22 Protein-Packed Pasta Recipes That Don't Use Meat

Whether you're a vegetarian or looking for options for meatless Mondays, a pasta dish is an obvious choice. It's endlessly customizable and without limits when it comes to additional ingredients. Serve it with white sauce, red sauce, green sauce, or no sauce, tossed with vegetables or not, and incorporate your favorite bursts of flavor to round it out.

Although pasta is one of the ingredients with way more protein than you realize (1 cup of cooked pasta has about 8 grams of protein), serving it alone isn't all that satiating. Thankfully, there are numerous options when it comes to dishing out a meat-free pasta meal with enough protein to keep you going. Protein requirements vary greatly depending on individual needs and activity levels, but generally, 15 to 30 grams per meal is considered a decent serving.

We've sorted through dozens of options from our Tasting Table recipe developers to bring you a selection of pasta recipes that may have around 15 grams of protein or more per meal. Leave the bolognese behind and serve one of these 22 pasta dishes.

Mushrooms are regularly used as a meat alternative, thanks to their texture and savory flavor profile. Although they aren't super high in protein, they still carry a decent amount, which adds up when paired with the other ingredients in this delicious mixed mushroom lasagna. There's no red sauce to be seen here; instead, this variation incorporates a rich bechamel sauce to coat every layer with hearty goodness.

Porcini, chanterelle, and cremini mushrooms feature heavily, along with three cheeses (ricotta, Fontina, and mozzarella) to add plenty of flavor and nourishment. Cheese is a pretty solid source of non-meat protein, especially considering the amount you'll be dishing out. The seasoning offers notes of thyme, parsley, and alliums to round out the richness.

Recipe: Mixed Mushroom Lasagna

Baked pasta dishes go far beyond lasagna, and this creamy red pepper penne pasta is a prime example. It's particularly convenient if you're hosting and want an option you can make in advance and reheat. At a quick glance, you might think this is a cheesy marinara pasta bake, but there's more behind the golden surface, adding both flavor and satiating protein.

Roasted red peppers are blended into the tomato sauce, which is simmered with cream cheese and Parmesan to add flavor and a luscious consistency to coat the penne (any short pasta works well here). Then, the dish gets a shredded mozzarella topping before being baked. Butter-and-garlic-toasted panko breadcrumbs add a crunchy finish on top for textural contrast.

Recipe: Baked Creamy Red Pepper Penne Pasta

This cheesy gnocchi and roasted pepper bake is an excellent choice for cheese lovers and offers plenty of options to customize. This recipe includes red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and red onion as the prime vegetables, but you could easily play around with those components.

Toss the vegetables with oil and roast them in the oven to concentrate the flavors and add a touch of caramelization. Roasted veggies are extra delicious, and blending them results in a flavorful sauce without the fuss. Add that sauce to a baking dish with cooked gnocchi and top with cheese for a hearty meal that will keep you satisfied. Up the protein content (and cheesiness) by stirring in a dollop of ricotta.

Recipe: Cheesy Gnocchi and Roasted Pepper Bake

This white lasagna is perfect for veggie lovers as it showcases spinach and artichokes front and center. It also includes plenty of cheese because it wouldn't be lasagna without cheese. Cream cheese, ricotta, and Parmesan infuse the dish with a decadent texture and salty-tangy flavor that pairs well with the slight bitterness of the vegetables.

This dish features lasagna sheets stacked with bechamel and the cheesy vegetable mixture. To add a golden finish and light crunch, the surface is sprinkled with shredded mozzarella and breadcrumbs. With so much cheese and a creamy bechamel sauce, this lasagna packs a decent amount of protein for a meat-free dish. Plus, artichokes have more protein than you might think for a vegetable, with around 4 grams per serving.

Recipe: White Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna

When pumpkins are in season, it's natural to want to add them to every dish. This pasta dish contrasts the sweetness of the root vegetable with tangy feta, creating a delicious experience for your taste buds. It's straightforward to prep using a simple mashing method instead of requiring extra equipment. Plus, this recipe can be modified if you have squash or sweet potato on hand instead.

