Fuel Your Workouts with a Thai Twist on Coconut Pasta

We're primed to hack it on the race course after a helluva long year. Are you? Sure, true to your unstoppable grit, determination, and perseverance, you've done your best to stay OCR-ready while sheltering at home. But with Spartan races back in full swing, it's time to clean up your nutrition program and ditch poor pandemic habits once and for all. In partnership with Renaissance Periodization, we created a four-part MACROS 101 series to optimize your nutrition so you can get faster, stronger, and prevent injury. Download the free nutrition plan and use these healthy recipes to inspire your next meal. We've got you covered for your most EPIC return to racing ever. AROO!

If you're sick of the same old pasta dishes, this one will blow your mind. A rich, spicy coconut sauce provides bold flavor for daring Spartans dying to branch out from traditional Italian. This twist on Thai is super simple to make in a matter of minutes. Try it with just about any kind of pasta, and get creative with the spices.

"This is such an easy and unique pasta dish," says Nick Shaw, co-founder of Renaissance Periodization and nutrition coach to OCR elites, CrossFit champions, UFC fighters, Navy SEALs, Olympians and more. "If you like making Thai food, you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry already. I used whole grain spaghetti here to max your quality carbs, but you could just as easily use high-protein edamame pasta in this dish to reduce carbs and sneak in some protein.

Pro Tip: Don't feel like pasta loading tonight? Try the sauce over spiralized veggies, Shaw recommends.

Instructions:

Cook pasta in salted water, according to box directions.
Drain, reserving at least 1 cup pasta water.
In a large high-sided sauté pan, combine coconut milk, garlic powder, ginger, hot sauce, fish sauce and red chili past.
Heat until simmering and continue to reduce and thicken coconut sauce, about 2 minutes.
Add pasta back to the pasta pot.
Pour coconut sauce over and gently toss to thoroughly coat the strands.
Plate and top with fresh chopped cilantro and onions.