Giro d’Italia on your plate: classic dishes with a twist
As our riders brave the Italian roads for three weeks, we take you to the kitchen for some Italian flavours. It’s the perfect timing to get started with some of our favourite Italian FoodCoach recipes - simple, nutritious and approved by our riders.
Pasta as fuel
Pasta has been the classic among sports meals for years. And not without reason: it is packed with carbohydrates, which your body converts into glycogen, the ultimate fuel for sports performance. No matter if you're a dedicated cyclist pushing your limits or someone who simply leads an active lifestyle, your body demands a steady supply of energy to perform at its best. One of the most effective and delicious ways to fuel up is with pasta, because it’s rich in carbohydrates, and provides the sustained energy your muscles need to keep moving, whether you're out on the road or navigating a busy day.
However, cycling used to be all about "the more pasta, the better". Nowadays, the focus is on quality, variety and timing. Besides pasta, our chefs consciously choose rice, couscous, oatmeal or potatoes. This way, the body gets all the nutrients it needs, without overloading the gut or monotony on the plate. Additionally, timing is also a very important factor. Take for instance heavy race days. A few days before this type of race our riders engage in ‘carb loading’: stacking extra carbohydrates for maximum glycogen stores. Pasta is an ideal choice then, as it is high in carbs and easily digestible. But just before mountain stages, chefs prefer to opt for white rice: little fibre, less intestinal content, and thus less weight to carry up the mountain. That’s why the correct timing of the correct meal can influence your performance.
Get the most out of your meal
Food is more than just supplying energy; it is an opportunity to give your body exactly what it needs to perform optimally. The right meal at the right time can make all the difference. Therefore, it's not just about what's on the plate, but also how the meal is prepared and when you eat it.
Pasta is regularly on the riders' menu, as they can really appreciate it themselves. Our FoodCoach chefs do look beyond the taste of the dish. When serving pasta, they pay attention to:
- The preparation method: al dente and easily digestible.
- The sauce: rather fresh and simple than ready-made full of unnecessary additives.
- The moment of eating: well before an intense effort or, on the contrary, as a recovery meal. This difference is reflected in the composition of the dish: for an effort, the focus is on carbohydrate-rich and easily digestible ingredients, while a recovery meal also contains healthy fats and proteins, in addition to the carbohydrates from the pasta.
This way, our athletes get the most out of every plate and so can you!
Feel like brushing up on your Italian cooking skills? Dive into the kitchen with our pro-approved recipes from The Athlete's FoodCoach. Perfect as a recovery meal, or just because you fancy something tasty and nutritious. Check out the recipes below and eat like a pro. Buon appetito!
Recipe Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients for 2 persons:
- 4 eggs
- 250 grams spaghetti (uncooked)
- 15 grams of parmesan cheese
- 100 grams turkey bacon strips
- 1 clove of garlic
- 5 grams of honey
- 25 grams of pecorino cheese
- Pinch of pepper
- Parsley, fresh, to taste
- 50 grams of cucumber
Preparation:
- Split the eggs and keep the yolks for your recipe.
- Cook the spaghetti until al dente.
- Meanwhile, grate the parmesan cheese and set aside in a bowl.
- Fry the turkey bacon strips with the garlic and honey for about 6 minutes until crispy. Then turn off the heat.
- Add the spaghetti, with a little cooking liquid (save some more), to the pan with bacon strips.
- Add the cheese with a little more cooking liquid from the spaghetti (this will make the cheese melt better).
- Beat the egg yolks with a fork and gently stir them into the spaghetti. Make sure the eggs do not coagulate but keep stirring to ensure a nice creamy sauce.
- Serve the pasta carbonara with some freshly ground pepper, parsley and some slices of cucumber to go with it.
Recipe Vegetarian Lasagne
Ingredients for 2 persons:
- 5 tbs breadcrumbs
- 100 g spinach washed
- 1 pcs onions
- 4 tbs huttenkäse
- 0.5 mozzarella
- 2 tbs parrano parmesan
- 100 g whole wheat lasagna sheets
- 2 pcs tomatoes
- 1 tbs fresh basil
- 0.5 tbs granulated sugar
- 1.2 g vegetable broth powder
- 1 clove of garlic
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
- Wash the tomatoes and cut them into pieces.
- Clean and finely dice the onion and garlic.
- Purée the tomatoes with the stock cube, basil and sugar with the hand blender until pureed.
- Stir-fry the spinach with garlic, onion and pepper.
- Slice the mozzarella.
- Spoon some of the tomato puree into a baking dish, cover with lasagne sheets, add some spinach, spread some Hüttenkäse on top and top with another layer of lasagne sheets.
- Repeat and finish with a layer of tomato puree.
- Spread the mozzarella slices on top.
- Mix the grated cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the lasagne.
- Bake the lasagne for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
Discover just like our riders what your personalised portions of these recipes are. Download The Athlete's FoodCoach app from the App Store or Google Play store and start your free trial!
