--- title: What Is the Healthiest Type of Pasta to Eat? description: Pasta comes in many different forms, including lentil pasta, chickpea pasta and zucchini noodles. Here's the healthiest kind. canonical: https://time.com/4906359/healthy-pasta-noodles/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-22T15:17:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T17:03:50.718Z article:section: Health og:title: What's the Best Non-Pasta Pasta? og:description: From zucchini noodles to chickpea spaghetti—find out which is the healthiest og:url: https://time.com/4906359/healthy-pasta-noodles/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43b5c521510ba367/6988da46bc6cfc7dd23e2b28/pasta.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5042 og:image:height: 2836 og:image:alt: Colorful Uncooked Pasta og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What's the Best Non-Pasta Pasta? twitter:description: From zucchini noodles to chickpea spaghetti—find out which is the healthiest twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43b5c521510ba367/6988da46bc6cfc7dd23e2b28/pasta.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What Is the Best Non-Pasta Pasta? > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 22, 2017 3:17 PM UTC  Assorted colorful uncooked pasta presented on a rustic cutting board. Assorted colorful uncooked pasta presented on a rustic cutting board.Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 22, 2017 3:17 PM UTC Non-flour pastas are having a moment: You can now eat pasta made from brown rice, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas and more. But are they really healthier than the real deal? Here’s what nutrition experts have to say about which pasta alternatives are actually good for you. ## **Vegetable noodles are the best** Fresh vegetables used in the place of noodles are clearly the healthiest option. One popular way to make veggies like sweet potato, cucumber or zucchini look like noodles is to [spiralize](https://www.amazon.com/Spiralizer-Vegetable-Strongest-Heaviest-Gluten-Free/dp/B00GRIR87M) them, or use a machine to slice them into long, curly strands. You can then cook these so-called “zoodles,” if you wish, by boiling or sautéeing them. Other stringy veggies like spaghetti squash naturally have a similar pasta-like look. “From a nutritional standpoint, it’s terrific,” says Keith Ayoob, associate professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System. “It’s just a lot more work, and you will need equipment.” Another downside is that fresh vegetable pastas can’t be stored like regular pasta, and it goes bad more quickly. The biggest con of all: vegetables taste nothing like real noodles. **MORE:** [Should I Eat Whole Wheat Pasta?](http://time.com/3658167/should-i-eat-whole-wheat-pasta/) ## **Bean-based pastas have the most fiber** Dried pastas made from chickpeas, lentils or black beans have more protein and fiber than regular pasta. That’s because this type of pasta is made from beans. It can be made in different ways; sometimes the bean is ground into a flour and combined with thickening agents like tapioca or xanthan gum, and sometimes the bean powder is just combined with water. One popular type of bean pasta, [Banza](http://time.com/4115398/best-inventions-2015/), uses chickpeas in place of wheat. It has twice the protein and four times the fiber of regular pasta, with fewer carbs. It’s also gluten free—but it’s not always much lighter. A two-ounce serving of Banza is about 190 calories, while penne packs about 200. ## **Veggie pastas aren’t necessarily worthwhile** Don’t be fooled by pastas that say they contain vegetables in their ingredients, like green spinach pasta or red tomato pasta. Spinach pasta is just regular pasta made with a bit of spinach, often in powder or puree form. “It’s basically fun and games with pasta,” says Ayoob. “It has great eye appeal.” Though some companies claim their veggie pastas contain a full serving of vegetables, Ayoob says it’s no substitute for a real vegetable dish, since spinach pasta might not have all the nutrients you would otherwise expect from spinach. ## **Quinoa pasta is a good gluten-free option** Veggie or legume-based pastas are often gluten free, but quinoa is an especially popular choice since it doesn’t get mushy when it’s cooked. It tends to be higher in protein than other gluten-free varieties, and it contains high amounts of fiber, and iron. Another plus: it cooks quickly. ## **Even regular pasta can be healthy** The healthfulness of any type of pasta, regular or alternative, depends largely on what you serve with it. “Pasta is a great vehicle for other food,” says Ayoob. Usually, that means ground beef or heavy, creamy sauces. “Alfredo is one of the highest calorie pastas you can eat,” says Ayoob. “It’s what I call ‘once a year’ pasta.” Instead, top yours with tomato-based sauces, vegetables or yesterday’s leftovers. You can also eat [whole-wheat pasta](http://time.com/3658167/should-i-eat-whole-wheat-pasta/), which is rich in vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. Try serving it as a side dish, rather than a main, to cut down on portion sizes. “Pasta, including refined-flour pasta, is not a new food—it’s been around long before the obesity crisis,” Ayoob says. “Pasta is not a matter of yes or no, it’s a matter of how much and how often.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4906359/healthy-pasta-noodles/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4906359/healthy-pasta-noodles/"},"headline":"What Is the Best Non-Pasta Pasta?","datePublished":"2017-08-22T15:17:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T17:03:50.718Z","description":"Pasta comes in many different forms, including lentil pasta, chickpea pasta and zucchini noodles. 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