Which Is the Healthiest Pasta? Here Are 8 to Try, According to a Dietitian
Key takeaways:
Traditional pasta is made from refined wheat flour. But pasta noodles can also be made from other grains and legumes.
You can buy pasta made from lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, or whole-wheat flour. All of these are higher in protein and fiber than regular white pasta.
There isn’t one healthiest pasta. Choosing the healthiest pasta for you depends on your individual eating pattern, health goals, and taste preferences.
Table of contents
If you’re a pasta lover, you may have noticed that there are many types of pasta to choose from. Traditional pasta (sometimes called white pasta) made from refined wheat flour is one option. But supermarket shelves now offer pasta noodles made from all kinds of grains and legumes.
There’s room for any kind of pasta as part of a balanced diet. But it can still be helpful to learn about the many nutritious pastas so that you can make informed choices — and possibly discover a more nutrient-dense version of a food you already love.
Which type of pasta is the healthiest?
There are plenty of healthy pasta noodles. So there’s not one answer as to which pasta is the healthiest. It really depends on what you’re looking for and what’s most important to you. For example, if you follow a gluten-free diet, you may consider a gluten-free pasta the healthiest for you. If you’re trying to increase fiber intake, you may consider pasta highest in fiber to be the healthiest.
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Each type of pasta provides different health benefits. But all of the pasta noodles on this list are higher in protein and fiber than traditional pasta, which has nearly 2 g of fiber and over 7 g of protein (per 2 oz serving). They also contain more essential vitamins and minerals.
Read on to learn about eight kinds of nutritious pasta, along with tips for how to prepare and serve them.
1. Black bean pasta
Black bean pasta noodles are made from black soybeans that have been finely ground into a flour. This produces a dark-colored, highly nutritious noodle.
A 2 oz (uncooked) serving of black bean pasta contains:
22 g of protein
11 g of fiber (about 40% of your daily needs)
Black bean pasta has much more protein and fiber than regular or even whole-wheat pasta. So it can be a great food for helping you meet protein needs, particularly if you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. And it’s gluten free.
How many carbs should you eat each day? It depends on your age, body size, and activity level. But the type of carbohydrates probably matters more than the amount.
Carbohydrates’ effect on blood sugar: Complex carbs take longer to break down than simple carbs. Learn which carbohydrates are best for your blood sugar levels.
Are all carbohydrates bad for you? Not at all. You need this micronutrient. And carbohydrates can be part of a nutritious and balanced diet. But the type of carb matters.
Like many “alternative” pastas, black bean pasta has a different taste than regular pasta. Some describe it as having an earthy taste. So, try experimenting with different sauces and seasonings until you discover what you like best. One benefit of black bean pasta is that it cooks much faster than standard pasta — usually all it needs is 4 to 5 minutes in boiling water.
2. Lentil pasta
Lentil pasta is made from lentil flour. Like black bean pasta, it makes a hearty, nutrient-dense, gluten-free noodle.
The nutrients in 2 oz (uncooked) of lentil pasta include:
12 g of protein
11 g of fiber
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Lentil pasta is an excellent source of iron, providing nearly 20% of your daily needs. Iron helps make hemoglobin, which delivers essential oxygen throughout your body. Lentil pasta also contains magnesium, which has many important jobs in your body including supporting your muscles, nerves, and heart.
3. Chickpea pasta
These noodles made from chickpeas provide the same benefits you’d get from eating this type of bean — including plenty of fiber and plant-based protein.
A 2 oz (uncooked) serving of chickpea pasta provides:
13 g of protein
7 g of fiber
Chickpea pasta is high in iron, providing about 30% of your daily iron needs. This is a lot for a plant-based food, considering many high-iron foods come from animal sources.
Most chickpea pastas are naturally gluten free, but check the label to make sure. To make the texture less crumbly and dense, some brands combine chickpea flour with other (usually gluten-free) flours and starches.
4. Whole-wheat pasta
Unlike white pasta, which is made from refined white flour, whole wheat pasta is made from the whole grain kernel of wheat — which includes the bran, germ, and endosperm. Whole grains are more nutritious than refined grains. This is because you lose some nutrients when you remove the bran and germ of the grain.
Whole grains, including whole wheat, are linked to health benefits including:
Weight management
Blood sugar management
Reduced risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
Lower risk of dying from cancer
A 2 oz serving of uncooked whole-wheat pasta provides:
9 g of protein
4 g of fiber
Whole-wheat pasta also contains iron and phosphorus, which plays several roles in the body, including maintaining healthy bones.
