Enjoying a healthy diet does not mean living on twigs and berries. People can still consume traditional favorites like pasta and many healthy low fat pasta recipes feature unique, tasty ingredients that everyone will love. Get out the pots and pans because it is time to go healthy while preparing delicious pasta dishes.

Anyone who enjoys manicotti will love a recipe that substitutes the ricotta filling with healthy tofu. How about a cheeseless and dairy-free vegan alfredo sauce that is still rich and creamy? It is possible, using cashew milk, miso, soy sauce, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. Nearly any high fat pasta recipe can be altered for a healthier result.

Sage and pumpkin pasta sauce is savory and low fat. To make it, you will need the following ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ cups pre-cooked or canned pumpkin
• ½ cup soy milk
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ onion, diced
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pine nuts or walnuts
• 1 ¼ teaspoon sage
• Pepper and salt, to taste

Pumpkin sauce is an ideal pasta sauce that is not only tasty but also low fat.

Step 1: Puree fresh pumpkin in blender until it is smooth.

Step 2: In a medium pot, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil for 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3: Reduce the heat to low, add soy milk, sage, pumpkin, and vegetable broth. Gently stir to combine and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 4: Add pine nuts or walnuts, pepper, and salt. Stir to combine, remove from heat, and serve over cooked pasta.

Sun-dried tomato and artichoke pasta is a simple, low fat dish made from:

• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ red pepper, diced
• 1 cup artichoke hearts, sliced
• 1 jar of drained sun-dried tomatoes
• ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/3 cup black olives, sliced
• 1 box of bow tie pasta, cooked

A delicious artichoke pasta

Step 1: Saute the garlic in the olive oil for several minutes. Add basil and red peppers. Cook for a few minutes.

Step 2: Add artichoke hearts, tomatoes, basil, and olives, cooking until heated through.

Step 3: Remove from heat, toss with cooked pasta, and serve.

Healthy low fat pasta recipes like these are tasty without containing too much fat. Getting the family onto a low fat, low calorie diet is a smart move with a lifetime of benefits. Enjoy meals like this every day of the week and combine healthy eating with a smart exercise program to live a long and healthy life.

Many people enjoy chicken and they also like pasta, so the opportunity to combine these into a meal is something they cannot resist. Low fat chicken pasta recipes have the added benefit of being healthier than those that include lots of butter or a creamy sauce. Diners can enjoy chicken and pasta prepared in a way that does not add too much fat.

Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipes

When we think of pasta, we imagine creamy Alfredo or vodka sauce or sugar-laden red sauce atop a mound of starch, with fattening meat accents like sausage or meatballs. This results in a full stomach that seems to last for days, which can be very uncomfortable. Shedding the pounds added by this meal requires a trip to the gym or a few laps around the track.

By combining lean chicken, pasta, vegetables, and seasonings, diners can enjoy a meal that is just as tasty without the fat. Chicken breasts should be skinless, boneless, and never fried. Low fat pasta like shirataki noodles, made from an Asian root vegetable, can even be used to replace regular pasta. These are low carb, low calorie, and made from 100 percent fiber.

Homemade chicken pasta salad

You will need:

• 3 cups pasta
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 3 fresh mushrooms, sliced
• ¼ onion, chopped
• (1) 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Step 1: Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add the pasta and cook it until al dente or for 8 to 10 minutes, drain it, and set is aside.

Step 2: Lightly grease a skillet with non-fat cooking spray. Add the chicken and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, cool it, and dice it.

Step 3: Combine the mushrooms, onion, tomatoes with juice, Italian seasoning, and some pepper to taste in a large, clean skillet. Cook on medium heat until the onions become translucent. Pour into a serving bowl, add the pasta and chicken, and mix the ingredients. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top prior to serving.

Pasta Pesto with chicken recipes

Each serving of this recipe has just 185 calories, 1.8 grams of fat, and 27 mg of cholesterol. Low fat chicken pasta recipes like this satisfy the stomach without seeming like “diet food.” Variations include garlic, basil, oregano, and sun-dried tomatoes. If leftovers seem dry, add some non-fat Italian salad dressing or a small amount of hot sauce.

Photo Credits
All photos in this page are courtesy by the following authors:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jow/
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Fettuccine with Broccoli and Spinach

The amount of fat for this recipe is roughly 9.6g per serving. Its low fat and low calorie content is extremely ideal for someone who is looking for a nutritious meal without the fat. People who is on diet can consider this low fat pasta recipe which is an excellent choice for lunch or dinner.

Moreover, this low fat pasta recipe is an excellent dish for vegetarian or someone who has decided to take a break from diet loaded with meat. It is nutritious and filling, and needs no accompaniment. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 2 heads broccoli
• 450g/1lb fresh spinach, stalks removed nutmeg
• 450g/1lb fresh or dried egg fettuccine
• About 45ml/3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
• Salk and ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Step by Step Guides:
1. First, put roughly one liter of clean water into a steamer. Turn to high heat until water boils.

2. When the water in the steamer is boiling, put the broccoli in the basket of the steamer. Cover the steamer and steam for roughly 7 to 8 minutes.

3. After that, add the spinach to the broccoli, cover and steam for 3-4 minutes or until both are tender.

4. When both vegetables are done or are tender enough, you can add some freshly grated nutmeg on top of them. Besides, to add a bit taste of salty and spicy, you can sprinkle them with some salt and pepper. Just a little bit of them should be fine.

5. When you feel that the taste of the vegetables is good enough, transfer them to a temporary plate or colander.

6. Without throwing away the existing water in the steamer, add more water to it for cooking the pasta. Follow the instruction laid out on the packet of the pasta for the exact amount of water and boiling time.

7. Add a bit of salt to the water in the steamer and only add the pasta to the pan when the water starts boiling. Cook the pasta according to the exact period on the packet.

8. Meanwhile, cut the cooked broccoli and spinach into pieces. They shouldn’t be cut too fine or else they will be too soft to eat.

9. When the pasta is done in the pan, drain them and put them on a separate plate or colander.

10. On a clean pan, put roughly 45ml or 3tbsp of oil. Turn to medium heat and then add the pasta and the chopped vegetables. Toss the mixture frequently and evenly in the pan so that none of them gets over cooked.

11. At the same time, sprinkle in the lemon juice and plenty of black pepper, then taste and add more lemon juice, oil, salt and nutmeg if you like.

12. For 3 to 4 minutes of cooking, the mixture should be ready to serve. Finally, sprinkled liberally with freshly grated Parmesan and black pepper.

Nutritional information per serving: Energy 504kcal/2130kj; Protein 22.2g; Carbohydrate 87.4g of which 7.3g is sugar; Fat 9.6g of which 1.4g is saturated fat; Cholesterol 0mg; Calcium 289mg; Fiber 8.9g; Sodium 171mg.