High Protein Pasta: Best Types and 8 Recipes

High protein pasta lets you keep pasta night while eating a lot more protein. Regular wheat pasta has about 7 g of protein per 56 g (2 oz) dry serving. Lentil, chickpea, edamame and protein-enriched pastas range from 10 to 25 g. Pair them with the right sauce and a bowl easily reaches 35 to 50 g. This guide compares the main types and gives eight recipes.

Figures are approximate per 56 g dry serving, from USDA FoodData Central and typical labels. Brands differ, so check the pack.

High protein pasta types compared

Best all-rounders: lentil and chickpea pastas for flavour and price, protein-enriched wheat if you want regular taste, and edamame or black bean when you want maximum protein (best with Asian-style sauces).

Edamame pasta is made from soybeans, so it's a complete protein; see edamame protein. Lentil and chickpea pastas are high in lysine and work well with grains or cheese to round out the amino acids; see lentils protein.

How to cook legume pasta well

1. Use plenty of boiling, salted water. Legume pastas release more starch and foam.
2. Cook 1 to 2 minutes less than the packet says and taste often; they turn mushy quickly.
3. Drain and rinse briefly if the surface is sticky, unless you need starch for a sauce.
4. Toss with sauce straight away. Legume pasta dries out if it sits.
5. Reheat gently with a splash of water or sauce; it firms up in the fridge.

8 high protein pasta recipes

Each serves two.

1. Chicken pesto chickpea pasta (about 50 g per serving)

Cook 150 g chickpea pasta. Pan-fry 300 g diced chicken breast. Toss with 3 tbsp pesto, cherry tomatoes, spinach and 20 g Parmesan.

2. Lentil bolognese with lean beef (about 52 g)

Brown 250 g 5% beef mince with onion, carrot and garlic. Add 50 g red lentils, 1 can tomatoes and 200 ml water. Simmer 20 minutes and serve over 150 g lentil pasta.

3. Cottage cheese Alfredo (about 45 g)

Blend 250 g cottage cheese, 40 g Parmesan, garlic and a splash of milk until smooth. Warm gently and toss with 150 g protein-enriched fettuccine and 150 g cooked chicken. See cottage cheese recipes.

4. Tuna and white bean pasta (about 44 g)

Toss 150 g wholewheat pasta with 2 cans drained tuna, 1 can cannellini beans, lemon, capers, chilli, parsley and olive oil.

5. Prawn and garlic edamame spaghetti (about 55 g)

Cook 120 g edamame spaghetti. Sauté 250 g prawns with garlic, chilli and soy sauce, add broccoli, and toss together with sesame oil.

6. Turkey meatball pasta bake (about 48 g)

Roll 400 g lean turkey mince with 1 egg and herbs into meatballs and brown them. Layer with 150 g chickpea penne, tomato sauce and 80 g mozzarella. Bake 20 minutes at 190°C.

7. Creamy tofu and mushroom pasta (vegan, about 35 g)

Blend 200 g silken tofu with garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon and plant milk. Toss with sautéed mushrooms, spinach and 150 g red lentil pasta.

8. Greek yogurt mac and cheese (about 40 g)

Stir 200 g Greek yogurt, 80 g grated cheddar and mustard into 150 g hot chickpea macaroni off the heat, then add peas and 100 g diced ham or chicken.

High protein sauces and toppings

Meal prep and pasta salads

Legume pastas hold up well in pasta salads. Cook, rinse with cold water, toss with a little oil, and combine with chicken, tuna, chickpeas or feta, vegetables and dressing. Keep in the fridge for up to three or four days. For work lunches see high-protein lunch ideas for work, and to scale batches use the meal prep recipe scaler.

Weighing pasta after cooking? Dry pasta roughly doubles to 2.2 times its weight when boiled. The raw to cooked weight calculator converts between the two so your tracking stays accurate.

High protein pasta for hiking and camping

Thin legume pastas and angel hair cook quickly on a camp stove. A dry bag of 100 g red lentil pasta, a sachet of pesto, a pouch of tuna and some Parmesan makes a 45 g protein dinner. For lighter options, see backpacking dinner ideas and ultralight backpacking food.

Make your own high protein pasta

Fresh pasta can also be made with extra protein. A simple dough of 200 g "00" flour, 2 eggs and 2 egg whites gives about 42 g of protein for two servings, around 20 percent more than a standard two-egg dough, and the extra whites make it silky rather than tough. You can also replace 25 to 30 percent of the flour with chickpea flour or unflavoured pea protein, although above that the dough becomes crumbly and hard to roll.

Gnocchi made with ricotta instead of potato is another option: 250 g ricotta, 1 egg, 40 g Parmesan and about 120 g flour give roughly 30 g of protein per serving for two. Brown them in a pan for a crisp outside.

Common mistakes

• Relying on the pasta alone. Even edamame pasta needs a protein-rich sauce for a full meal.
• Overcooking legume pasta, which makes it mushy.
• Large portions of oil-heavy sauces, which add calories faster than protein.
• Forgetting vegetables, which add volume and fibre at very few calories.

Is high protein pasta worth it?

If pasta is a regular meal for you, yes. Swapping to lentil or chickpea pasta adds 5 to 7 g of protein and several grams of fibre per serving at no extra calories. Legume pastas cost more per box than wheat, but the extra protein per euro is reasonable. Compare with the protein cost calculator. People who need to avoid legumes or have a soy allergy should check ingredients carefully.

Most of a pasta meal's protein still comes from the sauce. A plain bowl of regular spaghetti with tomato sauce might give 15 g; adding chicken and Parmesan with chickpea pasta takes it above 45 g.

Bottom line

High protein pasta ranges from 10 g (enriched wheat) to 25 g (edamame, black bean) per serving, compared with 7 g for regular pasta. Choose based on taste and how you cook, then build a sauce around chicken, mince, fish, cottage cheese or lentils. Calculate your daily target with the protein intake calculator.

Sources: USDA FoodData Central entries for enriched spaghetti and legume pastas; manufacturer labels for edamame, black bean and protein-enriched pastas. General information, not personalised dietary advice.