10+ Best Healthy Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

This delicious collection of 10+ Best Vegetarian Healthy Pasta Recipes includes easy, low fat family recipes plus tips for making pasta dishes healthy.

Most of us start each new year determined to eat healthier.  This collection of 10+ Best Vegetarian Healthy Pasta Recipes will give you lots of inspiration for making easy, delicious and healthy meals the whole family will love.

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.

10+ best healthy pasta recipes

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.

Easy Low Fat Mushroom Pasta Sauce

This Easy Low Fat Mushroom Pasta Sauce contains very few ingredients and comes together in a matter of minutes! It is made using naturally low in fat fromage frais (fromage blanc), which thickens the sauce and adds lots of delicious tanginess to it.

 

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 Pesto Spaghetti with Parsley

This Avocado Pesto Spaghetti with Parsley is an all-season, healthy, delicious vegetarian family dinner idea. It requires few ingredients and only about 15 minutes of your time.

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.

Butternut Squash Pasta with Rocket Leaves

This colourful Pasta with Butternut Squash and Arugula is a quick and easy dish, perfect as a healthy vegetarian weeknight meal idea.

 

Another delicious seasonal pasta recipe is this Asparagus Tomato Pasta with Oregano Hazelnut Pesto.  If you are a fan of autumn vegetables you might enjoy this Pumpkin Pasta Recipe with Arugula and Garlic.

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 and Orzo

This Baked Beetroot with Feta & Orzo is a super quick and easy vegetarian pasta meal that comes together in under 30 minutes!

 

Check out also this Roasted Pepper Oregano Pasta.

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).

 

Low Fat Spinach Macaroni Cheese

This easy Low Fat Spinach Macaroni Cheese with a healthy twist is full of colour, goodness and loads of deliciousness your family will love!

 

Another delicious and colourful healthy mac’n cheese recipe is this Beetroot Macaroni Cheese with Grilled Zucchini.

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 Pasta Sauce with Pepper (Vegan)

This simple Roasted Eggplant Pasta Sauce with Pepper (Vegan) is delicious with any pasta and super easy to put together.  Just roast the pepper and eggplant, whole, then puree with your quick and easy homemade tomato sauce and serve!

 

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!

Check out also this Healthy Vegetarian Pasta Bake with Fennel, and this simple Pasta Bake with Soya Beans.

Non-vegetarian healthy pasta recipe ideas

Easy Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe

Leftover Salmon Spinach Pasta

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Recipe link parties

I am bringing my 10+ Best Healthy Vegetarian Pasta Recipes to Fiesta Friday.  This week’s co-hosts are Mollie @ Frugal Hausfrau and Liz @ spades, spatulas & spoons.