eating enough fiber shouldn't taste this bad

On average, we should be getting 20g to 30g of fiber per day, but when most of these foods aren’t the tastiest, it’s not a surprise 95% of Americans don’t get enough daily. And that includes ME!

As someone with a sensitive tummy and regularly eats “healthy” — think salads, soups, whole foods — I never doubted that I’d be getting enough. But after realizing a salad bowl of greens is on average just 3g of fiber, I knew I was seriously wrong. So these recipes are our way of getting enough fiber, through food that's tasty enough to crave. Because healthy eating should work for us.

That’s what this series is. Fiber Feasts are recipes that feel indulgent, satisfying, but load you up on the fiber our guts need.

Starting with this brothy chickpea pasta.

Chickpeas are one of the most underrated high fiber ingredients you can cook with, about 12g of fiber per cup, and they absorb whatever broth they're simmered in which means they never feel “healthy”. The sweet potato adds another layer of fiber and natural sweetness that balances out the italian sausage, and the kale wilts down into the broth so you're barely even noticing it.

Here’s how to make it:

• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 1 shallot, diced

• 2 sprigs of rosemary

• 2 italian sauages, casing removed

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 28 oz can of san marzano tomatoes, hand crushed

• 1 medium sweet potato, diced into small cubes

• 2 cups of kale, roughly torn

• 2 cups of water

• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon paste

• 1/4 cup parmesan, grated

• 2 cups of pasta

• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a deep pan or pot over medium heat, then add the sausage, breaking it up as it cooks until browned and crispy in spots, about 5 minutes

• Add the shallot and cook until translucent, then add the garlic, giving everything a toss for about a minute

• Rosemary goes in next, before the sweet potato cubes join the party

• Cook for 2-3 minutes, just to get a little color on them

• Toss in the chickpeas, the can of tomatoes, water, and chicken bouillon paste

• Bring everything to a simmer, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan

• Let everything come to a boil, then simmer for 20 mins, covered

• Add the pasta after 20 mins, letting it cook for 13 mins or until cooked through

• Stir in the kale, parmesan and let it wilt for 1-2 minutes

• Season with salt and pepper

• Serve with a generous grating of parmesan on top