20+ Delicious & Healthy Pasta Recipes

Pasta is a fan-favorite meal. It’s hearty, comforting, and easy to make. You can make fancier dishes like creamy pumpkin alfredo or creamy beet pasta or keep it simple with the basics like pesto pasta. Either way, it’s delicious! I’ve compiled 20+ Delicious & Healthy Pasta Recipes perfect for cold weather nights when you’re craving something cozy.

These pasta dishes are all plant-based and gluten-free optional. I love make and serving pasta in a large ceramic dutch oven with a lid.

Why I Love Pasta

Easy: Pasta is an easy, generally fool-proof dish. Boiling noodles and blending a sauce is usually about the extent of cooking necessary to make a delicious pasta meal.
Crowd Pleaser: What crowd, ages young & old, doesn’t love pasta? It’s a fan-favorite, making it the perfect dish to bring to a dinner party or holiday event.
Healthy: Pasta can be part of a healthy, balanced diet. I typically like to sneak in veggies, whether that’s straight into the pasta or blended into the sauce.

20+ Delicious & Healthy Pasta Recipes

One Pan & One Pot Pastas

One Pot Puttanesca

The easiest, drool-worthy pasta dish that tastes like it's from a restaurant but takes only 25 minutes to make!

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A bowl of spaghetti with tomatoes, kalamata olives, topped with fresh parsley and parmesan.

One Pan Tuscan Pasta

One Pan Tuscan Pasta is both easy and delicious! This dish is satiating, veggie-filled, dairy-free, gluten free optional, and makes great leftovers for the next day.

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One Pan Tuscan Pasta in a white glass bowl with a black fork on the left and a small wooden bowl filled with parmesan cheese above.

Easy Vegan One Pan Baked Spaghetti

An easy, 35-minute baked spaghetti packed with veggies! Perfect for a weeknight dinner.

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A white plate with a scoop of baked spaghetti on it.

One Pot Pasta

This One Pot Pasta is the easiest dinner to make with minimal cleanup and can be made from start to finish in less than an hour.

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One Pot Pasta in a white bowl, a wooden bowl of parmesan, and a black spoon.

No-Boil Creamy Pasta Bake (dairy-free!)

This No Boil Pasta Bake is going to be your new go-to, one-pot, easy-to-make dinner.

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One Pot Vegan Italian Pasta

Savory, creamy, rich, 100% plant-based, oil-free and takes less than 15-minutes to make.

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Gnocchi Dishes

One Pan Gnocchi

Easy, delicious, one pan dinner that everyone in your family will love (even picky eaters!).

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There are two white bowls filled with the One Pan Gnocchi dish garnished with parmesan and basil. Both bowls have a black spoon in them. There is also a small bowl next to the gnocchi bowls filled with parmesan cheese. For aesthetic, there is basil and tomatoes surrounding the bowls.

Mediterranean Gnocchi (easy & healthy dinner!)

This gnocchi dish is a hearty, flavorful twist on the classic salad—perfect for any meal or gathering, and it's fully vegan and dairy-free.

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Mediterranean Gnocchi in a large brown wood & blue bowl. To the left of the bowl is parsley and a wooden spoon.

One Pan Lemon Gnocchi

This 20-minute creamy gnocchi dinner will have everyone asking for the recipe. Dairy-free and 100% delicious!

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Two white bowls of a zuchinni and gnocchi dish topped with breadcrumbs and parmesan. Beside the bowls on the left is two black forks, a small bowl of breadcrumbs, a small bowl of parmesan and parmesan on the counter. On the right is two basil leaves on the counter.

One Pan Pesto Mediterranean Gnocchi

An easy, staple family dinner that's packed with flavor & nutrition!

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A spatula holding a scoop of pesto mediterranean gnocchi over a casserole dish filled with remaining pesto mediterranean gnocchi.

Creamy Dairy-Free Pastas

Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese (vegan!)

An ultra-creamy, 100% dairy-free mac and cheese packed with FIVE hidden veggies. So comforting.

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Three bowls of mac and cheese with broccoli and a black fork.

