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Pasta makes one of the most delicious meals on the planet, and green pasta dishes allow you to skip the excess cheese and butter to indulge without wreaking havoc on your stomach. Stay on track with your health and fitness goals (plus satisfy your cravings) by throwing a ton of vegetables in there! Additionally, these green pasta recipes are a festive way to celebrate St. Patty's Day with food.
Here are 12 of our favorite quick and easy green pasta dishes to chow down on!
Creamy Avocado Pasta
Brit + Co
This hearty green pasta recipe is chock-full of healthy fats, thanks to the addition of avocado. Plus, it just looks gorgeous! (via Brit + Co)
Vegan Green Goddess Pasta
Blissful Basil
When you've got a big bowl o' noodles in front of you, you hardly need animal products for flavor. That's why we love this super-delicious vegan green goddess pasta! Spoiler alert: the secret to making this super cheesy dish is none other than nutritional yeast. (via Blissful Basil)
Creamy Avocado & Spinach Green Noodles
Jo Cooks
If you haven't jumped on board the creamy avocado and spinach pasta train yet, you're missing out. Ripe avos add creaminess and flavor to your noodles in a similar way to olive oil and butter. But, obviously, they're incredibly healthy and full of nutrients. (via Jo Cooks)
BLT Pasta Salad
Life in the Lofthouse
Speaking of pasta salads – why not combine the flavors of everyone's favorite sandwich with this BLT pasta dish? This super yummy version is made with tomatoes, romaine lettuce, bacon, ranch dressing, and barbecue sauce for a decidedly un-salady salad. (via Life in the Lofthouse)
Vegan Spinach Pici Pasta
The Edgy Veg
This delicious dish is sneaky when it comes to adding in veggies and nutrients – the sauce is secretly loaded up with spinach, though the flavor is masked excellently by garlic and vegan cheese. (via The Edgy Veg)
Green Goddess Zucchini Pasta with Fried Halloumi
Half Baked Harvest
Halloumi is a delicious, hearty cheese that makes for a fantastic meat substitute… especially in green pasta dishes. This tasty recipe requires only a few steps: Cook your pasta, fry your cheese, sauté your veggies, and then combine for ultimate yumminess. (via Half Baked Harvest)
Broccoli Tahini Pasta Salad
Love & Lemons
Broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables out there, boasting large amounts of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin E, manganese, vitamin B1, potassium, and vitamin A. Pro tip: to ensure your broccoli doesn't lose nutrients in the cooking process, be sure to steam it rather than boil it. (via Love & Lemons)
Green Pesto Vegetable Soup
Well and Full
Bowtie pasta is a delightful addition to this healthful, pesto-based soup. Flavorful and herbaceous, this concoction is flavored with a ton of herbs and spices, including cilantro, basil, parsley, and coriander. (via Well and Full)
Pasta with Green Beans & Pesto
Skinny Ms.
This hearty green pasta dish is full of plant-based protein from green beans. Yep, they're actually a very high-protein vegetable and perfect for adding into pastas! Pro tip: to make sure you don't overcook your penne, pour cold water over the pasta after it's done cooking. This will prevent further cooking due to steam. (via Skinny Ms.)
Green Goddess Pasta
The Endless Meal
Top this hearty dish with whatever protein you please. Salmon is a super-healthy choice, but vegans can eat this completely as-is. Bonus health points if you make it with whole-wheat noodles! (via The Endless Meal)
Green Goddess Mac & Cheese
Simply Recipes
Mac and cheese is a perennial guilty pleasure, but there's no need to feel guilty about indulging every once in a while, especially when you're simultaneously indulging in baby spinach and parsley! (via Simply Recipes)
The Best Avocado Pasta
Gimme Delicious
Here's another avocado pasta sauce for you to try out! Be sure to select extra-ripe avocados when you're making this kind of green pasta sauce. If they're not ripe, you won't end up with the creamy consistency that makes it absolutely ahh-mazing. (via Gimme Delicious)
If you enjoy these green pasta dishes, make sure to follow us on Pinterest and join our newsletter for more mouthwatering recipes!
This post has been updated with additional reporting by Meredith Holser.
