10+ One-Pot Pasta Recipes For A Healthy Heart

These delicious pasta dishes are lower in sodium and saturated fat and are packed with flavor from ingredients like whole-grain pasta, vegetables and legumes to support a healthy heart. Even better, they’re prepared in a single pot, so the clean-up is a breeze. Try tasty options like our One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo with Lemon & Feta or and One-Pot Pasta With Spinach & Tomatoes for a heart-healthy meal full of nourishing ingredients.

One-Pot White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo with Lemon & Feta

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

This one-pot pasta dish with white beans, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes is lively and vibrant and leaves you with an easy cleanup. Toasting the orzo before adding the broth adds another layer of flavor. Another dark leafy green like chopped kale or Swiss chard can stand in for the spinach, but may take longer to wilt in the pan. If you use a sturdier green, add it to the pan during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

This one-pot pasta with tangy tomato-basil sauce is a simple, fast and easy weeknight dinner. All of your ingredients go into one pot, and with a bit of stirring and about 25 minutes of cook time, you’ll have a healthy dinner the whole family will enjoy.

Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta

Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Sammy Mila

You’ll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

One-Pot Pasta With Spinach & Tomatoes

Caitlin Bensel

This one-pot pasta dinner is simple, fresh, and healthy—what’s not to love? Cooking the pasta right in the sauce saves time and cleanup while infusing the noodles with more flavor. This speedy recipe is also endlessly adaptable, and lends itself to plenty of easy ingredient swaps (make sure to check out the clever riffs below). Change up the spinach for any vegetables you have on hand such as sliced zucchini and mushrooms, or add leftover chicken or cooked and crumbled sausage. We’ve happily embraced whole-wheat spaghetti as a healthier alternative to white pasta; it works especially well in this one-pot application.

One-Pot Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese with Broccoli

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

This easy one-pot mac & cheese recipe gets an extra boost of protein from chicken. Buffalo sauce adds spicy tang—look for one without added sugar, like Frank’s RedHot.

Spaghetti with Creamy Lemon-Spinach Sauce

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Give your veggie servings a boost with this easy spaghetti with spinach sauce recipe. Loosely inspired by the flavors of classic pesto, this vibrant pasta packs in plenty of spinach and basil with a garnish of nutty walnuts and savory Parmesan cheese. Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and a green salad on the side.

Slow-Cooker Sun-Dried Tomato & Spinach Pasta Bake

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell

This simple vegetarian pasta bake is rich in protein and comes together effortlessly in the slow cooker, for a convenient one-pot meal. The combination of sun-dried tomatoes, sun-dried tomato pesto and plenty of veggies delivers a mix of sweet and savory flavors with every bite. Feel free to replace the sun-dried tomato pesto with basil pesto, offering a fresh twist on the dish.

One-Pot Lemon Asparagus Pasta with Shrimp

Brie Passano

This quick one-pot shrimp and pasta dinner is cooked with asparagus in a lemony sauce. Feta cheese sprinkled over the top adds another savory layer, but feel free to skip it and add additional fresh herbs and a lemon slice instead.

Italian-Style Turkey & Penne Skillet

This delicious one-skillet pasta meal-for-two is ready in just 35 minutes! Turkey–seasoned with a spicy Italian-seasoning blend–is served with tomato sauce and wilted spinach over multi-grain pasta.

One-Pot Lemon-Broccoli Pasta with Parmesan

This hearty pasta dish with bright, fresh flavor is ideal for busy weeknights. The Parmesan adds welcome saltiness and notes of umami and you get added texture from the slight crunch of broccoli and whole-wheat noodles. Add some shredded rotisserie chicken, grilled shrimp or crispy chickpeas to punch up the protein.

Smoky Shrimp, Corn & Pea One-Pot Pasta

Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Sammy Mila

Make your sauce and pasta all at once with this fast weeknight pasta dinner recipe. By using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta–no colanders here–the starch that cooks off into your pasta water, which you usually drain away, stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.

Creamy Pesto Shrimp with Gnocchi & Peas

Photographer: Greg DuPree, Prop stylist: Shell Royster, Food stylist: Emily Hall

This speedy dinner recipe combines shrimp with pillowy gnocchi, pesto and peas in a creamy sauce. Feel free to substitute the peas with other veggies such as broccoli or asparagus. For a bit of heat, sprinkle in some crushed red pepper, or garnish with grated Parmesan cheese to enhance the savory flavor.