28 Pasta Recipes for Weight Loss

December 30, 2020

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If you’re looking to slim down, you can still enjoy a hearty bowl of pasta. These pasta recipes are low in calories (thanks to all veggies) and high in fiber (from whole-wheat pasta), which is a combination that helps you lose and maintain that loss over a longer period of time. Recipes like Braised Cauliflower & Squash Penne Pasta and Kale, Sausage & Pepper Pasta are flavorful, healthy and will keep you feeling satisfied as you work towards your nutrition goals.

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Skillet Chili Mac

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Poblanos add a kick of heat to this chili mac recipe. If that's not your thing, swap in green bell peppers to tone down the heat in this easy pasta dish, which mashes up mac and cheese and chili into a seriously satisfying skillet dinner.

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Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta

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If you've ever wanted to make a meal out of warm spinach and artichoke dip, this creamy pasta is for you. And here's what's almost as good as the flavor of this comforting dish: the fact that this healthy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare.

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Spinach, Lima Bean & Crispy Pancetta Pasta

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We opt for fresh spinach pasta here--it cooks quickly and adds a pop of color. Cooking lima beans in pancetta drippings infuses them with flavor.

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Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta

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You'll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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Braised Cauliflower & Squash Penne Pasta

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In this braised cauliflower and squash penne pasta recipe, we cook the pasta and vegetables in broth rather than water to make this warming vegetarian pasta extra flavorful. The starch from the pasta and vegetables combines with the broth as it simmers and creates a silky sauce. And you can make the whole dish in just one pot, so cleanup is a breeze.

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Romesco Sauce with Whole-Grain Pasta & Parmesan

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Originating from the Catalonia region of Spain, "salsa romesco" is a tomato sauce made with nuts and peppers. It's traditionally eaten with fish, but in this recipe we pair it with whole-grain pasta for a yummy vegetarian meal. Parmesan is our choice for cheese, but you can substitute Pecorino Romano or Manchego cheese if you'd like.

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Kale, Sausage & Pepper Pasta

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This entire healthy pasta recipe cooks in one skillet, so there's only one pot to clean! Try it with any greens you have in the fridge, such as chard or spinach.

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Smoky Shrimp, Corn & Pea One-Pot Pasta

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Make your sauce and pasta all at once with this fast weeknight pasta dinner recipe. By using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta--no colanders here--the starch that cooks off into your pasta water, which you usually drain away, stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

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Spicy Tomato & Arugula Pasta

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The simplicity of this healthy pasta recipe makes it good family fare. For a touch of heat, mild Anaheim chiles are augmented with crushed red pepper and garlic.

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Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Alfredo

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This cheesy pasta recipe is made in a slow cooker but is relatively quick taking just 2 1/2 hours from start-to-finish. It's full of vegetables, whole-grain linguine and of course, lots of cheese!

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Cheesy Chipotle-Cauliflower Mac

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You'll barely notice the cauliflower in this comforting skillet pasta--it's pureed and mixed into the creamy cheese sauce.

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Pasta with Creamy Mushroom-Pea Sauce

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Peas combine deliciously with wild mushrooms, such as chanterelles, but they are hard to come by this early in the season. You can still get the depth of flavor from more available creminis.

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Chicken Pasta Primavera

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Ready in under an hour, this pasta and veggie dish is perfect for any night of the week!

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One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

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This one-pot pasta with tangy tomato-basil sauce is a simple, fast and easy weeknight dinner. All of your ingredients go into one pot, and with a bit of stirring and about 25 minutes of cook time, you'll have a healthy dinner the whole family will enjoy.

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Cauliflower Pasta Carbonara

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Pureed cauliflower makes a delicious and creamy low-calorie sauce for pasta. Tossed with crispy bacon and convenient frozen peas, this is a healthy egg-free version of spaghetti carbonara.

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Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon, and Fennel

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This warm, flaked tuna and lemon pasta recipe is ready in 30 minutes.

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Penne with Vodka Sauce & Capicola

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Our velvety tomato sauce is spiked with cubes of salty capicola and a few shots of vodka. Make it a Meal: Caesar salad and a glass of Pinot Noir will shine with this dish.

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Spring Pasta with Escarole

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This easy pasta recipe stars spring vegetables--classic asparagus as well as escarole, a member of the chicory family with a slightly bitter flavor. Escarole cooks quickly and is ideal for wilting into soups and pasta dishes. It can also be eaten raw in salads. It looks like green-leaf lettuce but its leaves are sturdier and a bit curly; you can find it the produce section of large supermarkets.

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Turkey-Mushroom Pasta with Maple-Cream Sauce

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Cooked turkey is combined with pasta, mushrooms and leeks, tossed in a rich maple-cream sauce and sprinkled with crumbled turkey bacon in this 1-hour dinner recipe.

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Grilled Eggplant & Tomato Pasta

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The combination of slightly smoky grilled eggplant and sweet tomatoes is delightful. The eggplant-tomato mixture served over whole-wheat pasta with fresh basil and a bit of salty cheese makes an easy, healthy weeknight dinner.

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Lemon-Garlic Sardine Fettuccine

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Even sardine skeptics will enjoy this lemony pasta with crispy breadcrumbs. Substitute two 5- to 6-ounce cans chunk light tuna for the sardines if you prefer. If you are using tuna or can't find sardines packed in tomato sauce, add 2 tablespoons tomato paste in Step 4 with the lemon juice. Serve with a salad of bitter greens tossed with a lemon vinaigrette and a glass of Pinot Grigio.

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Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese

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Fiber-rich sweet potato is used as the base for the cheese sauce in this healthy, homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. The bright orange color tricks your eyes into thinking this healthy macaroni and cheese recipe is loaded with cheese, but there's actually only about half as much cheese as compared to a traditional recipe.

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Braised Winter Vegetable Pasta

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In this vegetable-studded vegan dish we braise cauliflower, butternut squash and pasta in white wine and broth in an unconventional technique that yields delicious results. Serve with a spinach salad with red onion, orange segments and a light vinaigrette.

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Lemon-Herb Pasta with Chicken & Vegetables

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Yogurt seasoned with garlic and fresh herbs replaces cream to make a healthy pasta sauce in this chicken and vegetable pasta recipe. If you don't have a grill basket, the chicken and vegetables can be grilled on skewers instead.

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Kale-Powered Pasta

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Add kale to multigrain pasta for a nutrient-packed dish to power you through the day.

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One-Pot Greek Pasta

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A little bit of Sunday meal prep goes a long way in this one-dish Mediterranean pasta recipe. The pasta is cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge to use for meals all week, but any leftover cooked pasta you have on hand will do. Chicken sausage with feta is especially good in this recipe.

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Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce

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Instead of opening a jar of sauce, try this easy spaghetti with meat sauce on a weeknight. Serve with steamed broccoli and garlic bread. The recipe makes enough for 8 servings. If you're serving only four for dinner, cook 8 ounces of spaghetti and freeze the leftover sauce.

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Eggplant & Chickpea Baked Pasta

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Turn leftover Eggplant & Chickpea Stew into a comforting vegetarian baked-pasta dish. We love the taste of mint with the other Mediterranean flavors, but you can use parsley or basil if you prefer.

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