THIS is what a serving of pasta looks like...

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  • sarebearr
    sarebearr Posts: 59 Member
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    My favorite way to eat pasta is to add tons of chopped veggies with it! Like zucchini or eggplant! Then serve with whatever sauce/meat I'm craving. Helps a LOT to add volume with vegetables.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,255 Member
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    lthames0810 wrote: »
    Ok people. When you say you put lots of vegetables in your pasta sauce, are you meaning a tomato based sauce? That sounds strange to me.

    It's been my lifelong custom to have only meat (browned ground beef or meatballs or Italian sausage) or maybe seafood in a tomato sauce. I might saute vegetables in olive oil and toss that with pasta and parmesan but not with tomato sauce.

    I did have to eat spaghetti squash with tomato sauce once (as a dinner guest) but they just don't taste right together. That squash is good with the olive oil and parmesan, though.

    Things like aubergine, courgette and mushrooms go great in a tomato-based sauce. As do tomatoes.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    Vegetables I often add to tomato-based sauces (not all at once) include zucchini, peppers, onions (of course), mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach, although it basically depends on what's on hand and what I'm in the mood for, the list of what I've used is longer.

    I tried red lentil pasta last night (didn't make a traditional pasta dish with it), and thought it was tasty.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    sammidelvecchio wrote: »
    The only thing sadder is learning the correct serving size of peanut butter :s
    Roza42 wrote: »
    I was actually happy when I did. It was much larger than I thought.

    Had you been mistakenly using a soup spoon for a tablespoon?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    @lemurcat2 got this recipe in my inbox and thought of you - tons of veggies with the pasta!

    Video (won't work if you are using a type of software that I'm prevented from mentioning here, lol, but if the video doesn't play DM me and I will elaborate): https://www.allrecipes.com/video/3814/how-to-make-pasta-primavera/?internalSource=picture_play&referringId=236218&referringContentType=Recipe
    Recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/236218/chef-johns-pasta-primavera/

    While Chef John is pitching this as a spring recipe, I will try it in the summer when I have basil and both peas in the garden. Mom should still have asparagus, but if not, I'll have green beans.
  • wyeth84
    wyeth84 Posts: 35 Member
    edited May 2019
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    sugaraddict4321 wrote: »
    What's interesting is how the same company varies serving sizes depending on the market. In the USA, a standard serving of pasta is 2 oz dry (56 grams). In western Europe, the standard serving size on the box is 85 grams - or just over 3 oz - if there's even a serving size listed. I wonder why they change up serving size depending on the market?

    Often the food labels in Europe only give info per 100 grams, so you don't know what a "recommended" serving size is. However, at least that makes tracking very easy because it's all metric and if you weigh your food in grams it's easy to figure out how much you're consuming.

    Here are two images of a very popular pasta brand as an example

    USA:
    barilla-pasta-food-label-world-of-label-with-regard-to-barilla-with-regard-to-barilla-pasta-food-label.jpg

    Europe:
    51CecOvyxfL.jpg

    Also notice that in the USA they measure in milligrams of sodium, whereas in western Europe they use grams of salt. The RDA for salt in Europe is higher than in the US. A gram of salt contains about 413 mg of sodium.

    But the pasta in the US is not made in Italy, even Barilla. Each pasta company (just like any other global brand) has several production plants that makes products (and labels) tailored to their regional markets. I come from Italy and I bring all my pasta from there as pasta here is fortified with a million ingredients while in Italy is water and wheat.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    Here are some more pasta and veg recipes:

    Cabbage Balushka (Cabbage and Noodles) is Hungarian, and I have made it, and we liked it: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220717/cabbage-balushka-or-cabbage-and-noodles/

    Was going to make Cottage Noodles and Cabbage tonight but didn't have as much cabbage as I thought. Is probably some sort of Eastern European traditional dish as I see references to Polish and Ukrainian grandmothers having made the same. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/24358/cottage-noodles-and-cabbage/
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
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    dewd2 wrote: »
    Doing this again on Sunday. My son and I do this a couple times a month. I make the pasta and he makes the sauce. He adds in just about anything he feels like - all sorts of veggies. It really depends what is in the fridge and what he finds at the supermarket. It is always 100% AWESOME!

    j0xcodpniu3r.jpg

    Now, that's real pasta! I love handmade pasta, but don't have time to make it. Enjoy!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    ladyzherra wrote: »
    Seeing that picture makes me feel sad and longing. Pasta is my favorite junk food but I do not eat it currently. And that little serving makes me want to weep. I don’t think I’ve ever had the control to eat just that amount.