This dish combines roasted pumpkin, feta, and garlic, along with some pasta water, to create a smooth and creamy sauce. Mix in fresh spinach leaves and cooked pasta until the greens wilt, and top it off with crispy sage leaves and pine nuts for a nutritious and vibrant meal that will keep you satiated for hours.

Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Feta Pasta

This dazzling pumpkin ravioli dish is the kind of recipe that might fit into the category of project, but it's definitely worth it. Plus, it's not a full-day affair, just a few hours between you and a hearty plate of ravioli. You'll need to make the pasta dough from scratch, which isn't as hard as it sounds — just mix flour and eggs into a smooth mixture, then roll and cut it out.

The egg pasta dough certainly helps toward the protein content, as does the filling, which is the key player here. It consists of cooked pumpkin mixed with crumbled almonds, ricotta, pecorino, and nutmeg for fragrance. Then, it's just a matter of dolloping the filling into the circles of dough, sealing, and boiling them.

Recipe: Pumpkin Ravioli With Almonds

If you were once a big fettuccine Alfredo lover and have since switched to a vegan diet, you aren't missing out. This creamy vegan recipe is sure to satisfy Alfredo fans, whether or not they continue to eat the original. Although you might think dairy is a requirement for this dish, that's not the case. This alternative feels lighter but is equally nourishing and packs in plenty of protein.

By soaking and blending cashews, the result is decidedly luscious, and that's before you add extra flavorings. Blend sauteed onions, garlic, nutritional yeast, miso paste, and lemon juice with the mixture, adding soy milk until you reach a velvety consistency. Pair it with fettuccine (egg-free if you're vegan) and sprinkle parsley on top for a traditional garnish.

Recipe: Creamy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

This vibrant ravioli dish is all about fresh summer ingredients. It features a creamy filling with sweet corn, ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella encased within an egg pasta dough. Then, the cooked pasta pockets are tossed with garlic-sauteed zucchini, corn kernels, pecorino cheese, and fresh basil.

Altogether, the flavor offers the perfect balance of sweet, rich, and herbaceous notes, showing off summer's finest produce. It might not seem like the heartiest dish, but once you consider all the cheese packed into the egg-based ravioli (and sprinkled over top), it starts to add up.

Recipe: Sweet Corn Ravioli With Zucchini and Basil

Gigi Hadid seemingly popularized spicy vodka pasta, though the classic dish didn't need to reach viral fame to be a favorite in previous generations. Nevertheless, if your vegan lifestyle means you've missed out on this dish, our veganized Gigi Hadid pasta will satisfy your curiosity.

This recipe relies on coconut milk and nutritional yeast to contribute creaminess (and protein), paired with tomato paste, vodka, alliums, and chili flakes to round out the taste. Other plant-based milks can be swapped in, and you can use vegan Parmesan in place of nutritional yeast. This rich sauce is perfect paired with a small pasta shape like shells or penne.

Recipe: Veganized Gigi Hadid Pasta

Sometimes, creaminess comes from surprising ingredients, like in this weeknight-friendly creamed corn pasta recipe. There's definitely plenty of cream in the recipe, but it's partly blended with corn kernels to thicken the consistency and infuse sweetness.

The creamy corn sauce is contrasted with mustard powder for a hint of spice and paired with Parmesan for plenty of savory goodness, proving that you can do a lot with a little. The dairy products help boost the protein content in this meat-free pasta dish, and the corn does its share too, with around 5 grams per cup of kernels. Garnish the velvety dish with fresh basil leaves for an herbal punch that keeps flavors bright.

Recipe: Weeknight-Friendly Creamed Corn Pasta

Classic gnocchi are made with potatoes, but this variation will make you want to opt for carrots every time. If you're not big on rolling out dough, gnocchi is also a great alternative to standard pasta. The dough is made with cooked and mashed carrots, flour, egg, and Parmesan, seasoned with garlic and thyme for a sweet and herbal kick.

