Mmm…pasta. Who doesn’t love a big bowl of spaghetti or ziti topped with a delicious and flavorful sauce? Pasta is one of America’s favorite foods. Over 1.3 million pounds of pasta are sold per year. According to a survey by the National Pasta Association, 77 percent of Americans surveyed eat pasta at least once a week, and 1/3 eat pasta 3 or more times a week. While Americans eat about 20 pounds of pasta per person each year, Italians eat more than 3 times that amount!

There are more than 500 different pasta shapes to choose from and so many different sauces to top them with. If you’ve been stuck in a rut eating the same kind of sauce over and over again, or even worse – sauce from a jar – it’s time to try something new. Learn How to Make Fresh Marinara Sauce, How to Make Delicious Vegan Vodka Cream Sauce, and How to Make a Creamy, Lower Calorie, Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce. Here are 7 Variations on Vegan Pasta Sauce to Try, Funky Fresh Oil-Free Sauces to Splash Over Salads and Pasta, and 5 Healthy Flavor Spins to Put on Spaghetti.

Maybe the noodles are where you crave variety. First, make sure you’re cooking your pasta correctly. Check out Pasta: How to Avoid 8 Common Cooking Mistakes for all the tips and tricks. Then read Make Better Choices: Healthy Alternatives to White Pasta and find out 7 Wheat-Free Noodle Options to Use in Your Favorite Dishes. If you want grain-free pasta, find out How to Use Protein-Rich Tofu Shirataki Noodles to Make Grain-Free Pasta, How to Make Bean Pastas, and Switch Up Your Pasta Game – How to Use Spiralized Veggies as Noodles!

Take a trip around the world without leaving your kitchen when you Try These 10 Ways to Cook Pasta With International Flair! Pasta dishes can be cooked, raw, gluten-free, or grain-free but they are always amazing. Here are 21 pasta dishes to make your summer dairy-free and delicious.

1. Tomato, Basil, and Garlic Cashew Cream Pasta

Make enough to have leftovers because this Tomato, Basil, and Garlic Cashew Cream is the best pasta sauce ever! Bursting at the seams with flavor and so easy, you can make this in under 30 minutes and people would think you slaved the day away over the stove. Let them.

2. Potato Gnocchi

This Potato Gnocchi is filling and easy to make. Serve it with your favorite pasta sauces like marinara, pesto, or even a vegan alfredo. The sky is the limit with these pillowy soft and comforting dumplings of joy.

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3. Smoked Tofu and Mushroom Carbonara With Mung Bean Pasta

A traditional carbonara is a pasta mixed with egg, cream, and parmesan then topped with crispy bacon. This Smoked Tofu and Mushroom Carbonara is a vegan version with smoked tofu to replace the bacon and mung bean fettuccine for the pasta.

4. Crispy and Soft Veggie Gnocchi With Spinach and Garlic Sauce

Made of sweet potatoes and spinach, this Veggie Gnocchi packs a healthy punch! Crisp, yet soft, you get the best of both worlds. Make this a weekly dinner and you’ll never get complaints!

5. Penne in Carrot Sauce

Instead of tomatoes, try something unique like Penne in Carrot Sauce. It’s easy to make and it tastes delicious. This may just be your new favorite pasta sauce.

6. Cheeze ‘Burger’ Mac

If you can’t decide between a burger and mac and cheese for dinner, have both! This Cheeze Burger Mac is creamy, delicious, and comforting while the “burger” made from ground tempeh crumbles makes it the perfect hybrid of two classic dishes.

7. Pasta With Tempeh Bolognese

Everyone will love this Pasta with Tempeh Bolognese. It’s rich, hearty, warm, and wholesome, and will please people from all walks of life! It’s vegan and gluten-free, but it’s up to you whether you mention that because it’s so yummy no one would know it’s so good for you.

8. Pasta Primavera With Creamy Alfredo Sauce

This Pasta Primavera with Creamy Alfredo Sauce will bring sunshine to your plate. It’s everything a good plate of pasta needs to be: satisfying, creamy, and jam-packed with flavor. The zucchini and carrot noodles make it light and refreshing.

