For many people, pasta has become the ultimate food villain, the symbol of everything we’re told to avoid. It’s the first thing to go on almost any new diet, banished to the “naughty list” along with cake and biscuits. This has created a genuine fear of what is, for millions, a delicious and comforting staple.
So, when someone embraces the Mediterranean diet and sees pasta on the food pyramid, it can feel terribly confusing. How can something supposedly “bad” be part of one of the healthiest dietary patterns in the world?
I am thrilled to clear this up for you with the confidence of an Italian grandmother setting down a Sunday lunch: Yes, you can absolutely eat pasta on the Mediterranean diet. In fact, you should. The secret, however, isn’t in the pasta itself, but in a complete shift in perspective about how it’s eaten.
First, Let’s Understand the Italian Approach to Pasta
The first and most important thing to realise is that in a traditional Italian meal, pasta is typically a ‘primo piatto’—a first course. It’s not the gigantic, overflowing bowl that many of us in other countries have come to know as a main course.
Portion sizes are modest. A serving is often around 80-100 grams of dried pasta per person. It’s designed to whet the appetite and provide some energy for the main course (‘secondo’), which would often be fish or legumes with plenty of vegetables. It’s part of a balanced structure, not the entire show.
The Golden Rule: Pasta is the Canvas, Not the Masterpiece
This is the single most important lesson. In a true Mediterranean context, pasta is the canvas; the vegetables, beans, and healthy fats are the masterpiece painted upon it.
Think about it. The unhealthiest pasta dishes are often the ones where pasta is simply a vehicle for huge amounts of cheese, cream, and meat. In contrast, authentic Mediterranean pasta dishes use pasta to carry other, incredibly healthy ingredients to your mouth.
Imagine a sensible portion of pasta tossed with broccoli, garlic, a little chilli, and a single anchovy fillet melted into good olive oil. Or a simple, hearty Pasta e Fagioli (pasta and bean soup). In these dishes, the vegetables and legumes are the real stars. The pasta is just a supporting actor.
Whole Wheat vs. White Pasta: Does it Matter?
In an ideal world, choosing whole wheat pasta is a great move. It retains the bran and germ, meaning it has more fibre, protein, and nutrients. That fibre helps you feel fuller for longer and slows the release of sugar into your bloodstream.
However, let’s be realistic and non-dogmatic. Traditional Italian pasta is made with white durum wheat flour, and it would be foolish to suggest it’s unhealthy in its proper context. The most important factors are portion size and what you serve it with. If you enjoy a small portion of white pasta loaded with vegetables, you are doing just fine. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good.
My ‘Learned-It-the-Hard-Way’ Pasta Moment
Years ago, on a trip to the US, I went to an Italian-American restaurant and ordered a pasta dish. What arrived was a bowl the size of my head, filled to the brim with pasta swimming in a thick, heavy cream sauce. I ate less than half and felt uncomfortably full for hours. Fast forward to a trip to a small village in Southern Italy. For lunch, I had a small plate of orecchiette pasta with a simple, fresh tomato and basil sauce. It was light, energising, and utterly delicious.
That was my lightbulb moment. The problem was never the pasta. It was the monstrous portion size and the heavy, unbalanced sauce I’d become accustomed to elsewhere. I learned that day that context is everything.
Enjoying pasta the Mediterranean way is about respect: respect for portion size, respect for balance, and respect for the beautiful, healthy ingredients it is served with. So please, make peace with pasta. Welcome it back to your table.
Ready to cook? Download my FREE guide, “3 Simple & Authentic Mediterranean Pasta Dishes.” It’s a printable PDF with my favourite go-to recipes to get you started.