Healthy Spaghetti Recipes

Find healthy, delicious spaghetti recipes including spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti carbonara and spaghetti bolognese Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce

Rating: Unrated
9
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Nonna's Spaghetti & Meatballs

Rating: Unrated
5
The meatballs and sauce are cooked in the slow cooker for this traditional Italian spaghetti and meatballs recipe. You could also serve the meatballs over creamy polenta or on a sandwich with melted provolone.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Rating: Unrated
1
We love the combination of lemon zest and toasted breadcrumbs in this quick and easy pasta recipe for one. This healthy dinner is made with rotisserie chicken and quick-cooking spiralized zucchini and baby zucchini, so you get a complete meal in just 10 minutes.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs

Simply toss the ingredients together and sit back while your slow cooker prepares this ultimate spaghetti and meatball dish.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Chimichurri Noodle Bowls

We're mixing whole-grain spaghetti with zucchini noodles to add volume and save calories in these simple, flavor-packed meal-prep bowls. The bright and herby chimichurri sauce originally appeared in Katie Workman's salmon recipe for EatingWell magazine (see Associated Recipes). Leftover chicken, tofu or canned beans can be swapped in for the shrimp.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Asian Beef Noodle Bowls

Rating: Unrated
3
With a lime wedge served on the side, these Asian noodle bowls are packed with flavor.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Cauliflower, Pancetta & Olive Spaghetti

Rating: Unrated
1
Don't ditch your pasta-cooking water! The flavorful liquid retains a touch of the pasta's starch, which helps your sauce cling to the pasta in this healthy pasta recipe.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pasta with Creamy Mushroom-Pea Sauce

Rating: Unrated
3
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooker Chicken Marsala

Rating: Unrated
1
This slow-cooker chicken Marsala recipe gets its full flavor from plenty of mushrooms and fragrant shallots. Whole-wheat pasta soaks up the rich sauce. Round it out with a simple green salad for a comforting healthy dinner.
By Robin Bashinsky

Spaghetti Frittata

Rating: Unrated
6
Here's a creative way to use leftover cooked spaghetti: try mixing it with eggs for a filling Italian omelet. If you don't want to buy separate bunches of fresh herbs, look for an Italian blend package that may contain some of each or use one-third the amount of dried.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pasta & Chickpea Soup (Pasta e ceci)

Rating: Unrated
1
This thick soup is full of chickpeas, tomatoes, fresh rosemary and pasta. Convenient pantry items makes it the perfect solution for harried weeknights. To make this soup vegetarian simply swap reduced-sodium vegetable broth for the beef broth.
By G. Franco Romagnoli

Chicken Romano

Chicken Romano is a dish consisting of baked chicken coated in crusty, Romano cheese. Our version is served with low-sodium tomato sauce and multi-grain spaghetti. It's a perfect weeknight dinner solution, on your plate in just 40 minutes.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Inspiration and Ideas

Long-Life Noodles with Beef & Chinese Broccoli

Long-Life Noodles with Beef & Chinese Broccoli

Noodles are a key part of Chinese New Year celebrations because they symbolize long life. We love this recipe for the tradition because it's super-customizable based on your tastes. Try swapping in chicken for the steak. Can't find Chinese broccoli? Use broccolini instead. Or swap out the mushrooms and broccoli altogether for snow peas and carrots.
Spaghetti Carbonara with Peas

Spaghetti Carbonara with Peas

Rating: Unrated
2
Our healthy spaghetti carbonara recipe is lower in calories and fat than a traditional spaghetti carbonara recipe, plus it boasts 9 more grams of fiber per serving from whole-wheat pasta. For the best flavor, use Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The eggs in the sauce are not fully cooked; if you're concerned about consuming undercooked eggs, use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs in this spaghetti carbonara recipe.
Italian Mussels & Pasta

Italian Mussels & Pasta

Rating: Unrated
3
Whole-Grain Spaghetti with Italian Turkey Sausage, Arugula & Balsamic Tomato Sauce

