Pasta Recipes

• Penne with Roasted Squash and Sausage

  You’ll love this delicious and flavourful dish. When the squash is puréed with extra-virgin olive oil, it has a very creamy consistency—no need to include any fattening cream. The rest of the flavour in this dish comes from the simple combination of roasted garlic, sage, feta cheese and sausage.

• Beet and Tarragon Fusilli

  Yes, this dinner is pink! And I’m sure you’ll agree that the flavours of beets, horseradish and tarragon are a natural marriage—but the leek and Swiss chard take this dish to a whole other level.

• Potato Gnocchi

  Even though potato gnocchi are Italian, this is a great recipe to include in a local dinner.

• Pasta with Peas and Pancetta

  This pasta dish with peas and pancetta is the perfect mix of sweet, salty and superb—and healthy, too.

• Raw Pad Thai

  Try this vegan, raw version of the spicy and delicious Thai classic Pad Thai.

• Tangy Noodle Salad

  This tangy, light and refreshing noodle salad makes a great lunch. Double the recipe and serve it for dinner alongside barbecued chicken, as well.

• Tagliatelle with Mushrooms, Lemon and Breadcrumbs

  This terrific dish is simple to make. Prepare the mushroom and lemon sauce and breadcrumbs ahead of time and boil the tagliatelle just before you need it.

• Nut-Free Pad Thai

  Flaxseeds make the perfect substitute for peanuts in this allergy-friendly pad thai recipe because they have great crunch.

• Dairy-Free Creamy Macaroni Bake

  This healthy, creamy macaroni bake is a favourite among kids who crave macaroni and cheese but can't have dairy. Cooking and pureeing the cauliflower gives the sauce a whiteness that makes it look like the traditional cream sauce.

• Rotelle with Black Beans and Tomatoes

  With fibre- and protein-rich black beans and a variety of vegetables, this quick rotelle pasta dish makes an easy weeknight meal. To make it extra healthy, use whole-wheat pasta and cut back on the cheese.

• Cold Sesame Noodles and Vegetables

  A long-time favourite at Chinese restaurants, cold sesame noodles and vegetables make a great side dish (double the portions for a main dish). Sesame paste has been replaced with peanut butter and sesame oil.

• Roasted Vegetable and Pasta Bake

  A hearty vegetarian dish packed with flavour, this roasted vegetable and pasta bake features butternut squash, asparagus and leeks cooked in a garlicky olive oil, along with chunky pasta shapes and a cheese sauce.

• Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

  Oven-roasted vegetables, tender and scented with garlic, make a chunky dressing that is great with wide pasta noodles. A sprinkling of crunchy sunflower seeds adds texture as well as additional nutritional benefits to this pasta with roasted vegetables.

• Fruity Pasta Salad

  Pineapple and pear give this fruity pasta salad a sweet accent, while balsamic vinegar adds a delightful piquancy. With lean ham, cheese, fruit and vegetables all adding their own nutrients to balance the pasta, the result is a marvellous dish.

• Rustic Broiled Vegetable and Rigatoni Salad

  Broiled vegetables are delicious with chunky pasta in a tangy dressing. Serve this rustic broiled vegetable and rigatoni salad as a light lunch or as an accompaniment to broiled poultry or meat, when it will serve 6 or 8 people.

• Creamy Turkey Salad with Grapes and Pecans

  With its wonderfully contrasting tastes and textures, this creamy turkey salad with grapes and pecans makes a satisfying main course that is luxurious without containing a lot of saturated fat. It is the perfect recipe for roast turkey leftovers.

• Chicken Breast with Roasted Garlic-Tomato Sauce

  Here’s a recipe that turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. This chicken breast dish, with a rich roasted garlic-tomato sauce, is high in vitamins C, B6, beta carotene and niacin and low in fat, but fabulous in flavour.

• Stir-Fried Pork With Chinese Greens

  Stir-fries do not have to be complicated, with numerous ingredients, as this simple recipe shows. Here strips of pork fillet are marinated then stir-fried with Chinese greens. Egg noodles make the perfect accompaniment.

• Sweet and Sour Pork

  Sweet and sour sauce doesn’t have to be a thick bright orange. This modern, light version of sweet and sour pork allows the succulence of the meat and the fresh flavours and different textures of a variety of vegetables and noodles to shine through.

• Pesto Pork Chops

  Lean pork is now on the heart-healthy menu. To keep these pork chops healthy but succulent, top them with homemade pesto. It uses just a tiny bit of oil but seals in all the pork’s juices at the same time.

• Sesame Pork and Noodle Salad

  With its typical Chinese flavours—ginger, soy sauce and rice vinegar—this sesame pork and noodle salad makes a delectable dish for either lunch or dinner. It is particularly nutritious as most of the vegetables are raw.

• Teriyaki Lamb Chops

  Yes, you can have lamb chops on a heart-healthy diet, provided you trim away the fat. These are juicy, bursting with flavour, and brightened with Asian accents. Pair the teriyaki lamb chops with warm noodles and a fresh salad.

