45 Gorgeous Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

Vegetarian Linguine

Looking for a tasty alternative to a meat-and-potatoes meal? Try this colorful pasta dish, which is the brainchild of my oldest son. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs meal that includes loads of fresh veggies as well as basil and provolone. —Jane Bone, Cape Coral, Florida

Stuffed Shells

This stuffed shells recipe includes a savory, creamy filling of four cheeses and spinach. Topped with rich tomato sauce, it's an easy vegetarian main dish the whole family will gobble up.

Spinach Tortellini

Spinach tortellini is the perfect blend of cheesy and creamy. The dish comes together in just 30 minutes, making it ideal for busy nights when you still want to sit down to something savory and satisfying.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Don't tell anyone, but this butternut squash mac and cheese recipe has a secret. It incorporates a nutritious vegetable and cuts out the butter, but it's still so rich!

Creamy Lemon Pasta

Silky strands of fettuccine tangle in a lemon-garlic sauce in this creamy lemon pasta. Pops of fresh tomato, garlic and parsley add flavor, and a finishing sprinkle of lemon zest shines through the richness of the sauce.

Ravioli Casserole

Love lasagna but want something simpler to make? Try our ravioli casserole—all the cheese and sauce, and it's ready in no time.

Artichoke Spinach Lasagna

Friends of ours served this homey dish when we visited them in Maryland. We just had to get the recipe, and we have since added a few ingredients to make it even tastier. —Carole Rago, Altoona, Pennsylvania

Ziti Bake

My children have frowned upon many of my casserole recipes, but they give a cheer when they hear we're having baked ziti for supper. I've tried to incorporate more meatless meals into our menus, which is how this recipe got started. No one misses the meat. They even like the leftovers! —Charity Burkholder, Pittsboro, Indiana

Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

You can recreate Olive Garden Alfredo sauce at home in only 20 minutes! This rich, creamy, cheesy sauce makes a fantastic fettuccine Alfredo—but you can use it as a dipping sauce for breadsticks, too.

Homemade Ravioli

Ravioli from scratch is a labor of love, but a delicious one. This guide will help you whip up pasta dough, sauce and a fantastic filling.

Homemade Meatless Spaghetti Sauce

When my tomatoes ripen, the first things I make are BLTs and this homemade spaghetti sauce. —Sondra Bergy, Lowell, Michigan

Baked Feta Pasta

There's a reason this baked feta pasta recipe went viral on TikTok! It's simple to throw together and incredibly creamy and delicious. —Sarah Tramonte, Culinary Producer

Pasta Primavera

Craving pasta but want something light and fresh? Try pasta primavera! This easy recipe features crisp veggies and a creamy Parmesan sauce.

Manicotti

Ricotta-and-Parmesan-stuffed manicotti, baked in rich marinara sauce, makes a hearty and impressive vegetarian main dish. A few smart shortcuts, like leaning on store-bought marinara sauce and stuffing the manicotti without cooking them first, keep the prep time short.

Ravioli with Creamy Squash Sauce

Store-bought ravioli speeds assembly of this cozy, restaurant-quality dish that tastes so good your family won't notice it's meatless. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Spinach and Cheese Lasagna Rolls

These Italian-inspired roll-ups are fast and fun to make. They may look elegant but are also very kid-friendly. —Cindy Romberg, Mississauga, Ontario

Spaghetti with Four Cheeses

This creamy and cheesy spaghetti dish is my mainstay whenever company's coming. The recipe, handed down from my aunt, is on the table in 30 minutes. As cook and hostess, I never feel hurried preparing this meal. —Nella Parker, Hersey, Michigan

Spinach Tomato Pasta

Big flavor meets a quick prep in spinach tomato pasta, packed with veggies and easy enough for a weeknight.

Mac and Cheese with Cream Cheese

Yes, it's a recipe for mac and cheese with cream cheese. And regular cheese. And it's a dish that you're going to make again and again, soon with your own favorite variations.

Penne with Veggies and Black Beans

Chock-full of zucchini, tomatoes, sweet pepper and carrots, this hearty pasta dish puts your garden harvest to good use. For variety, I sometimes add one-half cup of salsa or one-half cup of thickened teriyaki sauce. —Vickie Spoerle, Indianapolis, Indiana

Pesto Ravioli

This five-ingredient ravioli and pesto recipe takes only 20 minutes to make, including prep time!

Cacio e Pepe

It sounds like a fancy Italian dish, but cacio e pepe is a simple dinner that's easy to make.

Garlic Spaghetti

I make this family-favorite garlic spaghetti—or spaghetti aglio e olio—at least a couple of times a month. It's wonderful with a salad and fresh Italian bread. Add red pepper flakes to give it a bit of heat or finish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley. —Jackie Messina, Chardon, Ohio

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

This pasta is a perfect weeknight dinner, especially during the spring and summer months because of the bright lemon flavor. It also tastes great topped with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and basil. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Easy Vegetable Lasagna

Bursting with garden favorites, this lasagna is a vegetable lover's dream. The pasta layers are generously stuffed with roasted zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and onion in homemade tomato sauce. —Susanne Ebersol, Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania

Nutty Cheese Tortellini

I like to plant Italian flat-leaf parsley in a long terra-cotta planter so I always have some on hand. It adds bright, fresh flavor to this pasta dish. —Barbara Penatzer, Vestal, New York

Greek Spaghetti

In just about 30 minutes, you can make this beautiful Greek spaghetti. With an aromatic blend of herbs and an array of fresh vegetables, this pasta is sure to brighten any day.