Whole-Grain Spaghetti with Italian Turkey Sausage, Arugula & Balsamic Tomato Sauce

Rating: Unrated
2
Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables

Rating: Unrated
20
Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta

Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta

Rating: Unrated
17

Chicken Piccata with Pasta & Mushrooms

Rating: Unrated
33

Our chicken piccata, served over whole-wheat pasta, has a rich lemon-caper sauce that's made with extra-virgin olive oil and just a touch of butter for flavor. If you like, you can use a mild fish like tilapia or even shrimp instead of chicken breast.

All Healthy Spaghetti Recipes

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Rating: Unrated
2
In this version, the eggs are cooked into a custardlike sauce. An extra step, yes, but the technique ensures food safety. To vary the vegetables, try green beans, asparagus or frozen peas (cook peas separately from pasta).
By Patsy Jamieson

Spaghetti & Chicken Meatballs with No-Cook Tomato Sauce

Rating: Unrated
2
This crowd-pleasing and easy dinner recipe takes just 20 minutes to make, start to finish, so it's perfect for weeknights! When tomatoes are at their in-season best, just a quick chop and a few ingredients are all you need to make a spaghetti sauce in minutes. Store-bought chicken meatballs keep the low-effort theme going all the way to the table.
By Breana Killeen

Cauliflower Pasta Carbonara

Rating: Unrated
1
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.
By Carolyn Casner

Lemon-Pepper Linguine with Squash

Rating: Unrated
2
Thinly sliced zucchini and summer squash bulk up this easy vegetarian pasta recipe. Saving a bit of the starchy pasta-cooking water to toss with grated cheese, herbs and bright lemon at the end is the secret to a fast, silky no-cook pasta sauce.
By Nora Singley

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Bolognese

Beans stand in place of ground beef in this hearty vegetarian sauce that's ready when you are--thanks to the crock pot. The prep is quick and easy to do in the morning before heading off to work. When you get home, just cook up some whole-wheat pasta to serve it over and dinner is ready. If you have leftovers, freeze them for an easy meal another day.
By Hilary Meyer

Shrimp & Pesto Pasta

Rating: Unrated
4
The spring flavors of asparagus and pesto combine beautifully with fettuccine and shrimp in a light and simple pasta dish that works for family or casual entertaining. Make it a meal: Serve with a tomato-and-arugula salad tossed with mustard-balsamic vinaigrette and fruit sorbet for dessert.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Basil, Shrimp & Zucchini Pasta

Rating: Unrated
9
This quick-cooking, healthy dinner is a simple combination of zucchini, shrimp and pasta flecked with plenty of fresh basil. If you have leftover cooked pasta from another meal, use it and skip Step 2. Since the recipe combines a starch, vegetables and the shrimp, all you need is a fruit or vegetable salad to round out the menu. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spaghetti Genovese

Rating: Unrated
7
Traditionally, this Italian pasta recipe combines pasta and pesto with potatoes and green beans. In our recipe for Spaghetti Genovese we give pesto a nutritional boost by adding spinach and toss it all together with fiber-rich whole-wheat pasta for a warm, comforting weeknight meal. Serve with escarole and radicchio salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Summer Corn & Scallop Pasta

Rating: Unrated
2
The naturally sweet taste of scallops partners beautifully with summer corn at its peak in this corn and scallop pasta recipe. To get the most corn flavor into the creamy pasta sauce for this summer pasta recipe, we use the dull side of a knife to remove the extra bit of the corn kernels and the sweet corn “milk” from the ear after cutting off the fresh kernels. Try this technique anytime you are adding fresh corn to sauces or soups.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Old-Fashioned Spaghetti & Meatballs

Rating: Unrated
5
To stretch the ground beef, we use high-fiber bulgur and whole-wheat breadcrumbs in the meatballs, which are baked rather than fried.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Egyptian Lentils, Rice & Pasta (Koshari)

