Pasta night doesn’t have to mean settling for ultra-processed ingredients.

The biggest mistake I see people make is focusing only on calories or protein while completely ignoring the ingredient list. Many popular pasta products, sauces, and frozen pizzas contain refined ingredients, seed oils, artificial preservatives, or other unnecessary additives.

Here are the healthier upgrades I look for instead.

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🍝 Best Healthy Pasta Brands

Traditional pasta brands like Barilla are made with conventionally grown wheat. While wheat is naturally non-GMO, conventional wheat in the U.S. is commonly treated with glyphosate before harvest. That’s why simply seeing a “Non-GMO” label on pasta doesn’t necessarily tell you much.

Instead, I recommend looking for:

Organic wheat
Clean Label Project Certified
Glyphosate Residue Free certification
Higher-protein options with simple ingredients

⭐ Brami Protein Pasta

One of my favorite newer finds.

Brami is made from semolina wheat plus lupini beans, giving it significantly more protein and fiber than traditional pasta while still tasting very similar to classic pasta. It’s also Clean Label Project Certified, meaning it’s been independently tested for contaminants including heavy metals and pesticide residues.

Great if you’re trying to increase protein without sacrificing texture.

⭐ Banza

Banza has come a long way.

While they’re famous for their chickpea pasta, they now also offer a traditional wheat pasta that’s Clean Label Project Certified, along with several of their other pasta varieties.

If you’re looking for higher protein or gluten-free options, Banza is an easy upgrade over conventional brands.

⭐ Jovial Einkorn Pasta

Jovial is one of the brands I buy most often.

Their pasta is made with ancient einkorn wheat, one of the oldest varieties of wheat still cultivated today. Einkorn has never been hybridized like modern wheat and is organically grown.

It has a delicious flavor and simple ingredient list.

Other Great Pasta Brands

If you can’t find the brands above, these are also excellent options:

Jovial Organic
DeLallo Organic
Garofalo Organic
Felicetti Organic
Montebello Organic
Whole Foods 365 Organic Pasta
Trader Joe’s Organic Pasta
Thrive Market Organic Pasta

Bottom line: Choose organic or Clean Label Project Certified whenever possible instead of relying on a non-GMO label alone.

🍅 Best Pasta Sauce Brands

Many traditional pasta sauces use inexpensive vegetable oils like soybean oil or canola oil.

Instead, I look for sauces made with extra virgin olive oil and simple ingredients.

⭐ Rao’s Homemade

One of the gold standards.

Made with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, basil, oregano, and simple seasonings.

⭐ Carbone

Rich, restaurant-quality flavor with olive oil instead of seed oils.

A great option if you want something a little more indulgent while keeping ingredients clean.

⭐ Katie’s Pizza Sauce

If you can find it, Katie’s sauces are another excellent choice.

Simple ingredients, olive oil, and great flavor without unnecessary fillers.

Other Great Olive Oil Sauces

Cucina Antica
Lucini Italia
Victoria White Linen Marinara
Thrive Market Organic Marinara
Whole Foods 365 Organic Marinara (olive oil varieties)

What to Avoid

Many popular sauces like:

Prego
Ragu

often use cheaper vegetable oils like soybean oil along with added sugars or other unnecessary ingredients.

🍕 Best Frozen Pizzas

Frozen pizza has improved dramatically over the last few years—but many brands are still loaded with refined oils, preservatives, and long ingredient lists.

These are my favorites.

⭐ Katie’s Pizza

Katie’s is one of the cleanest frozen pizzas available.

Most varieties use excellent ingredients with simple toppings.

One exception: I skip the pepperoni pizza, since the pepperoni contains BHA and BHT preservatives.

The cheese and vegetable varieties are excellent choices.

⭐ Milton’s Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Milton’s cauliflower pizzas are surprisingly clean.

Many varieties are seed oil free, have simple ingredients, and make an easy weeknight meal.

⭐ Yo’s Pizza (My Top Pick)

If you can find Yo’s, it’s my favorite frozen pizza.

It’s made with organic wheat, uses high-quality ingredients, and has one of the cleanest labels you’ll find in the frozen pizza aisle.

My Simple Shopping Rules

Instead of getting caught up in marketing buzzwords, here’s what I actually look for:

✅ Organic wheat whenever possible
✅ Clean Label Project Certified products
✅ Glyphosate Residue Free certification when available
✅ Olive oil instead of seed oils in sauces
✅ Short ingredient lists you can actually recognize
✅ Minimal preservatives and artificial additives

Eating healthier doesn’t mean giving up pasta or pizza—it just means choosing brands that prioritize better ingredients. Small swaps like these can make a big difference over time while still letting you enjoy the foods you love.