Vegan Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese

A 20-minute, drool-worthy mac and cheese. Tastes JUST like Panera!

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A pan filled with white cheddar mac and cheese and a spatula.

Beauty Beet Pasta

An antioxidant-rich creamy pasta dish that's so flavorful and creamy, no one will ever guess it's entirely dairy-free!

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A white plate filled with a pink pasta topped with cheese, parsley, and pine nuts.

Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Alfredo

Easy, delicious, nutritious plant-based pasta dish for the fall and winter season.

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Creamy Vegan Hummus Pasta

Hummus actually makes for the best homemade, quick, and easy pasta sauce! Plus, this dish is filled with fiber and antioxidants from the veggies and pasta!

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A bowl of creamy hummus pasta with kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, and arugula in it.

Dairy-Free Baked Ricotta Pasta

Easy, comforting pasta dish tastes like lasagna without the hassle!

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A casserole dish filled with baked pasta topped with fresh basil, a fork in the dish, and a small white plate with a scoop of pasta.

High Protein Nut-Free Vegan Alfredo

If you love alfredo but don't love the way it makes you feel, then you will be obsessed with this protein- and fiber-packed version!

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A bowl of alfredo penne pasta with a silver fork in it.

Other Delicious Pasta Dishes

Hormone Support Pasta Bowl

This pasta dish is filled with nutrient-dense cooked veggies, whole-grain pasta, and lots of protein and fiber, perfect for balanced hormones.

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Two hormone healthy pasta bowls in white bowls. They are filled with plant based ground beef, brussels sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, pasta, microgreens, and avocado green goddess dressing in the center. Beside the bowls is two black metal forks.

Vegan Pesto Pasta

This Vegan Pesto Pasta is irresistibly delicious, with a rich and flavorful pesto sauce that’s completely plant-based and dairy-free.

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Two white bowls filled with pesto covered spaghetti and a dollop of pesto in the middle. Placed around the bowls there are two forks, basil for garnish, and salt.

Easy Peanut Udon Noodles

These easy peanut udon noodles make for the best, lazy, 15-minute plant-based dinner idea.

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Sweet Potato Noodle Japchae

Savory, quick, plant-based japchae noodles are going to be your new favorite easy dinner.

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All Your Greens Pasta

This simple, 3-step, vegan, creamy pasta dish is for the pasta-obsessed who are also trying to eat more veggies!

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All Your Greens Pasta in a large white bowl. Around the bowl is a blue and white striped towel, a sprig of parsley, a small white bowl of vegan cheese, and a gold spoon.

Pasta FAQ

How long do pasta leftovers stay fresh in the fridge?

Most pasta leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container, depending on the dish. You can typically store the sauce and the noodles together, no need to separate.

Can I make any pasta recipe gluten-free?

Yes, most all pasta recipes can easily be made gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free pasta noodles (any shape, any kind) and ensure that your other ingredients are 100% certified gluten-free.

How do I know pasta noodles are done cooking?

The best way to check if pasta is done cooking, or perfectly al dente, is by taste testing it 1-2 minutes before the timer goes off. It should have a slight bite to it.

Is pasta good for meal prep?

Yes, pasta is an amazing meal prep option! I like making Mediterranean Gnocchi for meal prep because besides gnocchi, it also has lentils and veggies in it for extra fiber and protein.

How much salt should I add to pasta water?

A generous spoonful, around a tablespoon, is plenty for a large pot of noodles. The water should taste salty like the sea!

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HealthyGirl Kitchen Cookbooks

If you own either of my NYT-Best Selling Cookbooks, Life Changing Salads or HealthyGirl Kitchen, I highly recommend digging through them for even more easy, approachable, delicious healthy recipes.

Life Changing Salads is my salad-cookbook with 75 incredible salads and 25 easy, 5-minute homemade dressing recipes.

HealthyGirl Kitchen will be your healthy eating bible. With 100+ plant-based recipes that will make you feel amazing, this will be your go-to cookbook (with plenty of my favorite pasta recipes included).

Life Changing Salads Cookbook

HealthyGirl Kitchen Cookbook