19 Fall Pasta Recipes Without Any Meat Or Dairy (2024)

FAQs

How do I substitute meat for pasta? ›

Whether you're vegetarian or just searching for more dinner options that are meatless, pasta is always a great answer. Since it's really a blank slate for just about anything, it's easy to load it with veggies, cheese, and other satisfying ingredients.

Shilpa explains that making fresh pasta all comes down to knowing one ratio of flour to water, specifically two parts flour to one part water by weight. For you bread heads out there, yes, that means 50% hydration, or 100 grams of flour to 50 grams of water.

Some whole foods, such as beans, lentils, chickpeas, and mushrooms, contain protein or have a meaty texture and can work well as meat substitutes. Food manufacturers often include these types of food in their vegetarian and vegan products.

With a similar texture, ground chicken or ground turkey can be superb substitutes for ground beef. The poultry is a bit paler than beef, which can change the appearance of some dishes, but they still taste equally delicious.

Some of the best sources in the plant world include beans, legumes, lentils, soy like tofu or edamame, seeds and nuts and some whole grains like quinoa. Certain vegetables also contain small amounts of protein like zucchini, kale and collards (think leafy greens).

Other veggies work, like peas, corn, cauliflower, and cabbage. Onion, garlic, and tomato paste: These provide our base flavor for the vegetable pasta sauce. Canned whole tomatoes: I love canned whole tomatoes for this recipe. After adding them to the pot, I crush them with a spoon so they turn into a chunky sauce.

To be sure that your pasta is cooked correctly, it is enough to follow a few, simple rules. To begin with, you should keep in mind the right quantities. In Italy, the golden rule for cooking pasta is 1, 10, 100 or 1 liter of water, 10 grams of salt for every 100 grams of pasta.

What gives pasta more flavor? ›

Fresh basil is the natural choice with simple pasta sauces like marinara, but parsley, cilantro, and even mint can also give pasta dishes a burst of fragrant flavor when they're sprinkled on just before serving.

To make mac and cheese without milk, the best choice is to find something that has a similar texture and a milk flavor. Things like heavy cream, almond milk, oat milk, yogurt, cream cheese, and even pasta water all work very well in boxed mac and cheese.

Whole-Wheat Pasta

Also called whole-grain pasta, this type of pasta keeps the bran, endosperm, and germ of the grain together. It's filled with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. This helps you feel full longer and keeps your blood sugar from spiking. It also has a little over 8 grams of protein per cup cooked.

Cheese is an excellent way to add flavor to your pasta without having to rely on sauce. Try mixing your angel hair pasta with goat cheese, and toss in sun-dried tomatoes to make an amazing meal with just a few ingredients. Garlic butter is a terrific way to season all types of noodles.

Well, if you don't want real or fake meat, you can try some vegetables. Mushroom and eggplant can work in some ground meat recipes, if it is diced small and seasoned well. Beans can also fill out a recipe. But don't expect it to have a texture like the same recipe made with meat.

Zucchini Noodles or “Zoodles”

It's also a great source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, niacin, phosphorus and copper, dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folic acid, magnesium, potassium and manganese.

Use ground beef, turkey, pork, chicken or lamb to make this simple spaghetti. If you want to reduce the carbohydrates in your dish, swap half or all of the pasta with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.