• Spaghettini Marinara

  Cooked in a delicious wine-enriched tomato sauce, a nutritious mix of seafood makes an elegant partner for the thin spaghettini. Prepare a leafy mixed side salad to go with this spaghettini marinara, a great dinner party main course.

• Seafood Lasagna

  Packed with vegetables, this seafood lasagna is a superb vitamin-rich, nutritious meal. Choose vegetables that are fresh and in season, including fresh peas, asparagus, beans, broccoli and sautéed mushrooms.

• Teriyaki Swordfish Kebabs

  Teriyaki is a popular cooking style in Japan. The teriyaki marinade for fish or meat is made with soy sauce, rice wine and sugar and can be bought ready made from most grocery stores. It is intense, so you only need to use a little for these swordfish kebabs.

• Asian-Style Fish with Noodles

  A whole fish cooked with ginger, garlic and green onions is a traditional centrepiece in a Chinese meal. Here it is served with a mixture of noodles and bean sprouts to make a very special Asian-style dish.

• Smoked Trout and Pasta Salad

  Tempt your family with this delicious heart-healthy smoked trout and pasta salad. It makes an ideal midweek meal served with crusty whole-wheat bread. If you wait until the last minute to add the arugula, it won’t spoil if anyone’s late home.

• Pasta and Tuna Salad with Zucchini and Sundried Tomato Pesto

  The dressing for this simple, colourful pasta and tuna salad has a sweet-sour flavour, which perfectly complements the lightly cooked zucchini, tuna, sundried tomato pesto and pasta. Serve the salad cool, but not chilled, or try it while it is still warm.

• Seafood Paella

  No trip to Spain would be complete without sampling its famous rice dish, paella. The ingredients vary from region to region, but this recipe uses white fish fillets, squid and mussels. Serve this seafood paella with crusty whole-wheat bread.

• Chicken and Ricotta Cannelloni

  Cannelloni are often filled with rich beef or veal mixtures, but this lighter version uses chicken with fresh vegetables. The chicken and ricotta cannelloni can be assembled early in the day, and left in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.

• Spaghetti Carbonara with Roasted Tomato Salad

  This version of the all-time favourite spaghetti carbonara makes use of low-fat dairy products and dry-cured ham instead of bacon to make a healthier dish with no compromise on flavour. To complete the meal, serve with a roasted tomato salad.

• Spaghetti Bolognese

  Here’s a new lower-fat version of a classic Bolognese, a full-flavoured meat sauce tossed with strands of spaghetti and served with Parmesan cheese. There’s less beef than in traditional recipes, but low-fat chicken livers enrich the sauce.

• Asian-Style Chicken and Pasta Salad

  Pasta bows taste deliciously different when combined with an exotic dressing of fish sauce, fresh red chili and rice vinegar in a moist Asian-style chicken and pasta salad. Fresh crunchy vegetables complete this well-balanced main-course dish.

• Pasta and Chicken Salad with Basil

  Quick to prepare, this pasta and chicken salad with basil makes an ideal midweek dinner and won’t spoil if someone is late home. Tossing the pasta with lemon juice and white wine not only adds flavour but also means that the quantity of oil can be reduced.

• Spaghetti with Puttanesca Sauce

  Puttanesca is an Italian sauce that’s hearty, spicy and rich in flavour. This version keeps in the traditional capers, anchovies and olives, but just uses fewer of them to keep down the level of fat.

• Angel Hair Pasta with Basil and Walnut Pesto

  This basil and walnut pesto recipe adds the extra health boost of spinach and the peppery surprise of arugula, in true heart-healthy style.

• Linguini with Tomato Sauce

  This quick and easy linguini sauce is bursting with tomatoes and olive oil—foods that will keep your heart pumping strong.

• Squash, Ricotta and Sage Gnocchi

  There are numerous versions of gnocchi. Here a flour-based dough of mashed squash and ricotta cheese, flavoured with sage and Parmesan cheese, is used. A colourful roasted red pepper and onion sauce completes the dish.

• Mushroom and Cheese Macaroni

  Introduce vegetables to old favourites for healthy family meals. This well-loved macaroni dish is delicious with mushrooms, peas and red pepper added. Using a small amount of powerful blue vein cheese adds flavour, but not too much fat.

• Mushroom Ravioli in Herb Jus

  Store-bought stuffed pasta just does not taste anything like silken-textured homemade pasta with a freshly prepared savoury filling. This mushroom ravioli in herb jus is not a convenience meal—making pasta does take time—but it is well worth it!

• Herbed Eggplant Lasagna

  Eggplants make delicious lasagna, but traditional methods usually involve slicing and frying them in copious quantities of oil. Here, eggplant is diced and simmered with flavourful ingredients to make a rich, zesty herbed sauce.

• Fusilli and Meatballs

  Unlike traditional recipes, these meatballs are low in fat, yet they’re full of the terrific taste you crave. Long curls of fusilli add a fun twist. For a casual dinner with friends, you can just double or triple the recipe.

• Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

  Packed with flavour, mixing pasta with chicken and a bounty of just-tender vegetables, it is easy to see why chicken noodle soup is traditionally eaten as a restorative. Serve it as an entree and enjoy the leftover chicken in sandwiches the next day.