1 week Ago By Audrey Bruno
Noodles come in clutch for quick, inexpensive weeknight cooking, but they often leave you hungry soon after. Which made us wonder: What options are there for high-protein pasta that can fill you up and leave you satisfied? Known more for its carb content, pasta isn’t exactly the poster child for protein-rich ingredients—unless, of course, we’re talking about legume and lentil-based alternatives , which can pack up to 14 grams per two-ounce serving. Traditional, white flour options come in at less, at roughly six grams per cooked cup.
That’s not a ton, but it’s not nothing either, and it can go a long way if you know what to add to it to take it to the next level. So no, while you probably wouldn’t call OG pasta a high-protein food, it still can serve as a solid foundation for building a protein-rich meal with what you probably already have on hand, Wendy Lopez, MS, RD , cofounder and COO of Diabetes Digital , tells SELF. But what’s the best way to turn that plate of pasta into a high-protein dinner? We tasked registered dietitians and culinary pros with developing tips to boost the protein in traditional, white flour pasta, without fundamentally altering why we love the food—namely, for being cheap and convenient.
Here are some additions they use to shortcut their way to high-protein pasta meals on the reg. 1. Mash canned beans into marinara sauce.
Beans add: 7 to 9 grams protein per one-half cup serving Even though it might seem like a random pairing, adding beans to pasta offers a one-two punch of extra protein and fiber —and there’s solid precedent for the combo in lots of classic dishes around the world, Roya Shariat, Brooklyn-based writer, home cook, and co-author of Maman and Me: Recipes from Our Iranian American Family , tells SELF. “Italians have pasta e ceci (pasta with chickpeas), while Iranians have something called ‘ reshteh daghlama ’ which involves cooking rice vermicelli noodles with spices and large kidney beans,” she explains. Bean-forward pasta recipes aren’t your only option, though.
There are stealthy ways to include legumes in your go-to noodle dish without drastically changing the way it tastes. Say, for instance, by blending a can of white beans into your favorite jarred Alfredo sauce, Sapna Peruvemba, MS, RDN , registered dietitian and founder of Health by Sapna , tells SELF. Just pop open a can, puree it with a food processor or blender, or keep things simple and mash it straight into a simmering sauce with a fork.
2. Blitz silken tofu into a cream sauce. Silken tofu adds: 9 grams protein per 3-ounce serving Tofu is a favorite for vegetarian noodle stir-fry recipes, but that’s not the only way to include this plant-based protein source in a pasta dish.
Silken tofu in particular is a boon for building creamy pasta sauces sans real-deal dairy, says Shariat. “You can put silken tofu in the blender and use it to make a creamy Alfredo sauce, you can blitz it with some spinach, pasta water, and nutritional yeast for a green sauce, or blend it into whatever sauce you might be making for added creaminess and protein,” she explains. Don’t forget about firm tofu either; it can mimic the taste and texture of a couple different animal proteins (and with a comparable protein content!).
Lopez finds that it’s a dead ringer for ricotta when broken up into bits, cooked with garlic, olive oil, and an Italian spice mix, and then added to pesto or marinara sauces. Or, you could cook it til extra crispy, add a dash of fennel seeds, and use it as a sub for Italian sausage in a pasta salad or plant-based bolognese. 3.
Put a fried egg on top. Egg adds: 6 grams protein per egg Eggs are famously one of the central ingredients in carbonara, but there are plenty of other ways to put the protein source to work in pasta, Cara Harbstreet, MS, RD , of Street Smart Nutrition , tells SELF. “Don’t just think of eggs in the sauce—a poached egg or fried egg can complement pasta dishes,” she says.
An addition like this is particularly welcome in creamy or cheesy recipes, like atop a bowl of mac and cheese or Alfredo linguine. But, honestly, eggs taste great with everything, from tomato to pesto, so feel free to use this trick in any pasta dish that’s lacking protein. While eggs are extra pricey right now , you don’t need to use a lot to feel the benefits in your pasta.
4. Steam spinach into your favorite recipe. Spinach adds: 5 grams protein per 1 cup cooked Veggies shouldn’t be your main source of protein, but some have more of the macro than others.
That means they certainly help you get closer to the recommended amount per meal, says Peruvemba. One option she particularly loves using in pasta? Spinach . One cup of cooked spinach contains roughly five grams of protein, and while you’re probably going to consume less than that, you can still expect an extra two to three grams from a one-half cup serving of the leafy greens when cooked, which can go a long way when paired with other protein-dense ingredients.
Don’t fret if you don’t have fresh spinach on hand either. A cube or two of frozen spinach equates to roughly one or two servings, and will provide the same taste and texture. You can just pop them straight into an Alfredo or marinara sauce, cook until they’re heated all the way through, and dig in.
5. Add broccoli florets for a protein-rich spin on primavera pasta. Broccoli adds: 4 g protein per 1 cup cooked Broccoli is another protein-rich vegetable —at about four grams per cup, says Peruvemba—and it’s right at home in a number of pasta dishes.
This is another place where using the frozen alternative will both cost less and save you time. No need to hack up an entire head of broccoli, because frozen alternatives are already chopped into perfectly sized florets. Defrost them in a microwave and stir into a mac and cheese with shredded rotisserie chicken for a riff on chicken-broccoli casserole, or pair with penne, pesto, and spring veggies like radish and asparagus for a make-shift pasta primavera.
