Did you know you can have healthy pasta for dinner that’s not a hassle to make from scratch?

When it comes to having healthy pasta, a lot of people will believe it is impossible! After all, pasta is the king of carbohydrate-forward foods and a key ingredient in a lot of comfort foods that are not considered anywhere near healthy!

But what if we told you you could easily make healthy pasta in a fast way with only a couple of ingredients?

Getting a healthy, nutritious dinner on the table in a couple of minutes can easily be achieved with pasta; you just need to think outside the box and not rely on the good old mac and cheese!

That way, you can still get the convenience of a fast meal and the comfort of pasta dishes, just with a healthy twist!

Keep on reading to discover our favorite fast, convenient, and healthy pasta suggestions!

Pesto pasta that’s high in fiber

Yes, we cannot leave pesto pasta out of this list, especially since it checks all the boxes we need.

Pesto dishes are generally extremely easy to make, and you only need three ingredients if you do not want to have to worry too much about preparing them. This is because you can easily use store-bought pesto sauce and still have a healthy dinner!

The key to store-made pesto is to check that it is made with healthy oils (like avocado or olive oil) so that you get a boost of nutrition from it and that it does not have a ton of salt. Add cheese for garnish and your choice of pasta, and you’re set!

Obviously, you can easily make this pasta dinner even healthier by choosing a pasta brand that is high in fiber and making the sauce yourself.

Do not worry; all you will need is a good blender, basil, olive or avocado oil, pine nuts, pepper, and parmesan. Salt it to taste after, and you are done!

Pro tip! To add more crunch and a boost of vitamin C, add some cut-up bell peppers to your mix, and you’re set with this one-pot meal!

Baked cherry tomato and feta pasta

This pasta recipe has been a viral sensation since the end of the pandemic, and while it may seem like a fad, it is truly one of the easiest and healthiest pasta dinners you can make.

Get yourself a bunch of cherry tomatoes, a block of feta cheese, some herbs, and a couple of garlic cloves, and roast them in the oven after drizzling them with olive oil.

You do not even need to blend these after they are done rating; you can easily mash them with a fork, and you get yourself a chunky, creamy, and rich sauce with minimum effort! What’s more, they’re full of vitamins C and A, minerals, and nutrients!

Go for whole wheat pasta, so you can add a plus of minerals, fibers, and vitamins, and you have a healthy and easy-to-make pasta for dinner!

Veggie Bolognese

We know it is not going to be the same, but if you crave the rich bolognese sauce and you want to be mindful of what you eat, then you can easily swap the minced meat for lentils!

This plant-powered and rich-in-protein sauce is just as good, despite being different, and lentils are a great source of iron and fiber, along with protein, so you get more benefits.

Of course, if you still want your sauce to have some meat protein, you can opt for ground turkey and make it a half-half with the lentils, so you get the best of both worlds!

So we keep on the theme of fast dishes to make with a few ingredients. Make sure you opt for canned tomatoes so you get most of the vitamin C they have (which helps your body absorb iron easier), and look in the frozen section for a bag of Mirepoix.

That frozen veggie mix has pre-diced celery, onion, and carrot, and you can use that instead of spending too much time on prep!

Orzo pasta with chicken and sundried tomatoes

When we think of pasta, especially healthy pasta, we end up thinking about the most common pasta shapes, be they fusilli or spaghetti. However, one pasta shape that has been used for years in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes is the orzo, and we should all be getting on this train.

Despite looking like bigger grains of rice, orzo is in fact pasta, and you can make a myriad of delicious and nutritious dishes with them. And since they are mostly one pan, you will not have to worry about them taking ages to make or about the cleanup after the fact.

The healthy pasta we suggest to you is orzo with chicken and sundried tomatoes.

Add to the sauce, which is made from sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, mushrooms, onion, and any herbs you desire that will make the sauce great, and you will have an easy-to-assemble and customizable pasta dish for dinner.

The orzo will bring about a creamy consistency to your dish, and since you cook everything in one pan, it will absorb all the flavors. For a healthy dish, we recommend cooking it with veggie or low-sodium chicken broth.

The main star of this dish is the sun-dried tomatoes, which are packed with lycopene, an amazing antioxidant that has been proven to help against heart disease.

Alfredo gnocchi with salmon

If you want to change it up again, why not turn your attention to a truly different pasta shape? Gnocchi may not be on your healthy pasta list, but know that any pasta can be healthy as long as you know how to balance it out and you eat it in moderation!

You do not have to give up on Alfredo sauce either; you just have to be careful how you make it and not eat it too often!

This type of pasta is hearty, dense, and chewy since it is made with mashed potatoes, eggs, and flour. You may also be able to find the sweet potato version of these or even try to make them at home!

What makes this a healthy pasta dish that is easy to make is in the ingredients. Salmon is going to bring to this dish high-quality protein, vitamin D, and omega-3, and it is easy to cook on the stovetop ahead of assembly.

The best way to enjoy Alfredo sauce is to either buy a low-fat version from the store or make a version of it yourself with non-fat yogurt and milk to make it less heavy!

The key to easy-to-make, healthy pasta dishes is how you can make them healthier, not how you can restrict yourself from eating them!

Tuna pasta salad

If you boiled too much pasta for last night’s dinner, you can easily turn it into a nutritious and healthy dinner (or lunch) the next day! Pasta salads are a great way to make sure you use all the ingredients you have on hand and to make a filling yet still healthy meal.

The best thing about this type of dinner is that it gets assembled easily with a few ingredients, and you can easily make it to your liking!

Our favorite is tuna pasta salad, and you can combine cooked pasta, tuna, and your favorite mix of veggies with an oil vinaigrette or a healthy dressing like the green goddess one. Or you can just toss it together with salt, pepper, and olive oil!

Our favorite mix is with tomatoes, black olives, fresh basil, and fresh cucumbers! Give it a try!

The best way to make your pasta dinner healthier is to make sure you use a different type of pasta. This whole wheat pasta is our favorite and easy to get on Amazon!

If you are looking for more pasta inspiration, then you are in the right spot! We have even more recipes for some amazing baked pasta recipes that are going to make any dinner feel both indulgent and decadent while still being pretty healthy. Check them all out here!