Pasta is a dish loved by almost all ages of people. According to the taste buds, the variety of pasta went on evolving. Some like penne pasta, spaghetti pasta, ravioli pasta, and the list go on and on. Some people like meat in it too. Pasta is also available in stores that are ready to cook at home. Whole grain pasta, eggplant, zucchini, and butternut squash are some vegetable pasta that is widely loved by vegetarians in general. The variety of pasta is so huge these days that covering all of them in a single article has become a task for us, literally. Still, we’ll try our best.
As said before, the variety in pasta keeps on increasing and comes in many shapes, sizes, and nutrient content. The nutrient content in vegetable pasta is varied in nature. A variety of them is available that are gluten-free in nature, for those who are intolerant to the same and want to increase their protein or fiber intake. So, vegetable pasta is a healthy option at all times.
The ones which come into this are wheat pasta, rice pasta, butternut squash, and eggplant. Scrapped, julienned, or ribboned any pasta with a bunch of vegetables is a healthy option to keep. The vegetable pasta will help you keep a balance of the necessary nutrients and a good protein share too.
In The Vegetable Pasta Categories, These Are The Toppings You Can Use For A Healthy Option:
1. Mushrooms and garlic
Mushrooms have the capability to increase the creamy texture of your vegetable pasta. Mushrooms have a smooth flavor and the garlic adds a salty punch to it providing pleasure to your taste buds. Mushrooms mainly contain vitamin D that is not found naturally in some foods, other than mushrooms. Different types of mushrooms can also do it for you. Cremini, portobello, oyster, or white mushrooms are the different varieties that help you get the varieties in the mushrooms.
2. Spinach
Into the vegetable pasta, adding spinach is incredibly good for health. Green leafy vegetables have a rich source of iron, potassium, vitamin C, calcium, and fiber. The multi-faceted nature of spinach makes the vegetable pasta rich from the health aspect, to consume. If added spinach and you aren’t liking the flavor, you can simply add some tomato ketchup to the pasta, it will stabilize the taste with spinach and give you a balanced taste of the pasta, spinach, and ketchup. The amalgamated flavor will give it a good and lip-smacking taste.
3. Tomato and capsicum
Tomatoes add a new flavor in totality. It helps the pasta get a boost in taste immediately. Along with adding flavor, tomatoes are also a rich source of antioxidants, namely lycopene. They are also low in calories, but high in vitamin C, fiber, and potassium. You will get a major shift in flavor that will only make it better. Capsicums will add vitamins B and C. Fibers, iron, manganese, and amino acids are more of the nutrients that are present in capsicum.
Let’s have a look at some types of pasta
- Veggie pasta (eggplant, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash)
If you are craving some vegetable options in pasta, these are just the right ones for you. These will have a lesser number of proteins but are rich in fiber, and a bit less on the protein content in it. Pasta that is gluten-free is good for people who are allergic to wheat or celiac disease. Above all, freshly made vegetable pasta s way good than the traditional one. It is an add-on to your vegetable intake and proteins too.
- Bean and Legume pasta (Mung bean, red lentil, chickpea)
If compared to traditional pasta, legume/bean-based pasta is rich in protein, fiber and also are gluten-free. The only thing is the intake. Excessive eating will of course make you gain weight. The right portion to consume when having pasta is important as, pasta is also made up of some portion of white flour in it, even if it is grain based. A small amount of white flour is present in it at all times. All the other vegetable additions are done to reduce the effect of the white flour, in order to make the pasta comparatively healthier.
Some types of grain-induced pasta are:
1. Brown rice pasta
As we are talking much about gluten-free pasta, this one is no exception. Along with being gluten-free, this one is a rich source of protein and magnesium, that adds to the nutrient content and value. At times, refined rice and other refined grains are also added to it, so we need to be watchful about the portions of the size we consume. As a pasta made from rice, it is rich in carbohydrates of course that will give you a feeling of being satiated well enough.
2. Corn pasta
This one in vegetable pasta contains rich fibrous content, helps digestion, gives satiety, and controls cholesterol levels too. It also provides minerals and vitamins including magnesium, iron, zinc, and phosphorous. Zinc is a rare nutrient that is not found in foods so easily. Sometimes due to zinc deficiency, doctors advise people to take tablets to curb zinc deficiency.
3. Wheat pasta
Unlike that we discussed, this one has gluten in it. Gluten, actually, has soluble fibers, proteins, zinc, iron, potassium, and, vitamin B. Famously known as whole wheat pasta, it is made by milling the grains via harvested durum wheat. It is a species of wheat especially used for making wheat pasta. For those who like and are not allergic to wheat, this is a good option that will provide a good taste too.
Conclusion:
In the list of vegetables, we’ve covered a noticeable amount of them. As they are a lucrative business, the vegetable pasta market is only growing as many varieties of them are available in it and people love the flavors. The diverse flavors allow people to choose from a variety of them. Health-conscious people can go for corn and brown rice pasta, while some crave traditional pasta. In traditional vegetable pasta, white flour content is there which is of not much nutritional value, so watch the portions of it that you consume. Other than that, corn pasta, brown rice pasta, eggplant, etc are the healthiest and most nutrient-rich pasta available.
Also Read: 6 Vegetables to help you with Digestion