6. Add a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast for umami and protein Nutritional yeast adds: 5 grams protein per 2-tablespoon serving With almost three grams of protein per tablespoon, nutritional yeast is a worthy pasta addition even if you’re not sticking to an entirely plant-based diet, says Peruvemba. The ingredient has a funky, umami-rich flavor that makes a great substitute for cheese, but also plays well with real-deal dairy.
So you could use it to make a silken tofu-based vegan Alfredo sauce taste more authentic, or in tandem with Parmesan or cream to complement their flavors and boost the protein count even more. 7. Turn to pesto in a pinch.
Pesto adds: 3 g protein per 1⁄4-cup serving Parmesan and pine nuts are the main building blocks for pesto, so you’ll get not one but two protein-rich ingredients by using a sauce like this in your next bowl of pasta. What’s more, the classic sauce is right at home with other protein-packed ingredients like shredded rotisserie chicken and canned fish like sardines. Add a half a jar to a spaghetti dish with cherry tomatoes, parmesan, and chicken, or make a spin on puttanesca by pairing it with olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, sardines, and penne pasta.
Can’t find it in store? If you choose to make the sauce yourself, Peruvemba says a combo of hemp seeds and pine nuts provides the same protein and flavor bang, but will help you save a bit on traditionally pricey pine nuts. 8. Make a plant-based bolognese that’s also protein-rich with lentils.
Lentils add: 18 grams protein per 1 cup of cooked Lopez is a big fan of stirring lentils into marinara sauce for a plant-based spin on bolognese; the protein count and texture will be similar, but the pulse also provides plenty of fiber and vitamins like potassium that you wouldn’t normally get as much of from beef. Can’t imagine your bolo without meat? Consider going half and half with lentils and ground beef to reap the added fiber benefits without sacrificing the flavor you know and love. Or use lentils in an entirely different pasta recipe altogether, like with bowtie noodles, roasted veggies, and a tangy balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
9. Shred up rotisserie chicken for your next linguine Alfredo. Rotisserie chicken adds: 23 grams protein per 3 ounces The great thing about pasta is how easy it is to make, but extra steps like grilling or roasting meat kind of defeat the purpose.
With a rotisserie chicken, that work is already done for you, so all that’s left to do is remove the meat from the bird and toss it into whatever it is you’re cooking, says Harbstreet. Try stirring it into mac and cheese, vodka sauce penne, or even into a quick pasta salad. Chicken is endlessly versatile and pairs well with so many different flavor profiles, so the pastabilities are endless with a trick like this.
10. Make a creamy tomato sauce with cottage cheese. Cottage cheese adds: 12 grams of protein per half cup Cottage cheese is a surefire way to boost the protein in eggs , smoothies, and—you guessed it—pasta! “It works great in baked pasta dishes like lasagna or even stirred into tomato-based sauces,” says Lopez.
You can add it straight into a sauce like you would yogurt or cream, or, blend it into a creamy consistency first (particularly helpful if those chewy, bouncy curds rub you the wrong way), she adds. 11. Crack open a can of tuna or sardines.
Tuna adds: 23 grams protein in a 5-ounce can The most famous renditions of seafood pasta contain protein sources like shrimp, clams, and calamari, but those options require a fair amount of work to prepare—and who has time to devein shrimp and scrub shells on a weeknight?! Canned fish offers all protein and seaside flavors that you desire, minus pretty much all of the work, says Harbstreet. And such options are often cheaper to boot. She loves canned salmon and tuna, but pick what you like—which isn’t hard to do since there are so many amazing canned fish options on the market these days.
“Not only will you gain the benefit of added protein, but both options can provide omega-3 fatty acids,” she explains. Try adding a tomato or olive-oil packed sardines to a dish that’s already rich in tomato, crack open a can of salmon to use in a creamy penne dish with peas and a lemon, or make an old school favorite like tuna casserole with curly egg noodles. 12.
Finish your dish with crunchy, toasted walnuts. Walnuts add: 5 grams protein per 1⁄4-cup Nuts don’t just belong in pasta sauces like pesto—they’re also a great finishing touch for a whole host of noodle-based dishes, says Lopez. Crunch is one thing that’s missing from a lot of pasta recipes, so something like a smattering of toasted walnuts or almonds will deliver on that front as well as adding a bit of extra protein, fiber, and healthy fats , she explains.
She recommends trying it on your next bowl of cacio e pepe, but it will be equally good on all kinds of creamy recipes or in a pasta salad filled with leafy greens. 13. Don’t skimp on the Parmesan.
Parmesan adds: 2 grams protein per 1 tablespoon You’re probably already adding Parm to some (all?) of your pasta meals anyway, and now you’ve got a good reason to rely on it even more: The ingredient contains about two grams of protein per tablespoon, and is a great way to ensure that what you’re eating gets you over the threshold for this nutrient, says Lopez. You could even take it further by adding a fourth of a cup of Parmesan straight into a sauce, before then sprinkling a couple extra tablespoons on right before digging in. Basically, the next time a server at a restaurant tells you to say when, don’t hesitate to let them crank the cheese grater a little while longer.
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