Easy Trader Joe's Pasta Swaps That Are A Little More Health-Focused

Trader Joe's is known for unique and ingenious products all under the chain's wildly popular private label, making them more affordable than a lot of name-brand counterparts. While pasta is a staple that all grocers carry, Trader Joe's offers a wide array of different kinds of dried pasta. And if you're looking for healthy alternatives to standard wheat pasta, the store has plenty of delicious and often organic options that suit many dietary preferences.

Want to add more protein to your pasta meal? Trader Joe's has lentil pasta boasting 15 grams of protein per serving of 56 grams, and its chickpea-based pasta offers 11 grams of protein per serving. While these legume-based pastas have nearly as many carbohydrates as their wheat-based counterparts, they each have 6 grams of dietary fiber compared to around 2 grams for the standard wheat pasta, making them easier to digest. If you're following a keto diet or a low-calorie diet, Trader Joe's sells a heart of palm pasta that's a mere 20 calories per serving with 4 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber. These pasta varieties are also vegan and gluten-free, and all contain whole ingredients with no unnecessary additives. Furthermore, each pasta comes in a different kind of shape, offering diverse consistencies and mouthfeels to pair with sauces, veggies, and proteins that you can likewise pick up at Trader Joe's. There's nothing easier than throwing a bag of Trader Joe's frozen vegetables, a jar of Trader Joe's pasta sauce, and some of the store's famous Argentine frozen shrimp into the pot with one of these pasta types for a veritable dump-it nutritional meal.

The hearts of palm pasta is especially open to beefing up as it practically has no calories and no real macro-nutrients to speak of. It will still give you a bed of tender spaghetti to satisfy your pasta craving, but you can pile on the sauces, proteins, and veggies. Transform heart of palm spaghetti into shrimp pad Thai by stir frying some with a sweet soy and tamarind sauce to impart flavor and adding shrimp. Alternatively, use tofu for a vegetarian protein boost. The chickpea and red lentil pastas are rich in fiber and protein, making them a nutrient-rich dinner option that you can toss with a simple sauce and steamed veggies and call it a day.

You can look for more Trader Joe's gems with our guide to pairing Trader Joe's pastas and sauces. For example, we recommend using high fiber and high protein organic red lentil sedanini (thin, ridged tubular pasta) with Trader Joe's organic marinara sauce. The bright tangy and umami-rich flavor of stewed tomatoes complements the earthy notes of the red lentil pasta, while imparting a velvety sheen to the tubes. The chickpea fusilli pasta would taste delicious with an herbaceous pesto sauce. Make your own or use Trader Joe's vegan kale, cashew, and basil pesto. Trader Joe's also makes an organic brown rice and quinoa fusilli, which boasts a little more protein than regular pasta. Pair it with roasted garlic marinara sauce. With these pastas, you can also still reserve some of the starchy pasta water to bolster the sauce's consistency.