Pasta?

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  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    KirbySmith46 wrote: »
    Yeah it's really more about the total calories and not so much the carbs. Sorry, I should have clarified a little better. I had spaghetti with meat sauce the other night and it cost me 1100 calories! I realized for the first time that spaghetti doesn't offer much bang for the buck!

    I hear ya! I love pasta but, oh those calories! I tried just less pasta and more sauce, and that was okay, but other than it turning into something that looks like soup or chili with a little pasta, I just couldn't make it work. I never had any calories left for wine, and what is pasta without wine??

    That's why I tried fiber gourmet pasta. Twice the pasta for the same calories. I wouldn't eat it if I didn't like it, but I am very thankful that I do. ;)
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    If you need a lot of volume, have a small serving of pasta (weigh it) and bulk it out with vegetables. You can either add steamed or roasted chunks of veggies, or get the vegetable spiralizer as suggested, and mix that together with your pasta. You'll have a HUGE plate of food for less calories.

    I eat 56g of bean pasta for the protein it has and mix it with spiralized zucchini to make a big bowlful when I'm having a particularly hungry day. I feel like I'm getting a LOT of food and it doesn't pack a huge calorie punch.
  • kr15ty_k
    kr15ty_k Posts: 26 Member
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    kr15ty_k wrote: »
    I love spaghetti squash! I find if you cut it into 1" rings instead of halves it tends to look more like angel hair pasta. Take the rings, remove the goopy stuff in the middle, put them on parchment paper and bake for 40 mins at 375C.
    It has a sweeter taste than noodles but it has went well with any pasta sauce I've tried.
    Its low in calories so you can eat lots of it. :smiley:

    oh yah... let them cool for about 10 mins before you pull it apart.
  • eatingforspawn
    eatingforspawn Posts: 34 Member
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    You can also try rice noodles. They have a different texture and flavour but I personally love them. I still eat regular pasta but sometimes I have rice noodles instead, not because of their different nutrition profile, but just because they are tasty. They are much lower in calories so you can eat much more if you want to. They have the really thin kind that would be akin to angel hair and you can also get thicker kinds that are more like fettuccine. Of course they are meant to be eaten with Asian style dishes but I often use them just like regular pasta and they are not out of place at all. So if what you really want is that huge satisfying mountain of noodles, maybe give them a try.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    KirbySmith46 wrote: »
    adowe wrote: »
    KirbySmith46 wrote: »
    Yeah it's really more about the total calories and not so much the carbs. Sorry, I should have clarified a little better. I had spaghetti with meat sauce the other night and it cost me 1100 calories! I realized for the first time that spaghetti doesn't offer much bang for the buck!

    I have never had a plate of spaghetti and meat sauce cost me 1100 calories and left hungry.

    Most of my past meals leave me pleasantly full for 3-500 calories

    I guess I like spaghetti more than you! Lol.

    Debateable
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I spiralize my zuccini...I have a very simple hand spiralizer that works perfectly, you'd be amazing how much "noodle" you can get out of 1 zuccini
  • beamer0821
    beamer0821 Posts: 488 Member
    edited March 2015
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    @KirbySmith46‌ when i eat pasta i try to add fillers like veggies so like you said its a more fulfilling meal. i also second the spiralizer. I've done zucchini noodles and the stalks of broccoli turned into noodles (use the florets to eat with the pasta) and they both are surprisingly very good. and I'm not a huge veggie person.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    It seems like your issue with pasta is not the pasta itself (it's actually alright calorie-wise), but the way it's prepared (eg. fatty meatballs), when it contains a lot of fat which causes the calorie count to go up. My suggestion would be to experiment with different recipes. Ones that "bulk up" the pasta with veggies and pay attention to the amount of fat tend to be lower in calories. The bulking up action also causes you to use less pasta than you usually would for a meal.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    KirbySmith46 wrote: »
    Yeah it's really more about the total calories and not so much the carbs. Sorry, I should have clarified a little better. I had spaghetti with meat sauce the other night and it cost me 1100 calories! I realized for the first time that spaghetti doesn't offer much bang for the buck!

    I've lived in Italy for 30 yrs now, and I make pasta everyday. A portion is 100g, dry, around 360 calories just the pasta. The sauce is what gets you. A simple tomato or vegetable sauce is around 450--500 calories total, with the pasta. There is no good substitute for pasta, in my opinion. I love it on my exercise days. Get some good recipe ideas and enjoy. B)
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    eatingforspawn wrote: »
    You can also try rice noodles. They have a different texture and flavour but I personally love them. I still eat regular pasta but sometimes I have rice noodles instead, not because of their different nutrition profile, but just because they are tasty. They are much lower in calories so you can eat much more if you want to. They have the really thin kind that would be akin to angel hair and you can also get thicker kinds that are more like fettuccine. Of course they are meant to be eaten with Asian style dishes but I often use them just like regular pasta and they are not out of place at all. So if what you really want is that huge satisfying mountain of noodles, maybe give them a try.

    Which rice noodles are lower in calories than wheat noodles? I've never come across them.

  • spoonyspork
    spoonyspork Posts: 238 Member
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    Konjac noodles. I bring this up every time: SOME day someone will discover they like them as much as I! LOL.

    When I'm craving REAL pasta though, I go for the 'Ronzoni 150'. 150/serving (instead of 200 -- not much off but every bit counts!) and nice on the fiber along with having the proper texture.

    Also make sure you're weighing out pre-cooking. Mine weigh 3-4 times more after cooking than a single dry serving is 'supposed' to after cooking...

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