The clean eating movement has a new friend, and it’s called lupin. A legume from the peanut family, this vegan gluten-free bean can be eaten whole, but is more commonly ground down into lupin flour which is used in pasta and baked dishes.
Lupin is not a new ingredient by any means, but it’s gluten-free properties are making it popular in America and the UK, as more and more people steer away from foods containing gluten for allergy or other health reasons.
Despite the fact that some experts have said going gluten free if you're not gluten intolerant could actually be doing more harm than good, it's estimated than 8.5 million people in the UK have gone gluten free.
What are the benefits of lupin?
The beans contain fibre, protein (around 300g grams of lupin beans contains 26 grams of protein) as well magnesium and zinc.
How do you actually cook lupin?
Lupin flakes can be used to make a humous-like dip, can be boiled to make a cous-cous-like substitute, or added to vegan baked goods for extra protein.
Lupin beans can be soaked overnight, rinsed and mixed with olives as a snack, and lupin flour can be used to make tortillas, pizza bases and bread.
Isn't lupin a flower?
The flower form of lupin is much better known that this bean form, it’s long, colourful and herbaceous.
Is lupin bad for you?
Only if you’re allergic to peanuts, because you might be allergic to lupin too. Lupin is listed as an allergen on packaging because of this.
READ MORE: The Tastiest Vegan Pasta Recipes
Debrief Vegan Pasta Recipes
1 of 7Mushroom and Walnut Spicy Vegan Bolognese
If you're bored of trying to pretend that you actually like meat-substitutes, try this soy-free bolognese instead. 35 mins
2 of 7Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Rich and nutty is the name of the game with this yummy dish. You can quite easily leave out the walnuts if you've got a nut allergy though. 20 mins
3 of 7Vegan Stuffed Pasta Shells With Cauliflower Ricotta
Praise be to the pasta gods for bringing us this masterpiece. Granted, it'll take a bit more effort than your standard midnight fusilli scenario, but look at it. 1 hour 5 mins
4 of 7Creamy Vegan Garlic Mushroom Spaghetti
Who said vegan food couldn't be creamy? Forget the humble carbonara, get your rich garlic hit with a big bowl of this instead. 15 mins
5 of 7Vegan Lasagne
Come and meet your maker. A perfect options for when friends or family come round expecting to be fed and watered to a high standard, or if you want to eat your way through as much of the tray as you can and take whatever's left to work the next day.1 hour 40 mins
6 of 7Vegan Ravioli with Pumpkin and Ricotta
So this one requires a lot of hands on fiddly time but I reckon it'd be worth it (but also you could just buy the pasta to fill yourself..). If you're not a fan of pretend 'ricotta' cheese you can always leave that out completely and just go for some hearty pumpkin filled pasta sheets. 30min - 90mins depending on whether you cheat the pasta making
7 of 7Vegan Ratatouille Spaghetti
Ever wondered how people pull off that 'oh I just threw whatever I had in the fridge into a pan and voila' thing? It's pretty much just a less measured version of this ratatouille pasta right here. 22 mins