:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Health-GettyImages-1208171505-23ce1deaf51e43e9a510ffd2c6e86626.jpg "A plate of pasta with vegetables including cherry tomatoes and spinach leaves on a wooden table")
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- As compared to traditional pasta, whole-grain and legume-based pastas are often more nutritious choices.
- Pasta made from lentils, whole wheat, and chickpeas, for example, often have more protein, fiber, or both.
- These healthier pasta varieties are also often lower in fat, have fewer carbohydrates, and may be gluten-free.
Traditional pasta noodles have 13 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per 100-gram dry serving—but varieties made from whole grains or legumes often contain more protein or fiber, or sometimes both, making them a healthier choice.
1. Lentil Pasta
Lentil pasta is made from lentil flour in varying amounts. A lentil pasta made from 100% red lentil flour has about twice the protein of regular pasta. It also contains fewer carbohydrates and fats.
A 100-gram serving of 100% dry red lentil pasta has:
- Protein: 26 grams (g)
- Fiber: 7.6 g
- Calories: 320
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
Red lentils are also rich in iron, magnesium, zinc, and folate.
A study found that people who ate lentil pasta ate less during the meal than people who ate regular wheat pasta. They also felt fuller and more satisfied afterward.
Lentils are also gluten-free, but always check the labeling to be sure.
2. Chickpea Pasta
Chickpea pasta is made from chickpea flour, often mixed with semolina or other grains. Chickpea flour is rich in protein, fiber, potassium, folate, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
Pasta with 30% chickpea flour provides about 3.4 grams more protein and 2.6 grams more fiber than regular pasta. Pasta with a higher chickpea flour content will have even more protein and fiber.
A 100-gram serving of dry pasta with 30% chickpea flour has:
- Protein: 16.4 g
- Fiber: 7.3 g
- Calories: 355
- Carbohydrates: 66.3 g
Chickpeas are rich in resistant starch. The body cannot digest resistant starch, so it acts like fiber. For this reason, chickpea pasta can help regulate blood glucose (sugar) levels.
You can boost resistant starch by cooling cooked chickpea pasta in the fridge for 24 hours, then reheating it before eating.
3. Whole Wheat Pasta
Whole wheat pasta is usually made of about 50% or more whole wheat flour, with the rest being semolina (ground durum wheat).
It has more fiber, protein, B vitamins, and minerals than regular pasta.
A 100-gram serving of dry whole wheat pasta has:
- Protein: 13.5 g
- Fiber: 10.1 g
- Calories: 362
- Carbohydrates: 73.1 g
A serving of cooked whole wheat pasta provides about 65% of the Daily Value (DV) for selenium, 47% for magnesium, 11% for zinc, and 10% for iron. It also contains most of the B vitamins in varying amounts.
4. Buckwheat Pasta
Buckwheat pasta, also called soba noodles, is made from 60–100% buckwheat flour. Pasta with more buckwheat flour has more protein, fiber, and minerals. Buckwheat is also a gluten-free grain.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn't have the fiber content listed for standard soba noodles, though researchers generally agree the noodles are a good source of dietary fiber. Otherwise, a 100-gram serving of dry soba noodles contains:
- Protein: 14.4 g
- Calories: 336
- Carbohydrates: 74.6 g
Buckwheat flour is rich in iron, magnesium, and zinc. It also has more essential amino acids than wheat flour. The body cannot make essential amino acids, so you must get them from your diet to build proteins.
5. Quinoa Pasta
Quinoa pasta offers a good source of protein but is higher in carbohydrates. It also provides more calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.
A 100-gram serving of dry quinoa pasta has:
- Protein: 12.2 g
- Fiber: 4.3 g
- Calories: 392
- Carbohydrates: 70.7 g
Pasta made with germinated quinoa flour has even more protein, essential amino acids, and much less phytic acid than regular quinoa. Phytic acid can make it harder for your body to absorb minerals, so less is better.
You can germinate, or sprout, other grains too, like wheat, barley, and lentils. This increases nutrients and decreases compounds that prevent nutrient absorption, such as phytic acid.
Quinoa is also a gluten-free grain, but always check pasta for gluten-free labeling. Some gluten-free pasta also mixes several gluten-free grains, such as brown rice, chickpea, lentil, and quinoa flours.