Once you shape and boil the gnocchi, toss them in a skillet with butter and walnuts, allowing the former to melt and the latter to toast. Served with brown butter and Romano cheese, this delicious carrot gnocchi recipe is brimming with flavor and boasts a decent amount of protein for a meat-free dish.

Recipe: Carrot Gnocchi in Walnut Brown Butter

Nuts are a great substitute for creamy ingredients, adding thickness, flavor, and nutrition. This Ligurian pasta features a walnut cream sauce that relies on the nuts along with milk-soaked bread. It might seem odd, but blending the nuts with bread, Parmesan, garlic, seasonings, and milk, then enhancing it with heavy cream, creates a luscious sauce that is both hearty and unique.

The rich walnut sauce pairs perfectly with trofie, a short twisted spiral pasta shape from the province of Liguria. Topped with more Parmesan and toasted walnuts, there's zero chance you'll notice the absence of meat with this flavor-packed alternative.

Recipe: Ligurian Pasta With Walnut Cream Sauce

Gorgonzola might not be for everyone, but if you're a fan, then this recipe is a winner. It features an excellent shortcut, swapping the laborious homemade pasta dough with easy wonton wrappers to fill. Meanwhile, the stuffing involves several components that add nuance and richness to the flavor while upping the protein content.

This ravioli recipe highlights contrasting flavors with the sweetness of the fruit and the pungent cheese. Both dried and fresh pears are incorporated, along with Gorgonzola and ricotta to smoothen it out. A brown butter, crispy sage, and toasted walnut garnish transforms this into a stunner, perfect for date night.

Recipe: Pear and Gorgonzola Ravioli

Vodka sauce is a favorite for plenty of pasta lovers, but you don't have to stick to pairing it with penne. Gnocchi is an excellent alternative, offering a pleasant contrast between the starchy potato dumplings and the silky sauce. This recipe takes it up a notch by bringing burrata into the picture.

There are plenty of ways to serve burrata cheese, and stirring it into a creamy vodka and tomato sauce is high on the list. Plus, it adds extra protein to your meal count, along with the heavy cream and Parmesan garnish. Add freshness with a chopped parsley garnish, and you'll be swapping out the penne for gnocchi moving forward.

Recipe: Gnocchi Alla Vodka With Burrata

Pasta e fagioli (aka pasta and beans) might not be the first dish that comes to mind when you choose pasta for dinner, but the soupy stew is an excellent option in cooler months or when you want a comforting meal. Anyone who's tried to pack in more meat-free protein knows that beans are a solid source of the macronutrient.

This classic recipe starts with a mirepoix foundation (skip the pancetta to keep it vegetarian) along with fresh herbs. White beans are added to the mix, along with broth, and finally a short pasta, like ditalini. The pasta cooks in the brothy vegetable blend, concentrating the flavors in every bite. The result is hearty and savory, served with fresh sage and grated pecorino cheese for extra pizzazz.

Recipe: Classic Pasta E Fagioli

Again, legumes play a leading role in this traditional Neapolitan dish showcasing lentils. Packed with plant protein (about 18 grams per cup, cooked), lentils are a great — and affordable option — for adding texture, flavor, and heartiness to a pasta dish. Here, a simple combination of onion and carrot make up the base, infusing layers of flavor as they stew with the additional ingredients. Thyme, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes build on the foundation, with tomato paste for a savory touch.

Once the lentils are mostly cooked, the pasta goes into the pot, along with milk to add a creamy consistency. Altogether, this dish boasts velvety-coated pasta sprinkled with lentils, giving it a ragu-like appearance. Parsley and grated cheese balance out the flavors.

Pasta E Lenticchie

Moroccan cuisine might not be synonymous with pasta, but it actually incorporates the starch in a handful of local dishes. This linguini recipe is one such variation, featuring chickpeas and freekeh (an ancient grain) along with the long pasta. It's certainly nourishing, packing in two grains and a legume, yet the vibrantly flavored sauce keeps it from being too weighty.