    @ladyzherra I can certainly overeat pasta if I have it with just butter, lemon, salt, and pepper. Have you looked at any of the posts and recipes that talk about adding protein and veggies?

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    ceiswyn wrote: »
    lthames0810 wrote: »
    Ok people. When you say you put lots of vegetables in your pasta sauce, are you meaning a tomato based sauce? That sounds strange to me.

    It's been my lifelong custom to have only meat (browned ground beef or meatballs or Italian sausage) or maybe seafood in a tomato sauce. I might saute vegetables in olive oil and toss that with pasta and parmesan but not with tomato sauce.

    I did have to eat spaghetti squash with tomato sauce once (as a dinner guest) but they just don't taste right together. That squash is good with the olive oil and parmesan, though.

    Things like aubergine, courgette and mushrooms go great in a tomato-based sauce. As do tomatoes.

    You conquered the Norman invaders through cultural assimilation long ago. No need to keep trying to impress them by using their fancy French words for vegetables. (Just a joke. Really. I'll just go back to binge-watching old seasons of The Great British Baking Show and feeling inferior when Paul Hollywood says American pies are too sweet. Please pardon the interruption.)
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    dewd2 wrote: »
    Doing this again on Sunday. My son and I do this a couple times a month. I make the pasta and he makes the sauce. He adds in just about anything he feels like - all sorts of veggies. It really depends what is in the fridge and what he finds at the supermarket. It is always 100% AWESOME!

    j0xcodpniu3r.jpg

    Oh, I need one of those racks! Is that something you bought or something you made?

    I've made pasta from scratch about three times in my life, all the last year to 18 months. Hand-cut with a knife or pizza slicer, and then draped on clean dish towels over chair backs. I've been thinking about getting one of those hand-held rolling cutters that cuts about five strips at once (I really hate kitchen appliances that are only good for one thing, so I'm resistant to the idea of buying an actual pasta rolling machine). But I think the rack would actually be more useful. It looks like top bar comes off, so it could be stored in a fairly small space?
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Bread, pasta etc. are my trigger food - so I had to learn to avoid them. That little bowl of pasta (pictured above) would never do - I know me by now! I would have another 4, 5 6 re - fills with plenty of cream sauce and what have you. I get my carbs from fruit, vegetables and diary products - between 100 and 140 gram a day and over time I have got used to it, there is plenty of choice in my daily meal plan. 400 days gone, 32 kg lost and still a long way to go.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    dewd2 wrote: »
    Doing this again on Sunday. My son and I do this a couple times a month. I make the pasta and he makes the sauce. He adds in just about anything he feels like - all sorts of veggies. It really depends what is in the fridge and what he finds at the supermarket. It is always 100% AWESOME!

    j0xcodpniu3r.jpg

    Oh, I need one of those racks! Is that something you bought or something you made?

    I've made pasta from scratch about three times in my life, all the last year to 18 months. Hand-cut with a knife or pizza slicer, and then draped on clean dish towels over chair backs. I've been thinking about getting one of those hand-held rolling cutters that cuts about five strips at once (I really hate kitchen appliances that are only good for one thing, so I'm resistant to the idea of buying an actual pasta rolling machine). But I think the rack would actually be more useful. It looks like top bar comes off, so it could be stored in a fairly small space?

    I picked it up at the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company in Pittsburgh (also where I purchase my flour for the pasta).

    I have both types of pasta gadgets for my Kitchenaid mixer. They are simply awesome!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    dewd2 wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    dewd2 wrote: »
    Doing this again on Sunday. My son and I do this a couple times a month. I make the pasta and he makes the sauce. He adds in just about anything he feels like - all sorts of veggies. It really depends what is in the fridge and what he finds at the supermarket. It is always 100% AWESOME!

    j0xcodpniu3r.jpg

    Oh, I need one of those racks! Is that something you bought or something you made?

    I've made pasta from scratch about three times in my life, all the last year to 18 months. Hand-cut with a knife or pizza slicer, and then draped on clean dish towels over chair backs. I've been thinking about getting one of those hand-held rolling cutters that cuts about five strips at once (I really hate kitchen appliances that are only good for one thing, so I'm resistant to the idea of buying an actual pasta rolling machine). But I think the rack would actually be more useful. It looks like top bar comes off, so it could be stored in a fairly small space?

    I picked it up at the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company in Pittsburgh (also where I purchase my flour for the pasta).

    I have both types of pasta gadgets for my Kitchenaid mixer. They are simply awesome!

    Thanks for the info!

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