Pregnancy Pasta Recipes: 12 Easy Pasta Dinners With Protein, Iron and Folate

When you're tired, nauseous or just hungry in a way only carbs can fix, pasta is the dinner that gets made. That's fine. Pasta gets an unfair reputation in pregnancy, when it's actually a good base for a balanced meal. The trick is what you put with it.

These twelve pasta dinners are built to be quick, filling and useful: each one has a real source of protein, most add iron or vegetables, and none of them take more than about 30 minutes. First, the pasta safety rules, then the recipes.

Why Pasta Is Better Than Its Reputation

Folic acid. Since 1998, US rules have required enriched grain products, including pasta, to be fortified with folic acid. The CDC recommends 400 micrograms of folic acid a day around conception and early pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects. Your prenatal vitamin covers that, and enriched pasta adds a little more. Gluten-free and many legume pastas aren't covered by the fortification rule, so check the label if you rely on those. Our folate vs folic acid guide explains the difference.

Easy to balance. A plate of plain pasta is mostly starch. Add a protein and a vegetable, and it becomes a complete meal that keeps you full for hours.

Gentle. Plain pasta is one of the easiest foods to face on a bad nausea day.

The Pregnancy Pasta Formula

• Pasta: regular enriched pasta, whole wheat for extra fiber, or chickpea or lentil pasta for extra protein.
• A protein: chicken, lean ground beef or turkey, shrimp, salmon, canned tuna, white beans, lentils or pasteurized ricotta.
• A vegetable: spinach, broccoli, peas, zucchini, cherry tomatoes or roasted peppers. Frozen is fine.
• A sauce: tomato, olive oil and garlic, pesto, or a light cheese sauce.

Pasta Safety Rules in Pregnancy

Carbonara. Traditional carbonara is made by tossing raw egg yolks with hot pasta. The heat of the pasta often doesn't cook the eggs fully, and the USDA's safe temperature for egg dishes is 160°F. Make it with pasteurized eggs, or choose a creamy sauce without raw egg. At a restaurant, ask how it's made.

Parmesan. Parmesan is a hard, aged cheese, which is low-risk. Authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano is made from raw milk, and the CDC advises pregnant women to avoid raw-milk cheese unless it's heated to 165°F or until steaming hot. Melted into a hot sauce, Parmesan meets that rule. For sprinkling cold, many US-made Parmesans are made with pasteurized milk, so check the label.

Ricotta, mozzarella and fresh cheeses. Use cheeses made with pasteurized milk. The CDC lists pasteurized mozzarella and cottage cheese among the safer choices. Our ricotta guide covers the label check, and our lasagna guide covers baked pasta dishes.

Cured meats. Pancetta, bacon and chorizo are fine cooked until sizzling. Cold prosciutto or salami draped over pasta at the end is not. The CDC advises heating them to 165°F or until steaming hot.

Seafood. The FDA advises pregnant women to cook shrimp until it's opaque, and clams and mussels until their shells open. Choose low-mercury fish like salmon, shrimp and canned light tuna.

Leftovers. Cooked pasta and rice can grow a bacteria called Bacillus cereus if they sit at room temperature. Get leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours, eat them within 3 to 4 days, and reheat until steaming. Our leftover pasta guide explains why.

12 Easy Pregnancy Pasta Recipes

1. Spinach and ricotta pasta (calcium and folate). Wilt a few handfuls of spinach into hot pasta, stir in pasteurized ricotta, lemon zest and grated Parmesan, and loosen with a splash of pasta water. Ready in the time it takes the pasta to cook.

2. Turkey bolognese (protein and iron). Brown lean ground turkey or beef until there's no pink left, add onion, garlic, canned tomatoes and a handful of grated carrot, and simmer for 20 minutes. The USDA says ground beef should reach 160°F and ground turkey 165°F. Make a double batch and freeze half.

3. Lentil bolognese (plant iron and fiber). Swap the meat for red lentils simmered in the tomato sauce until soft. Lentils are one of the best plant sources of iron, and the tomatoes add vitamin C, which helps you absorb it. Our iron guide has more iron-rich swaps.

4. Lemon garlic shrimp pasta. Sauté shrimp in olive oil and garlic until pink and opaque all the way through, then toss with linguine, lemon juice, parsley and chili flakes if you can handle them. Shrimp is a low-mercury "Best Choice" in the FDA and EPA fish advice. Our shrimp guide has more.

5. Salmon and pea pasta (omega-3s). Flake cooked salmon into pasta with peas, a spoonful of crème fraîche or Greek yogurt, lemon and dill. Salmon is one of the best sources of the omega-3 DHA in pregnancy.

6. Chicken and broccoli pasta. Cook sliced chicken breast to 165°F, then toss with pasta, steamed broccoli, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan. It's simple enough for a bad day and filling enough for a hungry one.

7. Tuna, tomato and white bean pasta (a pantry dinner). Warm canned tomatoes with garlic, stir in canned light tuna and cannellini beans, and toss with pasta. Canned light tuna is a "Best Choice" for pregnancy, and the beans add fiber. Our tuna guide explains the mercury limits.

8. Pesto pasta with chicken and green beans. Toss pasta with pesto, cooked chicken and green beans. Check the pesto label: many are made with pasteurized cheese, but some use Parmigiano-Reggiano or another raw-milk cheese. If yours does, warm the pesto through in the pan with the hot pasta until steaming rather than stirring it in cold.

9. Creamy tomato pasta without the cream. Blend canned tomatoes with a spoonful of pasteurized cream cheese or ricotta until silky, heat through and toss with pasta and spinach. It's comforting and gentle, and much lighter than a cream sauce.

10. Chickpea pasta with roasted vegetables (high protein). Roast zucchini, peppers and red onion, then toss with chickpea pasta, olive oil, and pasteurized feta or Parmesan. Chickpea pasta has noticeably more protein and fiber than regular pasta, though it usually isn't fortified with folic acid.

11. Baked ziti (make-ahead). Mix pasta with marinara, browned ground beef or sausage, pasteurized ricotta and mozzarella, and bake until bubbling. It reheats well for lunches. Make sure leftovers are steaming hot all the way through.

12. Pasta e fagioli (soup for a cold night). Simmer small pasta shapes with cannellini beans, canned tomatoes, carrots, celery and broth. It's half soup, half pasta, and easy to eat when your appetite is low. Our pregnancy soup recipes has more cozy dinners.

Pasta and Gestational Diabetes

Pasta can still fit with gestational diabetes, but portion and pairing matter. Keep to the carb portion your care team has given you, choose whole wheat or legume pasta for more fiber and protein, fill half your plate with vegetables, and always include a protein. Cooking pasta al dente rather than soft can also help. Our gestational diabetes meal plan shows how a pasta dinner fits into a full day.

Pasta for Nausea and Heartburn

Nausea: plain buttered pasta with a little Parmesan is one of the gentlest dinners there is. Once you can manage more, add peas or shredded chicken.

Heartburn: tomato sauces, garlic and chili are common triggers, especially late in the day. Olive oil and lemon sauces, or a ricotta and spinach sauce, are usually easier on your stomach.

Make-Ahead Tips

Bolognese, lentil sauce, baked ziti and pasta e fagioli all freeze well, which makes them perfect for building a stash before baby arrives. Cool them quickly, freeze in portions, and reheat until steaming. Our Sunday meal prep routine and pregnancy dinner ideas have more meals to rotate with these.

This article is general information and does not replace advice from your doctor, midwife or dietitian. If you have gestational diabetes, a food allergy or another condition that affects your diet, follow the plan your care team has given you.