The sauce calls for an aromatic mixture of garlic, jalapeño, and ginger, seasoned with turmeric and cumin. Celery leaves, tomatoes, carrots, and onions are sauteed in with the rest too, making this the true definition of a one pot meal. The chickpeas and freekeh are simmered next, followed by the linguini. Served with lemon juice and cilantro, this nourishing dish is brimming with surprises.

Recipe: Moroccan Chickpea Linguini

Cooking with saffron adds an element of luxury to any dish and does a lot of the heavy lifting in the flavor profile. This simple yet luscious dish showcases the opulent spice front and center, pairing it with a butter and cream sauce. The delicate threads infuse their aromatic essence into the basic dairy ingredients, resulting in something far more than the sum of its parts (a splash of white wine helps elevate the flavor).

The velvety sauce is paired with a wide flat noodle like pappardelle, which is often made with an egg dough. This quality adds richness to the dish, further enhancing this deliciously straightforward recipe. If you're looking to increase the protein content and thicken the creamy sauce without overwhelming saffron's subtle fragrance, a dollop of ricotta will do the trick.

Recipe: Creamy Saffron Butter Pasta

If you're still working on moving past your childhood disdain for Brussels sprouts, this recipe is a definite way to win you over. Instead of dense green orbs, you'll be shaving off the leaves to make this dish. Slightly more time-consuming, but a far more approachable way of consuming the cruciferous vegetable with pasta.

The rest of this dish sticks to simple ingredients that pack flavor, like garlic, lemon, and cheese. The sprouts are sauteed with garlic in butter (more palatable than oversteaming them), then tossed with cooked fettuccine, more butter, lemon juice, and grated Parmesan, creating a light sauce that coats the pasta. Finally, toasted pine nuts are sprinkled on top to garnish, adding a nutty crunch and a few extra grams of protein to this easy recipe.

Recipe: Bright Brussels Sprouts Fettuccine

Tofu is a natural inclusion in a meat-free meal, but you might not have tried it with pasta before. This tofu pesto pasta recipe is the best place to start, with its lusciously creamy consistency and protein-rich content. There's no heavy cream; instead, the sauce comes together in a food processor, combining extra firm tofu with fresh basil, nutritional yeast, garlic, walnuts, olive oil, lemon, and seasonings.

Skip the store-bought pesto and blend the components for an extra oomph. The tofu, walnuts, and nutritional yeast boost the nutritional content here, ensuring the sauce is more than just herb-based. Additional basil leaves, fresh chopped tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts finish off this flavor-packed meal.

Recipe: Tofu Pesto Pasta

Hazelnuts boast a delightfully nutty flavor with a subtle sweetness and creaminess that makes them feel so luxurious. The effect is even more prominent if you toast them, especially if you add butter to the pan partway through. That's the foundation of this decadent sauce, which gets added layers of flavor and richness from lemon (zest and juice), Parmesan, and heavy cream (or coconut cream for a vegan alternative)

Once your pasta of choice is cooked (both short and long shapes work well here), just toss it with the nutty sauce and a bit of reserved pasta water. Finally, you'll want to give the hearty sauce a lively kick with fresh parsley sprinkled on top as a garnish.

Recipe: Hazelnut Cream Pasta

Spaghettini's narrow shape makes it a good choice for lighter sauces, but that doesn't mean ones lacking flavor. This garlic butter sauce highlights just a few simple key ingredients in a savory bite, elevating a basic dish into something you'll want to eat regularly (plus it only takes 20 minutes to make).

The sauce consists of garlic sauteed in butter, then tossed with cooked spaghettini, a bit of pasta water, plenty of grated Parmesan, salt, and pepper. The result is pleasantly cheesy with a subtle sweetness from the garlic. Served with lemon zest and parsley, this dish is an easy way to pack in some meat-free protein.

Recipe: Spaghettini With Garlic Butter