15 Vegetarian Pasta Recipes For Dinner | Aglow Lifestyle (2024)

FAQs

What vegetable is good in pasta? ›

Pasta — Any shape of pasta will do and you can swap in your favorite gluten-free or whole grain pasta if you'd like to. I used spaghetti in our photos and video. Vegetables — The type of veggies are up to you, but we love zucchini, yellow squash, jarred roasted red peppers, leafy greens, peas, corn, and cabbage.

Pasta can be healthy when it's paired with vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. The healthiest types of pasta include whole wheat pasta, as well as bean and vegetable based noodles. Serve a balanced portion of pasta (¼ of your plate) and go easy on the sauce and cheese.

Meats like pancetta, kielbasa, and bacon add a lot of flavor to pasta dishes, too. Cured meats like pancetta or bacon last longer in your fridge than fresh meats and make a great addition to most pasta dishes, from classic spaghetti to carbonara, penne alla vodka, and even seafood-based dishes.

Add some mix-ins

Now's the time to get really creative with your pasta. Add in some chopped olives or jarred tapenade, quartered artichoke hearts, or sun-dried tomatoes in oil, capers, sliced pickled chiles or roasted red peppers, drained canned tuna or other tinned seafood.

There are four classic Roman pasta dishes: cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana, and alla gricia. Each one is a variation on the other — alla gricia is cacio e pepe plus guanciale, carbonara is gricia plus egg, and so on. These four dishes are famous in all of Italian cooking, not just in Rome.

Spaghetti Squash

It's right there in the name. Spaghetti squash is an ideal pasta substitute because you can scrape the inside with a fork to create vegetable-based, spaghetti-like noodles.

Whole-wheat pasta is an easy-to-find nutritious noodle that will bump up the nutrition of your pasta dish. Made from whole grains, every cup of cooked pasta (140 grams) boasts 43 g of carbohydrate, 3 g of fiber and 8 g of protein per serving, per the USDA.

It is possible to eat pasta daily and still be healthy. The key to eating pasta every day is to limit your portion size and supplement your pasta bowl with essential nutrients. The recommended portion size is two ounces of dry pasta or one cup of cooked pasta.

It's Part of a Good Diet

Pasta is made from grain, one of the basic food groups in a healthy diet that also can include vegetables, fruits, fish, and poultry. It's a good source of energy and can give you fiber, too, if it's made from whole grain. That can help with stomach problems and may help lower cholesterol.

Cheese is an excellent way to add flavor to your pasta without having to rely on sauce. Try mixing your angel hair pasta with goat cheese, and toss in sun-dried tomatoes to make an amazing meal with just a few ingredients. Garlic butter is a terrific way to season all types of noodles.

What not to do when making pasta? ›

The more egg white, the more pliable the dough; the more yolk, the richer the pasta will be. There are endless variations, but for a dough that works every time use: 1 whole egg plus 2 yolks for every 150g of flour.

Spice Up Pasta FAQ

Classic spices to add to a plain tomato sauce include Italian seasoning, garlic (fresh or powder), onion powder, basil, salt and pepper. You can also add a little bit of chili or cayenne powder for some heat.

Pasta dish ideas including Lemon, Basil and Mascarpone, Quick Chicken Alfredo, White Wine, Mushroom and Cream, White Bean Sauce, Bacon and Scallions, Tuna and Capers, Lemon Artichoke Pesto, Smoked Salmon And Capers, and Caprese.

Add zucchini, carrot, and red onion and cook until soft, 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste then add diced tomatoes and season with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, simmer 10 minutes. Step 3 Add spaghetti to skillet and ½ cup of reserved pasta water and toss to combine.

Almost any vegetable can be added, courgettes, aubergines, artichokes, peas, broad beans and so on. They can be used with tomatoes of not, sometimes with some cheese (parmigiano reggiano, ricotta forte, ricotta salata, pecorino and so on) grated in the end.

Pasta is often served as a primo (first course), with a meat, seafood or vegetable course called a secondo coming after that. To do as the Italians do, try serving a smaller portion of pasta as a primo for an Italian-inspired dinner party, or as precursor to a meat, fish or vegetable main.

Stir in big handfuls of spinach, Kale mushrooms, zucchini, onions, broccoli, spinach, squash, or grape tomatoes after the pasta is cooked. You can also substitute zucchini (zoodles) for the pasta.