions within your budget and taste preferences,” Harbstreet says. For instance, canned fish is arguably a simpler and more cost-effective option, and adding three ounces of canned salmon will boost the protein per serving by 18 grams. If you’re going this route, simply crack open the can and add it to the pot at the last minute to warm the fish through, she says. You don’t want to cook it too long, since its delicate texture might start to flake apart.

Or maybe you’re more likely to have rotisserie chicken on hand—or, hell, even a grilled chicken thigh or breast left over from a barbecue—so that might be the better pick for you. Follow your appetite and trust that this tried-and-true noodle dish will take you where you want to go. After all, you never know what’s pastable until you try.

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