Pasta cravings

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  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,829 Member
    edited October 2022
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    I’m just gnawing my knuckles at @acpgee ’s food porn.

    And that carbonara, too. 😫
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,018 Member
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    acpgee wrote: »
    @neanderthin
    That carbonara looks great and a reasonably sized portion too.

    Day 2 of vacation in Bologna and my one course pasta lunch was tortollini in brodo with a side of grilled veg. Double the portion from what I remember from the last couple pre-pandenmic trips to Lombardy and Sicily.
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    Yeah, that portion of tortellini looks pretty big as a single serving, oh and where's the parmigiano lol....
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,018 Member
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    Here's some homemade pappardelle pasta with portobello's and fresh white truffle from Piedmont.

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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,704 Member
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    Looking up old vacation photos of restaurant portions of pasta I need to conclude that portion size is location dependent.

    Sicily
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    Lombardy
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  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,018 Member
    edited October 2022
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    Here's a pad thai I made using rice noodles. It's still a pasta of sorts lol.

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  • rmbrass
    rmbrass Posts: 9 Member
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    neanderthin wrote: »
    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.

    That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?

    60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/k

    You might consider whole wheat pasta mainly for the fiber but macros are probably the same. My brand choice is Decicco or Delallo. I agree with adding more veggies to the mix and gradually cut back on the pasta.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,704 Member
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    Something I used to do is swap out some of the pasta for spiralized veg. I find spiralized veg totally unsatisfactory as a replacement for pasta because it doesn't have the same texture, but replacing 25% of the pasta with courgette was not too detrimental to the dish and saved a few calories. My favourite filler was spiralized courgette which could be left raw, lightly blanched by draining the hot pasta water over a colander lined with courgette, or cooked briefly in the sauce.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,018 Member
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    rmbrass wrote: »
    neanderthin wrote: »
    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.

    That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?

    60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/k

    You might consider whole wheat pasta mainly for the fiber but macros are probably the same. My brand choice is Decicco or Delallo. I agree with adding more veggies to the mix and gradually cut back on the pasta.

    Yeah, I like De Cecco and use it in rotation. I'm pretty traditional when it comes to pasta and have tried whole wheat but I'm not a fan and getting extra fiber only adds to my discomfort, so less is better. Cheers
  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,575 Member
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    My husband acts like he's dying if I don't make pasta and marinara sauce at least once a week. However, as a diabetic I can't just eat 2 or 3 servings of pasta at a time. What we have learned to do is whatever shape pasta (we do this no matter what type of sauce or toppings we use) I try to find a suitable vegetable with the flavor and also matching the shape of the pasta. It's not for everyone but since the preferred sauce in our house is a chunky marinara anyway the veggies bulk it up. I also always add a protein to help with being full. Meatballs, grilled chicken, shrimp, etc.

    Some examples:
    Frozen cut green beans with elbow macaroni
    Zoodles or Broccoli Slaw sauteed in olive oil and garlic for angel hair or spaghetti
    Sliced carrots with wagon wheels
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,704 Member
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    Day 3 of holiday in Bologna and today's pasta lunch was gramigna with sausage ragu. Serving size was not as huge as yesterday. Also a picture of fresh filled pasta in a trattoria window.
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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,704 Member
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    Day 4 in Bologna and we had pasta at both lunch and dinner. Lunch was tagliatelle ai funghi and dinner was tagliatelle con ragu. At dinner we shared the vegetarian secondo as a starter.
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  • sugarfreesquirrel
    sugarfreesquirrel Posts: 268 Member
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    I had 75g of spaghetti. It wasn't really enough. I think I'll have it as a future cheat meal!
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    I had 75g of spaghetti. It wasn't really enough. I think I'll have it as a future cheat meal!

    A normal portion, here in Italy, is 100g---about 350 cal. Then, you have to measure what you put on it. A meat sauce can put you in the ballpark of 550-600 cal. A tomato sauce made with EVOO will usually put you around 450 with 2 tbl of grated Parmigiano Reggiano. 450 cal for a meal is doable, especially if exercising. It's just important to log it all.

    Interesting note. Here we have a serious energy crisis. There is a push to boil pasta for less time--2 min, shut it off and cover for the remaining time. I haven't tried it yet.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,704 Member
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    We didn't have pasta yesterday, but on day 6 in Bologna I had gnocchi with white ragu and porcini. Side of a half portioned of vegetable gratin.
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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,704 Member
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    We are heading home from Bologna tomorrow so this might be my last pasta meal in Italy for a while. Fiochetti with gorgonzola and zucchini. We shared a vegetarian tagliere (=antipasto board) to start.
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  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,829 Member
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    snowflake954 wrote: »
    sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »
    I had 75g of spaghetti. It wasn't really enough. I think I'll have it as a future cheat meal!

    Interesting note. Here we have a serious energy crisis. There is a push to boil pasta for less time--2 min, shut it off and cover for the remaining time. I haven't tried it yet.

    Yikes. I leave Thursday for a month in Germany. I’m already thinking ho’ baths and indoor coats. I’m packing fleece lined leggings to sleep in, and every layer my southern wardrobe can possibly afford me.

    But cutting the cooking time on your pasta! That’s sacrifice!!!!😱😱
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,704 Member
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    We went home today. My last two plates of pasta in Bologna was a half serving of factory made gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce shared with the hubby, and a full serving of cappelletti with butter and parmesan. I am a little tired of pasta, but I did buy as pack of dried gramigna to take home. The traditional sausage ragu for that shape can be frozen. I saw a lot of variation in gramigna with sausage ragout at different restaurants. The one I ordered had quite a lot of tomato, but I have seen versions with no tomato at all.
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  • paints5555
    paints5555 Posts: 1,230 Member
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    I have to stop reading this post. The pictures are making me hungry!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,704 Member
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    We've been home since Monday and I made our first pasta meal of potato gnocchi with brown butter and sage. When I first started making gnocchi it used to take me the better part of an afternoon but I have it down to 20 minutes nowadays with microwaving the potatoes and using a ricer with halved potatoes inserted cut side down so you don't need to peel hot potatoes or make a lump free mash.
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  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,018 Member
    edited October 2022
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    Yeah, made Alfredo last night, the proper way, without cream hehe and added lobster. sorry no pics.

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