Rating: Unrated
1
This kitchen-sink of a vegetarian dish was most likely invented in Egypt in the mid-1800s when Cairo was a major multicultural trade port, which could explain the similarities to Italian spaghetti as well as the Indian rice-and-lentil comfort food khichdi. Three toppings--a spicy tomato sauce (shatta), crispy onions and a garlicky vinegar (dakka)--are added to the koshari before serving, but in Cairo most people like them in separate bowls so they can season their bites one at a time. (Recipe adapted from Zooba Restaurant.)
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables for Two

Rating: Unrated
13
Toss a garlicky, Middle Eastern-inspired yogurt sauce with pasta, shrimp, asparagus, peas and red bell pepper for a fresh, satisfying summer meal. Serve with: Slices of cucumber and tomato tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spaghetti with Broccolini Pesto

Rating: Unrated
4
Broccolini stems are quickly softened in the pasta-boiling water before being whirled with basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano into a flavorful pesto sauce in this healthy vegetarian pasta recipe. It's worth seeking out Parmigiano-Reggiano to make the pesto-its superior flavor elevates the final dish. Edamame bumps up the protein to keep you feeling full and satisfied.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Gruyere, Asparagus & Pea Baked Pasta

Rating: Unrated
3
This healthy casserole recipe contains tons of veggies alongside whole-wheat pasta for a satisfying dinner kids and adults will enjoy.
By Katie Workman

Springtime Cacio e Pepe

Rating: Unrated
1
"Cacio e pepe" means "cheese and pepper" in Italian. This spaghetti dish, with fresh asparagus and baby arugula, is flavored with "cacio e pepe" and a little lemon zest. It's simple to prepare and on the table in just 25 minutes.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Turkish Pasta with Bison Sauce

Rating: Unrated
4
Sweet aromatic spices, cilantro, mint and lemon marry well with bison in this delicious pasta sauce.
By Bruce Aidells

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti Carbonara with Butternut Squash

Rating: Unrated
1
We give classic carbonara a healthy spin using nutty whole-grain pasta and infusing a more traditional carbonara sauce with sweet butternut squash. Use pre-chopped squash to streamline the prep for this recipe--and be sure to brown the squash to deepen the entire dish's flavor. Don't forget to reserve some pasta water--it adds silkiness to the sauce.
By Karen Rankin

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

Rating: Unrated
6
Inspired by hunger and what's in the garden, this is a quick and flexible dish.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spaghetti Carbonara with Peas for Two

Rating: Unrated
1
Our healthy spaghetti carbonara recipe for two is lower in calories and fat than a traditional spaghetti carbonara recipe, plus it boasts more than 9 grams of fiber per serving from whole-wheat pasta. For the best flavor, use Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The eggs in the sauce are not fully cooked; if you're concerned about consuming undercooked eggs, use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs in this spaghetti carbonara recipe.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Pasta alle Erbe

Lidia Bastianich's rustic pasta recipe from Umbria would typically be made with foraged greens, but certainly chard, spinach and common chicory are delicious in this dish. Collard, dandelion or mustard greens would be good too. (Adapted from Lidia Cooks From the Heart of Italy, Knopf, 2009.)
By Eataly and Lidia Bastianich

Pasta with Marinara Sauce

This veggie-packed marinara sauce simmers in your slow cooker, ready when you are for an easy weeknight dinner with whole- grain pasta.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Avocado and Yogurt Pasta Sauce with Veggies

This whole grain, creamy pasta dish is ready in just 30 minutes -- perfect for a weeknight meal.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Spicy Cauliflower & Pancetta Spaghetti

Don't ditch your pasta-cooking water! The flavorful liquid retains a touch of the pasta's starch, which helps your sauce cling to the spaghetti in this healthy pasta recipe.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Spaghetti Pie

Using lean ground beef and low-fat cottage cheese lowers the fat and calories in this favorite beef and pasta casserole.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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