6x healthy pasta dishes

When you think of a healthy meal, you may not immediately think of a plate of pasta, but why not? Carbohydrates really aren’t the devil, and with a light sauce and a good tomato salad or other vegetables on the side, you’ve got a perfectly balanced meal.

Of course, to make it extra healthy, you can use whole-wheat spaghetti—fiber and all—but personally I find that absolutely disgusting and would rather not eat pasta at all. Or anything at all. If you don’t eat three portions by yourself, like I always do, regular pasta with one of these sauces fits perfectly into your healthy regime.

Kale

Fortunately, the fit girls and guys made it clear to us a few years ago that kale isn’t only great in stamppot. A whole lot of this green superfood mixed into your spaghetti aglio e olio transforms simple pasta into a healthy meal. And it’s delicious too.

Tomato sauce

You can peel tomatoes yourself, let them simmer very slowly and make your own tomato sauce. Or you can simply use canned tomatoes, as in this recipe by Jamie Oliver. Canned tomatoes even contain lycopene, a substance that isn’t found in fresh tomatoes but is supposed to be good for your immune system and heart, and even helps protect you from the sun. How lucky!

Tomato with sea bass

According to the nutrition centre, we should eat oily fish at least once a week. Well, then we’re more than happy to have it in this pasta with tomato sauce. Being healthy has never been so easy!

Tomato with almond and garlic

Would you still rather have fresh tomatoes? All right, then. Cut tomatoes into small cubes and mix them with chopped almonds, finely chopped garlic, plenty of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Leave to stand for at least half an hour, but preferably a few hours, and mix with your cooked pasta. The proportions don’t matter that much here; whatever you do, this pasta will be delicious anyway.

Pumpkin

Are you the type who eats pumpkin throughout the entire autumn? Then this sauce will definitely be your new favorite. Pumpkin purée and chunks of pumpkin, plus their best friend sage. This really can’t go wrong.

Brussels sprouts

You love ‘em or you hate ‘em. And even if you think you belong to the second category, you might still enjoy this pasta. Roasting Brussels sprouts brings out a completely different flavor—one I personally can’t get enough of.