8 Ways To Cook Healthy With Pasta

Pasta is such a popular food because of its diverse qualities, as it can be prepared in so many different and unique ways. For many, pasta can be a main dish, but others like to prepare it as a side. It comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors and is delicious hot, cold, fresh from the pot, or as leftovers.

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Over the years, pasta has gotten a bad rap. Because of the large amount of carbohydrates found in pasta, many people associate it with weight gain and believe that enjoying a bowl is at a cost to their waist line. Believe it or not, though, it is possible to eat and cook healthy with pasta. When prepared appropriately, pasta has many positive benefits in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and it can satisfy numerous dietary needs. What's more is that pasta is a great vehicle for enjoying other healthy foods that improve your diet as well, such as proteins, vegetables, and in some dishes, even fruit.

The most important thing to remember about pasta is that when you prepare it at home, you — as the chef — have complete control over making sure it was cooked in a healthy manner. There's no better way to demonstrate this then by sharing some of our favorite chefs' pasta recipes with you and showing you how you can get the same flavor from a restaurant dish while make it healthy too. Whether you're a sauce fanatic or can't enjoy it without cheese, here are 10 easy tips to follow, plus recipes, for how to cook and enjoy healthy pasta at home.