12 Plant-Based Pastas for Healthier Weeknight Dinners (2024)

Boasting twice the protein, three times the fiber and half the net carbs of traditional pasta, Banza chickpea pasta is a smart choice for hectic days. Not only is it hearty, but it cooks in under 10 minutes. Plus, Banza is available in all sorts of fun pasta shapes, like cavatappi, penne, rotini and more. (Banza sells pizza, too!)

If you’re just dipping your toe into the world of plant-based pastas, give Barilla’s veggie pasta a try. This variety tastes very similar to the real deal, but it gets a nutritional boost from added spinach and zucchini.

Skip sifting through a long list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients. These veggie spirals from Green Giant have just one ingredient: butternut squash. Each serving contains a mere 12 grams of carbs and 50 calories. For more veggie fun, Green Giant also offers zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash.

You know and love edamame as a sushi appetizer, but have you ever tried it in pasta form? These spaghetti strands from Explore Cuisine are low in carbs but rich in fiber, which will keep you feeling full.

When fresh squash is out of season, turn to Solely’s dried spaghetti squash. This 1-ingredient pasta is a great pantry staple. Enjoy it served with meat sauce, accompanied by apples, bacon and walnuts or baked in a casserole.

Yes, your favorite salad topping can turn into pasta. Just ask Palmini’s hearts of palm linguine. This canned replacement is low in calories and carbs, and has zero fat. Try it in a stir-fry with veggies and your favorite protein.

You can find pretty much anything made with cauliflower these days. (Have you tried cauliflower rice yet?) And pasta is no exception! Caulipower’s linguine is packed with the cruciferous veggie for a nutritious dinner option. Plus, it cooks in three minutes!

Traditional to Asian cuisine, Sea Tangle’s kelp noodles are cholesterol-free, low in sodium, gluten-free and low-calorie. They’re made with just three ingredients—kelp, water and sodium alginate—and are ready to absorb the flavor of your favorite sauce.

Lentils are a great plant-based protein source, and this Tolerant rotini packs all the benefits of lentils into a familiar, easy-to-eat shape. Find it in both red lentil and green lentil varieties. Learn more about why you should love lentils.

The Only Bean’s black bean spaghetti is pretty much exactly what it sounds like—pasta made from black beans. There are no add-ins and no preservatives, just good ol’ fiber and protein. This pasta is a good source of iron, too.

Originally Published: March 17, 2022