If you’re not used to eating whole-wheat pasta, it may take some getting used to. It has a denser texture and flavor than standard pasta. To help you adapt to it, you can try mixing it with white pasta.
5. Quinoa pasta
Quinoa is another type of naturally gluten-free, high-protein whole grain that can be ground into a flour and used to make pasta noodles. To improve texture, many brands use other flours — namely white rice flour — along with quinoa flour to make this pasta. This slightly lowers the protein and fiber content compared to if only quinoa flour was used.
Still, quinoa pasta makes a healthy choice. A 2 oz (uncooked) serving of quinoa pasta provides:
6 g of protein
3 g of fiber
Pay close attention to the cooking instructions since different brands of quinoa pasta may have different instructions. Cooking time and whether you should rinse the pasta usually depends on what other flours are used in addition to quinoa.
6. Brown rice pasta
This gluten-free pasta is made from brown rice flour, so it’s considered a whole-grain pasta.
A 2 oz (uncooked) serving of brown rice pasta provides:
4 g of protein
2 g of fiber
This isn’t more fiber or protein than traditional white pasta. But brown rice (and brown rice pasta) does provide antioxidants, which aren’t found in refined white pasta. These antioxidants can help protect your body’s cells from damage. Brown rice pasta also contains B vitamins, which help your body turn food into energy.
Since brown rice pasta isn’t super high in protein on its own, mixing in another protein source like ground turkey or lentils can help make it a higher-protein meal. Since it’s said to have a mild flavor and chewy texture similar to traditional white pasta, it makes a good substitute for people following a gluten-free diet.
7. Soba noodles
Soba noodles are a popular Asian noodle similar to ramen. But ramen is made of wheat flour, and soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour. Despite the word “wheat,” buckwheat flour is a gluten-free whole grain. So, unlike ramen noodles, soba noodles are naturally gluten free.
Soba noodles are very versatile, and are often served in soups and noodle bowls. Though not necessarily a high-fiber noodle, soba noodles provide a good amount of protein.
A 2 oz (uncooked) serving of soba noodles provides:
7 g of protein
1.5 g of fiber
Try serving these noodles with high-fiber mix-ins like edamame or a peanut sauce with some vegetables for an easy, nutritious meal. Soba noodles take only 5 to 8 minutes to cook. After draining the boiling water, rinse them well in cold water to remove excess starch that can cause clumping.
8. Veggie noodles
Did you know you can make “noodles” out of vegetables like zucchini, squash, hearts of palm, and sweet potatoes?
Noodled vegetables are different from the other pastas on this list. They aren’t a dry good and don’t come in a box in the pasta section of your grocery store. Instead, you can make these noodles at home using a spiralizer tool, or buy prespiralized produce from the refrigerated or freezer section. Prepare them by sauteing them in a pan with whatever toppings or mix-ins you like.
Making veggie noodles is one way to add more vegetables to your diet and benefit from their essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. And vegetables are also naturally much lower in calories and carbs than grain-based pasta. So veggie noodles can be great for people (such as those with diabetes) who are trying to limit carbohydrates. Limiting carbohydrates is also sometimes recommended for people whose goal is weight loss.
A 2 oz (uncooked) serving of zucchini noodles has only 10 calories and 2 g of carbohydrates. But to compare it to other pastas on this list, note that it contains:
0 g of protein
Less than 1 g of fiber
To add protein and make a heartier meal, try zucchini noodles with a protein source like chicken, lentils, and/or your favorite cheese and seasonings.
Which is the least processed pasta?
All of the pasta types from this list are minimally processed. This means that they’re made from a whole-food source. Pasta made from white flour, on the other hand, is made from a refined grain that has been more highly processed.
The pastas from this list also usually don’t contain additives. Instead they’re made from only one or two ingredients, which is another sign of a minimally processed food.
Frequently asked questions
Vegetable noodles — such as those made of zucchini or spaghetti squash — contain the fewest calories. This is because vegetables are naturally a low-calorie food.
Pasta made from nonstarchy vegetables is lower in carbohydrates than any grain-based pasta. Most vegetables are naturally low in carbs, while still providing important nutrients like fiber and minerals.
The bottom line
You have many choices when it comes to pasta noodles. Each offers different health benefits, and you may prefer one over another, based on taste, texture, availability, and your health goals. But in general, the healthiest pastas are those that are minimally processed, and those that are made from a whole grain or other whole food, like beans. These pastas provide more fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals than regular white pasta. Adding sauce and other toppings like veggies and seasonings are great ways to increase the flavor and nutrient density of your pasta.
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References
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