20 Clean-Eating Pasta Recipes
When the craving for a giant plate of pasta strikes, subbing in zoodles ain’t gonna cut it. Here, 20 pasta recipes that are light enough to avoid the guilt trip but guaranteed to satisfy.
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Pasta Florentine with Grilled Chicken
Charring your chicken breasts for ten minutes adds that je ne sais quoi to a classic French dish. This version uses an entire bag of baby spinach.
Grain-Free Mushroom, Spinach and Leek Pasta
You can use any variety of grain-free pasta, but we’re a big fan of the Cappello’s brand: fresh pasta that’s both gluten- and grain-free.
Lightened-Up Fettuccine with Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Instead of heavy cream, this luscious pasta starts with pureed cauliflower (with just a tad of milk and Parm mixed in). That totally counts as eating our veggies, right?
Easy Skillet Linguine with Trumpet Mushroom ‘Scallops’
Fun fact: Sautéed trumpet mushrooms look like scallops but are much easier to cook (and a hell of a lot cheaper).
15-Minute Lemony Broccolini Pasta
Half broccolini, half pasta = basically a leafy green salad, right? In all seriousness, this speedy recipe is so much more elegant than opening up a jar of marinara (but just as easy).
Butternut Squash Carbonara
For creamier, tastier spaghetti carbonara, you need just one secret ingredient. Nope, it’s not butter or cream. It’s butternut squash. Feed this dinner to your kids and they’ll gobble it up—no need to tell them it’s oozing with hidden veggies.
Gluten-Free Cauliflower Gnocchi Pomodoro
We never thought we’d say this, but this handmade pasta is almost as easy as opening up a box of dried noodles. Plus, it’s 50 percent cauliflower, meaning it’s low-carb.
Creamy Vegan Pasta with Swiss Chard and Tomatoes
Thanks to Swiss chard, this dish is packed with nutrients that are vital in a vegan diet (vitamins C, A, K and B6, magnesium, iron and potassium). Best of all, it’s swirled with non-dairy whipped cream and practically melts in your mouth.
Avocado and Black Bean Pasta Salad
If we’re going to eat a giant plate of pasta, it might as well be filled with satisfying protein, too (and creamy avocado, because duh).
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Instead of baking an entire casserole dish's worth of gemelli, swap out half the pasta with bite-size cauliflower florets. Clean eating is easy like that.
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Veggie Lovers Pasta Salad
Whip it up with whatever vegetables you have in the fridge. Bonus: It’ll last for three days, and you don’t even have to re-heat to enjoy.
Red Pepper Cashew Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower
Hearty whole wheat pasta, roasted cauliflower and a creamy sauce with zero dairy.
Creamy Strawberry Feta Pasta Salad
Fruit in a plate of pasta? Apple cider-Dijon poppy seed dressing ties everything together, trust us.
Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
A balanced meal: equal parts vegetables, protein and carbs. Best part? It’s all cooked up in one skillet.
Creamy Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta
Have you ever tossed your pasta with nutritional yeast? Its vegan, nutty-cheesy flavor adds unbeatable depth to your plate.
Garlic Zucchini Noodle Pasta
Half pasta, have zoodles = so darn brilliant.
Vegan Butternut Mac and ‘Cheese’ with Smoky Shiitake ‘Bacon’
Take it from a non-vegan: This recipe is even better than regular mac and cheese. There, we said it.
Spinach and ‘Ricotta’ Vegan Stuffed Shells
Some things are irrefutable. Case in point: There’s nothing as irresistible as an enormous stuffed shell. And with vegan cashew cheese filling, it’s OK to take seconds.
Skinny Shrimp Alfredo Pasta Bake
An unbelievably cheesy, creamy lightened-up dish that you can easily make ahead of time. Just pop it right in the oven before serving.
Avocado Pasta
It's rich but totally virtuous, and the whole meal takes just 30 minutes to prepare. All you need to have on hand are a couple of ripe avos. (Cue singing angels.)
RELATED: 18 Grain-Free Pasta Recipes You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less
