The best thing about all of these positive pasta vibes is that it’s a fantastically convenient and versatile ingredient to cook with. But be careful!

DW Fitness Clubs personal trainer and expert nutritionist Carly Tierney said many people let themselves down by pairing their pasta with high-fat, sugary sauces.

READ: Is pasta the weight-loss food you've been looking for?

“Home-made tomato sauces can be tasty alternatives to carbonara and cheese sauces and you can replace full-fat cheese with low-fat feta or mozzarella,” she remarked.

“When you eat a carbohydrate like pasta you should always add protein and some healthy fats to create a balanced meal. Healthy fats include olive oil, pine nuts, olives, oily fish and avocado.”

Here are some healthy and exceptionally easy pasta recipes for you to try out. 

1. Mushroom and fresh parsley spaghetti

Ingredients (for two people):

• 200g of white mushrooms (chopped)
• 10g of dried mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
• 150g of spaghetti
• Handful of fresh parsley (chopped finely)
• 100ml of boiling water
• 1 tablespoon of liquid vegetable stock
• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of Greek yoghurt or crème fraiche

Method:

• Put your dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover in 100ml of boiling water. You’ll need to leave these to soak for around 10 minutes in total.

• Heat your oil in a pan and add your chopped mushrooms, garlic and stock. Cook for a few minutes until the mushrooms start to soften.

• In the meantime, cook your spaghetti in a separate pan of boiling water. This should take around 10 minutes.

• Once the spaghetti is al dente, drain the water away and throw the pasta into the pan with your mushrooms, garlic and stock.

• Take your bowl of dried mushrooms and drain the liquid through a sieve into your spaghetti.

• Chop the dried mushrooms finely and add them into the mix. Cook for a further couple of minutes.

• Take off the heat, stir in your crème fraiche/Greek yoghurt, throw in your fresh parsley and add a good squeeze of lemon.

• Season with salt and black pepper.

What are the health benefits?

Mushrooms are a great accompaniment to pasta. Not only are they kind to your waistline, they’re also a great source of potassium. As this post explains, more exotic forms of mushroom - such as the shiitake - can reduce your chances of suffering from cardiovascular diseases.

2. Turkey, spinach Bolognese

Ingredients (for two people):

• 250g of lean turkey mince
• 1 cup of spinach (30g)
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 150g of pasta
• 1 onion (diced)
• 1 clove of garlic (crushed)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Dried oregano
• Dried basil
• 1 squeeze of tomato puree
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• Cheese topping optional

Method:

• Heat your oil in a pan and add your onion, garlic and tomato puree.

• Once the onions have softened, add your turkey mince to the pan and cook it
through (around five minutes).

• Add your chopped tomatoes, stock, oregano and basil, and simmer on a low-to-medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes (you might want to add a splash of water in if you’re using a stock cube instead of a liquid version).

• While your sauce is simmering away, cook you pasta in a separate pan of water (for 10 minutes or until al dente).

• Throw your spinach into the sauce mix and wilt slightly.

• Season with salt and pepper and pour the sauce over the top of your pasta

• Add some grated cheese on top if you’re feeling indulgent.

What are the health benefits?

Turkey is full of protein and is often leaner than beef mince. It’s also very cheap and tasty! Data from the University of Illinois Extension shows that a typical turkey breast without the skin contains 161 calories and an impressive 30g of protein. Spinach, meanwhile, has high zinc content and is a fantastic source of fibre, vitamin A, C, E and K.

3. Linguini di mare

Ingredients (2 people)

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 50g of sun-dried tomatoes
• 150g of linguini (or 100g of linguini, with a cup of cauliflower)
• Handful of fresh basil
• 200g of mixed seafood
• 1 fresh chilli
• ½ glass of white wine

Method

• Heat your oil in a large pan and boil your linguini in a separate pan of water.

• Add garlic to the oil and allow it to cook through for three minutes.

• Blend sun-dried tomatoes, chilli, half of the basil and wine into a paste.

• Add the paste to the pan with the cauliflower (which should have been part boiled by this point).

• Add in the seafood and cook for up to 10 minutes.

• Chuck in half of the fresh basil around two minutes before you’re due to serve.

• Season to taste, mix in the pasta and serve. Use some of the pasta water to loosen it up if necessary.

• Top with the remaining fresh basil and lemon wedges if desired.

What are the health benefits?

Full of vitamins A and D, phosphorus and magnesium, seafood is not only a good source of protein, it’s also known to support brain development and reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes. Red chillies are underrated from a nutritional standpoint. Reports have previously hinted that they can burn fat, as they help to quell cravings for sweet, salty and fatty foods.

If you’re still keen to limit the amount of pasta you eat, then cauliflower is a good ingredient to use to bulk out your meals. With cauliflower rice seemingly growing in popularity, it appears this previously underappreciated vegetable is suddenly all the rage. And so it should be, given that just one serving contains 77 per cent of your entire daily recommended intake of vitamin C.