Lemony Mushroom Lasagna Roll-Ups

I love lasagna and usually make it the traditional way, but I couldn't get the idea of a lemon ricotta filling out of my head. These bright roll-ups because they are easy to assemble and serve. —Debbie Glasscock, Conway, Arkansas

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

The best-ever creamy mac and cheese recipe that will transport your tastebuds back to your childhood.

Pesto Lasagna

The bright flavor of basil takes center stage in this pesto lasagna. Paired with a rich cheese sauce and layers of noodles, it's a potluck dish that will have guests asking you for the recipe. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Creamy Lemon Pasta Primavera

This pasta primavera is loaded with pretty green peas and asparagus tossed in a light lemon cream sauce. It’s a dish you’ll find yourself craving even when it's not spring! You can also cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces. If you do, double the sauté time. —Grace Vallo, Salem, New Hampshire

Decadent Spinach-Stuffed Shells

This comforting dish can easily be assembled and frozen to bake at a later date. If you have any leftover cheese mixture, it can be served as a dip, either cold or spooned into ramekins and baked until browned. If you don’t like roasted red peppers, feel free to use chopped sun-dried tomatoes in the filling and any other pasta sauce instead. —Crystal Schlueter, Northglenn, Colorado

Quick Fettuccine Alfredo

This simple fettuccine Alfredo recipe combines heavy whipping cream Parmesan and Romano cheese or a creamy, cheesy sauce that'll come together in minutes. —Jo Gray, Park City, Montana

Pesto Penne Pasta

Once you master pesto, there are so many things you can do with it, like make this pesto penne pasta.

Burrata Ravioli

Using burrata cheese as ravioli filling is easy and really delivers on flavor. Instead of mixing up ingredients for the filling, this quicker version uses chunks of burrata and fresh basil to create a luscious interior. Serve the ravioli with your favorite sauce. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Burrata Pasta

This burrata pasta is cheesy yet light and packed with fresh ingredients. It's the simplest way to elevate a weeknight dinner.

Penne All'Arrabiata

Pasta all'arrabiata, a classic Italian recipe, is my comfort food be it summer or winter. My kids and I love sprinkling pangrattato (fried bread crumbs) on top of the arrabiata sauce. —Smitha Haridasan, Ganapathy, India

Tortellini with Tomato-Cream Sauce

This tortellini with tomato cream sauce is mouthwatering. Put spinach, tomatoes and other pantry staples to use in this warm and satisfying dish. —Barbra Stanger, West Jordan, Utah

Five-Cheese Ziti al Forno

After having the five-cheese ziti at Olive Garden, I tried to make my own homemade version—and I think I got pretty close. I always double this and freeze the second one for another meal. —Keri Whitney, Castro Valley, California

Pumpkin Ravioli

Start this pumpkin ravioli recipe by taking a hayride to a pumpkin patch to pick out a pie pumpkin. It's a labor of love to cook the squash into a velvety herbed puree, and even more so to make and fill fresh pasta by hand. The result, tender ravioli bursting with autumnal flavor, will be worth it.

Fettuccine with Black Bean Sauce

When my husband needed to go on a heart-smart diet, I had to come up with new ways to get more vegetables into our daily meals. This meatless spaghetti sauce is a winner; it's especially delicious with spinach fettuccine. —Marianne Neuman, East Troy, Wisconsin

Garden Vegetable Tomato Sauce

I make this vegetable tomato sauce regularly and store containers of it in my freezer. It's a tasty substitute for regular pasta sauce, and the extra vegetables make it healthier. I also use it when I make pizza. —Ann Sheehy, Lawrence, Massachusetts

Squash and Spinach Pierogi Casserole

This recipe is tasty and quick to make. You use prepackaged ingredients for ease and then credit the cooking to yourself! Add a salad or yummy bread as a side with this dish for an added punch. Once mastered, the substitutions are endless. This recipe can be compared to making your own individualized pizza. —Susan Skrtich, Hamilton, Ontario

Vegetarian Pad Thai

This is a simple pad thai loaded with crisp vegetables and zesty flavor. It’s quick, simple, and fresh-tasting. —Colleen Doucette, Truro, Nova Scotia

Vegetarian Stuffed Shells

When my aunt first told me about these shells, they sounded like a lot of work—but the recipe whips up in no time. Sometimes I add a little cooked bacon to the ricotta filling. —Amelia Hopkin, Salt Lake City, Utah

Vegetarian Pasta FAQ

What type of pasta can vegetarians eat?

Pasta itself is vegetarian. The dry pasta you buy at the grocery store is only made with two ingredients: semolina flour and water. Even fresh pasta has a pretty simple ingredients list: eggs, water, olive oil, salt and flour.

How do you add protein to pasta without meat?

Easy! Pair your pasta with plant-based meat or find a way to incorporate high-protein foods like chickpeas or lentils. I like to make spaghetti and lentil “meatballs.” You can also use a plant-based protein pasta instead of the regular boxed pasta.