13 Healthy Pasta Salad Recipes All Under 400 Calories
Pasta salad and healthy don’t always go hand-in-hand—but thanks to these light recipes, they can!
Packed with produce and flavor, these easy, healthy pasta salads are a cinch to toss together for potlucks, packed lunches, and dinners. Not only are they all less than 400 calories, but these crowd-pleasing recipes are also simple enough that any (or every) day can include a pasta party.
Related: 17 Healthy Pasta Recipes With Vegetables That Are Ready Fast
Roasted Tomato and Mushroom Pasta Salad
Meaty mushrooms and protein-rich beans ensure this healthy pasta salad will be the most filling side dish on your summer potluck spread. Don't sweat the prep time if you're in a hurry: 30 minutes of it is for cooling the cooked pasta to room temp—an optional step. Whether you serve it warm or chilled, a handful of fresh basil and the sweet-tart tomatoes give fresh flavor to every bite.
Cilantro-Lime Pasta Salad
A tasty meal for any summer potluck or picnic, this healthy chicken pasta salad is a complete meal with all the sides in one. Fruit and veggies fill the dish with bright, vibrant flavors at just 357 calories per serving. (Translation: Plenty of room for a summer dessert, don't you think?!)
Related: 16 Healthy Chicken Casserole Recipes with Fewer Than 400 Calories
Roasted Tomato Pasta with Mozzarella
Try this healthy pasta salad for a guaranteed people-pleaser at your next event. Rotini pasta mixes with creamy mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil for a healthy and delicious Italian pasta recipe. "You can add salami, pepperoni, sliced black olives, or Parmigiana cheese. My family loves it," raves one BH&G home cook.
Grilled Fruit Couscous Salad
This might be the most original "pasta salad" to ever come out of our Test Kitchen. Instead of traditional noodles, couscous (essentially tiny pasta pearls) rounds out this pretty fruit salad. Grill the plums and nectarines to caramelize their natural sugars, then toss with the couscous and a honey-citrus dressing for a quick and healthy pasta salad recipe.
Related: 9 Recipes for Grilling Fruit That Will Make Your Cookout Sweeter
Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad
Transform yesterday's leftover roasted vegetables into today's fresh and healthy pasta salad. (Any blend will do, and we even have from-scratch guidance on how to make roasted root veggies, mushrooms, and bell peppers if you like.) Pair a satisfying 1⅔-cup serving with a side of fruit salad, and dinner is done.
Related: 14 Modern Fruit Salad Recipes to Sweeten Up Your Menu
Peachy Chicken Pasta Salad
With 15 grams of protein from the chicken and walnuts, this peachy healthy pasta salad is an entrée in itself. Try it with any small pasta shape, such as radiatori, bowtie, campanelle, or penne. If chicken isn't your fave, consider canned tuna for a fish pasta salad, or try grilled pork or shrimp.
Summer Spaghetti Salad
Noodles and zoodles join forces in this summer squash-supplemented healthy veggie pasta salad recipe. Long, thin strands of string cheese join the party too. Then all that's left to do to complete the low-cal, 10-serving dish is garnish with herby tomatoes and toasted nuts.
Summer Pasta Salad
Wondering what to do with all those broken lasagna noodles at the bottom of the box or the random bits and bobs of noodles in the cupboard? This healthy cold pasta salad is the perfect home for all of the above. Cook 8 ounces of any cut, then toss with a mix of summery veggies, mozzarella, prosciutto, and a zippy red wine vinaigrette. Chill 4 to 24 hours, then devour. Master the original version in summer, then try our fall and winter versions to usher in the new seasons.
Related: 29 Farmers Market Recipes to Use Fresh Produce in Creative Ways
Zucchini Ribbons, Pasta, and Arugula
For a fast, flavorful, and healthy pasta salad, look no further than this divine trinity of -"inis"—zucchini, pepperoncini, and fettuccine (close enough). Rounded out with arugula and fresh oregano, this lemony pasta salad comes together in half an hour and contains only 282 calories per serving. This vibrant and filling dish will change how you think about zucchini noodles.
Chicken, Spinach, and Pasta Salad
Calling for only 30 minutes of total time from start to sharing, this healthy whole wheat pasta salad is the entrée to turn to when you receive a last-minute invitation. (Or, you know, forget about the potluck you RSVP-ed to a few weeks ago.) It serves ten and calls for mostly pantry staples, chicken breasts, and summer produce, so it's our go-to warm-weather party contribution.
Greek Garden Pasta Salad
Take your menu on a trip to the Mediterranean. This healthy rotini pasta salad—studded with olives, cucumbers, and tomatoes—pairs perfectly with a variety of entrées, such as grilled burgers, gyros, or seafood. A dressing of light mayonnaise, milk, and yogurt tossed with whole-grain pasta keeps this creamy dish under 100 calories per side dish serving.
Related: 17 Flavorful, Healthy Mediterranean Dinner Recipes
Pasta with Chicken, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Feta Cheese
Taste the freshness of summer in this healthy chicken pasta salad mixed with baby spinach and juicy cherry tomatoes. The easy all-in-one meal definitely eats more like a meal than a side, thanks to high-protein grilled chicken, crumbled feta, and pine nuts. One BH&G fan declares this, "Perhaps the nicest dish I have ever cooked in my 53 years of marriage."
Italian Pesto Pasta Salad
Step aside, mayo. Pesto is the star of this pasta dish. Crank up the pesto power of this make-ahead macaroni salad by garnishing with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and toasted pine nuts, two ingredients commonly found in basil pesto. Toss beans and pasta with arugula to lend a peppery punch and extra vitamins to this crowd-pleasing healthy summer pasta salad.
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