12+Healthy Vegetarian Pasta Meals

This delicious collection of 12+ healthy vegetarian pasta meals includes simple, low fat family recipes plus tips for making pasta dishes healthy.

Cooking pasta the healthy way

Before I dive into the recipes I thought it'd be a good idea to talk a little bit about preparing the pasta.

It is important to cook your pasta al dente, so that it's not too soft or hard, but somewhere in between. It's cooked yet still firm and slightly chewy.  This is not only a lot more appealing than overcooked mushy pasta but it's also healthier.

When you cook pasta too long it raises its GI (Glycemic Index), which can cause spikes in your blood sugar, potentially contributing to mood swings and lower energy levels.

12+ healthy vegetarian pasta meals

Make healthy swaps

Pasta is often associated with unhealthy foods, but this is usually due to the sauces it's served with.  The good news is you can create delicious creamy sauces that are also healthy and low in fat.  My go to ingredient when it comes to making a pasta sauce (that's not tomato based) is fromage frais (fromage blanc).

It is naturally low in fat, tastes very similar to creme fraiche and doesn't curdle when heated, so it works great in sauces!  I used it in the recipe below.

Healthy Easy Mushroom Pasta

This 6-ingredient healthy easy mushroom pasta comes together in a matter of minutes!

Prep Time: 5 min, Cook Time: 10 min, Total Time: 15 min

Use raw vegetables

This is not only a delicious way of serving pasta but it's also super quick and easy to prepare.  A great vegetable to use in this way is avocado.  Simply combine it with the other ingredients and blend together to create a quick and moreish creamy pesto style sauce to pour over your pasta.

Avocado Basil Pesto Pasta Sauce (Low Fat)

This avocado pesto pasta sauce is an all-season, healthy, delicious vegetarian family dinner idea. It requires few ingredients and only about 15 minutes of your time.

Prep Time: 5 min, Cook Time: 10 min, Total Time: 15 min

Caprese Orzo Salad with Pesto

This orzo salad with pesto combines the concept of a caprese salad and basil pesto creating a delicious pasta salad that’s perfect as a light meal or party food idea.

Prep Time: 15 min Total Time: 15 min

Use seasonal produce

Fruit and veg are at their best when in season so use this to your advantage.  Create simple dishes that include your favourite seasonal vegetables.

Pasta with Butternut Squash, Tomatoes and Arugula

This colourful pasta with butternut squash, cherry tomatoes and arugula (rocket leaves) is a quick and easy dish, perfect as a healthy vegetarian weeknight meal idea.

Prep Time: 10 min, Cook Time: 40 min, Total Time: 50 min

Roasted Asparagus Pesto Pasta

This asparagus tomato pasta with oregano hazelnut pesto is a delicious vegetarian easy meal idea.  It’s super easy to make and bursting with flavour!

Prep Time: 10, Cook Time: 20, Total Time: 30

Pumpkin Pasta Recipe with Arugula and Garlic

This vegan pumpkin pasta recipe with arugula and garlic is a delicious seasonal recipe that’s easy to prepare, healthy and ready in about 20 minutes!

Prep Time: 7 min, Cook Time: 13 min, Total Time: 20 min

Use roasted vegetables

Roasting vegetables is a great alternative to raw salads and an easy way of adding them to your pasta dishes, making them healthy and delicious.  Roasted vegetables are full of flavour so you can simply toss them into your pasta, drizzle with oil and serve.  You can also roast them along with other ingredients for even more flavour as I have done in the recipe below.

Baked Beetroot with Feta Pasta Salad

This baked beetroot and feta pasta salad is a super quick and easy, delicious light vegetarian meal that comes together in as little as 30 minutes! Serve warm or chilled.

Prep Time: 10 min, Cook Time: 20 min, Total Time: 30 min 

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Tomatoes

This simple roasted red pepper pasta recipe combines the natural sweetness of red bell peppers with tangy fresh tomatoes for a delicious, healthy vegan meal idea. Ready in just over 30 minutes. 

Prep Time: 5 min, Cook Time: 30 min, Total Time: 35 min

 

Add a healthy twist to your favourite pasta dishes

Pasta makes fantastic comfort food and mac'n cheese is one of the best examples of classic comfort food.  But it doesn't have to contain a massive amount of cheese or butter or cream to be delicious and just as comforting!  You can also add a vegetable to your mac'n cheese to make it even healthier (and prettier looking too).

Spinach Macaroni Cheese (Healthy)

This super easy to make, healthy spinach macaroni cheese is full of colour, goodness and loads of deliciousness your family will love!

Prep Time: 5 min, Cook Time: 15 min, Total Time: 20 min

Roasted Beetroot Pasta Sauce (Low Fat)

This vibrant roasted beetroot pasta sauce is low in fat and nutritious.  It contains a handful of ingredients and is super easy to put together.

Prep Time: 5 min, Cook Time: 35 min, Total Time: 40 min

Add hidden vegetables into your pasta sauce

Adding hidden vegetables into your recipes is an effective way of including more vegetables in your diet.  It works especially well with fussy eaters.  If you puree the sauce until smooth and creamy no one will know there is a hidden eggplant in it!

Roasted Eggplant Tomato Pasta Sauce (Vegan)

This simple, vegan roasted eggplant tomato pasta sauce is delicious with any pasta and so easy to put together it’s perfect to make on a busy weeknight.

Prep Time: 25 min, Cook Time: 25 min, Total Time: 50 min

Make a one-pot pasta bake

This is another easy, healthy way of enjoying pasta.  Cooking pasta and vegetables in one pot is not only a fuss free dinner idea but it also infuses the pasta with lots of flavour.  Plus it's an easy way to control your pasta portion size.

Easy Eggplant Pasta Bake with Chickpeas

This easy eggplant pasta bake with chickpeas is vegan, low in fat, packed full of goodness and absolutely delicious! It’s also one of the easiest to make one pot pasta dishes you’ll ever find!

Prep Time: 20 min, Cook Time: 30 min, Total Time: 50 min

Pasta Bake with Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes

This easy pasta bake with fennel and cherry tomatoes is the perfect mid-week dish, easy to make and based around only a handful of ingredients.  It’s full of flavour and low in calories.

Prep Time: 15 min, Cook Time: 30 min, Total Time: 45 min

Beans Pasta Bake with Tomatoes

This simple, low fat bean pasta bake with tomatoes is a super easy to make and delicious healthy vegetarian weeknight dinner idea.

Prep Time: 10 min, Cook Time: 20 min, Total Time: 30 min

More veggie pasta recipes

• Healthy Broccoli Pasta Alfredo with Ricotta 
• Polish Pasta with Cabbage Recipe (Lazanki z Kapusta)

You might also like this collection of easy vegan salads.

Non-vegetarian healthy pasta recipes

• Easy Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe
• Leftover Salmon Spinach Pasta

You might also like this collection of healthy one-pot chicken recipes.

Keep in touch!

Have you made any of the above recipes? I'd love to know which one. Let me know how it turned out in the comments below, thanks!

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