Why You Should Try Plant-Based Pasta.

Looking for healthy pasta alternatives? Find out why plant-based pasta is all the rage.

By Vicki Martinez

Have you ever felt like you’re entertaining a guilty pleasure when walking down the pasta aisle? Well, shoppers rejoice! Go ahead and fill your cart with noodles and spirals and tube-shaped goodness. Plant-based pasta—made from legumes and whole grains—is the new way to enjoy a protein-plus-fiber mix in your favorite pasta dish.

TYPES OF PLANT-BASED PASTA

Did you know there were so many choices? Look at all the tasty and nutritious plant-based pasta waiting down the aisle:

Creating your favorite meal with a plant-based pasta has never been so deliciously fun.

Here are three of our favorites, using chickpea casarecce, red-lentil rotini, and whole-grain thin spaghetti.

LEGUME AND WHOLE-GRAIN PASTA PROFILE

Plant-based pasta portions weigh in heavy on the healthy scale. That’s because they retain the nutritional components of the plants they’re made from. Not only is each pasta on our list a natural source of nutrients such as iron and calcium, but they’re also excellent plant-based sources of complex carbs and protein.

Added bonuses:

• Fiber is only found in plant-based foods.
• Plant foods contain zero cholesterol.
• Whole grains and legumes are low in saturated fat.
• Plant-based plates of pasta are low in empty calories.
• In fact, plant-based pasta shares many of the same health benefits of traditional pasta.

But don’t think plant-based pasta is all-the-rage only with the vegetarian and vegan crowd. Pasta lovers everywhere are swapping traditional noodles with the occasional plant-based option. It’s a smart swap without sacrificing flavor, quality and consistency, or nutrition.