9. Artichoke and Shiitake Pasta With Creamy Butternut Squash Tomato Sauce

There’s nothing better than a creamy, luscious pasta dish for lunch or dinner when you’re just craving some carby goodness. Filled with butternut squash, hearty shiitake mushrooms, and a thick non-dairy cream to give it body, this Artichoke, and Shiitake Pasta will fill you up with nutrients as well as flavor. What are you waiting for? Dig in!

10. Creamy Lemon Ziti With Roasted Asparagus

This Creamy Lemon Ziti has a velvety sauce that is thick and creamy and super flavorful. The sauce is also oil-free, soy-free, and nut free. Made with nutrient-rich white beans for creaminess and the addition of vitamin-heavy asparagus you want to eat up because this is one healthy dish!

11. Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Burst Cherry Tomato Spaghetti

This Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Burst Cherry Tomato Spaghetti is an easy, hands-off meal that’s done in 45 minutes top to bottom. Sweet, roasted Brussels sprouts and tart, oven-burst cherry tomatoes tangle with spaghetti in a cheesy, buttery sauce.

12. Vegan Creamy Ginger-Coconut Kale Zucchini

Nothing says healthy like green pasta. This Creamy Ginger-Coconut Kale Zucchini dish is filled with immune-boosting superfoods. The zucchini noodles are green and so is the sauce. It’s so easy being green!

13. Raw Spaghetti With ‘Bolognese’ Sauce

When you want to treat yourself to something light, make this dish of Raw Spaghetti with “Bolognese” Sauce! Not only is it incredibly fresh, but you can easily have it ready in under 15 minutes so you can enjoy your time outside the kitchen.

14. Creamy Cashew Alfredo Pasta

Creamy Cashew Alfredo Pasta is a rich and creamy dish made with nutritional yeast and cashews instead of heavy cream. It has sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and roasted red peppers for extra flavor. This is an amazingly delicious gluten-free meal that will keep you coming back for more.

15. Zucchini Pasta With Basil Hemp Pesto

Zucchini Pasta with Basil Hemp Pesto is everything you want in a light summer dish. Zucchini noodles are tossed with a rich, vibrant pesto made with basil and hemp seeds. Yum!

16. Pumpkin Seed Cannellini Meatballs With Zucchini Spaghetti

It doesn’t get much better than this tasty tomato sauce. It’s amazing with pasta, sure, but also with this raw zucchini spaghetti It’s a really delicious and very healthy meal. Serve it with these vegan Pumpkin Seed Cannelloni Bean Meatballs.

17. Pasta With White Beans and Tomatoes Two Ways

There is no easier, more delicious way to enjoy fresh, ripe tomatoes than prepared simply and tossed with a healthy portion of pasta. This Pasta with White Beans and Tomatoes Two Ways showcases tomatoes in both of their mouthwatering states. White beans add richness and will leave even the most ravenous diner satisfied.

18. Peanut Bliss Rice Noodles

These Rice Noodles are a bowl of satisfying peanut bliss. They are so easy to make, use only simple ingredients, and manage to be light yet filling at the same time. Freshly chopped cilantro, mint, parsley, or basil make it shine even brighter!

19. Creamy, Cheesy Homemade Ravioli

It’s easier than you think to make your own Creamy, Cheesy Homemade Ravioli. The filling is completely dairy-free, not that anyone will be able to tell based on how creamy and delicious it is. Serve these up with a sauce of your choosing and watch them disappear.

20. Buffalo Mac and Cheese Crumble

Soy curls are one of the most versatile products out there. You can make so many different things with them, like, a spicy and crumbly topping for a rich, creamy, gooey Buffalo Mac and Cheese.

21. Chilled Peanut Noodles

These Chilled Peanut Noodles are a perfect dish for summer. There’s a rich peanut butter sauce tossed over pasta and it’s served cold. Make extra sauce so you can enjoy it with other things – like a spoon.

In the summer, you want dishes that are light and won’t weigh you down but they still need to be satisfying to our tummies and our taste buds. These pasta dishes will make your summer dairy-free and delicious.

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