Healthy Penne Recipes

Turn humble pasta and beans gourmet by adding roasted vegetables, fresh mint and tangy, salty aged goat cheese. When making a pasta dish with beans, you can use some of the bean-cooking liquid to give the sauce silky body and help it cling to the pasta. If you're using canned beans, use some of the pasta-cooking liquid or just water.

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.

Getting in your daily servings of vegetables is easy when you feature this veggie-loaded pasta recipe. It's full of broccoli, asparagus, and tomatoes and a creamy ricotta-tomato sauce--you'll be amazed that it takes just 25 minutes to prepare.

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.

Here we toss grilled tuna with pasta, artichoke hearts, green olives and tomatoes. Grilling the tuna gives this ultra-fresh pasta dish a subtle smokiness. But if you're pressed for time, try canned tuna in place of the grilled fish.

Get dinner on the table even faster by using precubed butternut squash in this creamy pasta recipe. Found in the produce section of large grocery stores, the cut butternut is a little bigger than you need here, so you will have to do some chopping--but the peeling and gutting has been done for you. That means this easy healthy dinner takes just 35 minutes to prep. Score!

Smother pasta with this slow cooker vegetable and turkey sauce for an easy and satisfying meal.

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.

In the mood for Italian? Try this low-fat sausage-and-eggplant one-dish meal recipe.

Penne tossed with spring vegetables, such as carrots, morel mushrooms, asparagus, peas and fava beans, along with loads of fresh herbs is a perfect example of Mario Batali's rustic approach to great-tasting Italian food. When both fava beans and morel mushrooms are in season, by all means use them in this recipe. But if you can't find either of those, substitute what looks best. Basic cremini mushrooms will work and frozen lima beans are a good option. Recipe adapted from Molto Gusto by Mario Batali and Mark Ladner (Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers, 2010).

Radicchio is a brawlingly bitter green that becomes impossibly meek and mild when simmered. Paired with some cheese and the meat from a rotisserie chicken, it cooks up quickly into a memorable pasta dish.

Crispy, seared scallops combine with whole-grain pasta and greens to make this flavorful complete meal.

Artichokes, ricotta cheese and lemon juice and zest form the sauce for this quick pasta dish.

This chunky sauce is laced with chard and accented with smoked tofu. Convenient packages of peeled and diced butternut squash are available in most supermarkets in the fall and winter.

Toss Italian sausage, bell peppers and onion with jarred marinara for a quick and easy supper. Make it a meal: Serve with sautéed broccoli seasoned with a touch of anchovy and garlic.

Earthy eggplant teams up with jarred marinara sauce and bell peppers for a simple pasta sauce. Make it a meal: To round out the meal, just add a green salad and some good crusty bread.

With bold ingredients like garlic, anchovies and cayenne pepper--not to mention the sweet ones like raisins--the only subtle aspect to this lusty dish is the flavor of the broccoli. It's excellent as a side dish, but between the pasta and a hearty, vegetable-flecked tomato sauce, this pasta dish is a meal all by itself.

Fresh artichokes, some white wine, a touch of garlic and pasta make a straightforward, delicious combination.

Strike while the asparagus is fresh--it's loaded with nutrients, and gives this quick pasta the very taste of spring.

Just a sprinkling of walnuts lends crunch and flavor to this vegetarian pasta dish, without adding a lot of fat or calories.

This pasta dish is a perfect choice for weeknight cooking. In just 35 minutes, you'll be serving up penne pasta and broccoli rabe with fresh tomatoes and bacon. It's a meal your whole family will enjoy.

Tender chunks of eggplant take the place of ground beef or sausage in this vegetarian pasta sauce recipe, which is made in your slow cooker.

Here artichokes are combined with smoky ham and fresh peas to create a pasta dish that tastes richer than it actually is. Serve with a green salad with a simple dressing of lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil.

Several of Apulia's ancient agricultural estates have been restored to their former grandeur and now welcome guests for meals or overnight stays. Il Frantoio (“the olive press”) near Ostuni is a delightful example.