I love pasta any low cal recipes!! help

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precioustypeoflove
precioustypeoflove Posts: 197 Member
:sad: i really need some healthy low carb pasta recipes im a pastaholic!!

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  • xDeannaGarciax
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    Not sure that exits with pastas, lol. I'd love to know too I'm an Italian food LOVER :heart: Its my fave <<<<<bumpin>>>>>
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    The only way to have low carb pasta is to not have the noodles. Try making spaghetti squash. First you cut the squash then bake it, scrape out the insides (kind of like slightly crunchy noodles) and use it in place of noodles.
  • xDeannaGarciax
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    The only way to have low carb pasta is to not have the noodles. Try making spaghetti squash. First you cut the squash then bake it, scrape out the insides (kind of like slightly crunchy noodles) and use it in place of noodles.

    LOL, Thats all I do, I make chicken fettucini alfredo and add green beans, broccili, and carrots to my sauce and just eat the chicken with the sauce and veggieson it, I LOVE it! For regular spaghetti I make homemade meat balls and spaghetti sauce (meatballs with ground turkey) and eat those in the sauce, Ziti, same deal leave my sauce seperate and make the sauce homemade along with turkey meatballs....the calories and carbs are pretty low. I've COMPLETELY cut out pasta as of a month ago. To my surprise eating these meals without the pasta, you'd never even know there isn't any, pasta doesn't have a very strong flavor so making the flavor the same qith other things(sauce and meat) it tastes exactly the same:wink:
  • Chani56
    Chani56 Posts: 23 Member
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    spaghetti squash is a great alternative. I cut it in half length-wise, place it face down into a glass casserole dish with about 1/2 of water and microwave it for about 5 minutes. You can use a fork to scrap the squash from it's shell. Microwave it longer if you want it softer.

    I also sometimes use zucchini instead of pasta. I bought a spiralizer. It shreds the zucchini about the consistency of angel hair pasta. It's served cold which may take a little getting used to but I was given a tomato sauce recipe from a friend who's into raw foods that is awesome on the zucchini. I dont' have it with me right now but I'll try to post it later.

    BTW several italian restaraunts, such as Cucina Tagliani, have started offering spaghetti squash alternatives but may not have it on the menu...just ask :happy:
  • sherrywoody1
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    That is a good idea about the squash... I love pasta too, but I can't fix it because I won't stop at one serving.
  • 81Kyra
    81Kyra Posts: 115
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    You could try whole grain pastas
  • Chani56
    Chani56 Posts: 23 Member
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    That's the beauty of spaghetti squash! You can have seconds. :bigsmile:

    Spag. squash = ~42 cals / 1 cup
    Spag - whole wheat = ~174 cals / 1 cup
    Spaghetti = ~200 cals / 1 cup
  • lisapisa81
    lisapisa81 Posts: 68 Member
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    if you really don't want to cut out the pasta, here's a wikipedia entry on shirataki noodles (i know there are other threads on these):

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirataki_noodles

    the reviews are mixed on these but i have tried them myself and as long as you prepare them correctly, they are a good substitute. i've never tried pure shirataki noodles but i have tried tofu shirataki noodles...they sell them at some stores in the refrigerated section near the tofu.

    to prepare them you need to drain them, then rinse them (their packaging liquid smells horrible). then boil them for a few minutes, then rinse again in cold water and pat dry. then you can use them just like any pasta. i like to cut them into shorter bite size pieces with kitchen shears because they are chewier than normal pasta. i've made mine before both with a light alredo sauce (if you have heard of the hungry girl cookbooks she has a recipe like this), and an asian peanut sauce. both were really good, and the whole package of noodles has something like 40 calories.

    actually i just found a link to the hungry girl entry on these noodles:

    http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=467

    hope that helps!
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    Just buy 0 calorie pasta, ta da!

    Shirataki Noodles: 0 calories, made from yam flour, must be rinsed thoroughly.

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    Pasta Slim: *** I HIGHLY RECOMMEND! 20 calories, 0.5g fat and 3g fiber. Made from tofu and konjac flour. They have no smell and don’t have to be rinsed unlike shirataki noodles and the consistency/colour I found was closer to actual pasta than the shirataki ones. Also comes in spinach-linguini.

    1.jpg

    Miracle Noodles: 0 calories, 0.5 protein. They are Shirataki noodles but under a different brand name. I haven’t tried these yet b/c they are the same as #1 but cost more due to being a brand name. I think these ones were promoted on Oprah or something.

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    * I made mine in a stir-fry where the noodles could absorb the spices, hot sauce and soy sauce I added. Other reviews suggest to do the same, that they are more for Asian dishes than marinara/alfredo sauce but at 0-calories, it can’t hurt to try!

    You can find these in health food stores; I bought mine at The Low Carb Grocer located in Markham (for all you Toronto MFP’ers)
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    if you really don't want to cut out the pasta, here's a wikipedia entry on shirataki noodles (i know there are other threads on these):

    Ha ha ha, great minds think alike! I totally missed reading your post when I made mine. Thanks for explaining more about them to others. I got too caught up in the joy of adding photos to my post to do that ;)

    I bought #1 and #2 of what I posted and found #2 the Pasta Slim ones made from tofu had NO SMELL! They even print that on the package.
  • krislew
    krislew Posts: 46 Member
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    I still eat pasta regularly....I'm not willing to give it up. I just keep my portions in check.
  • stringcheeze
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    I still eat pasta regularly....I'm not willing to give it up. I just keep my portions in check.

    This is the secret really, as well as trying to find a good whole grain pasta.

    2oz (which is the serving size for most pastas) of noodles with oodles of veggie toppings won't put you over your budget.
  • raymj61
    raymj61 Posts: 142
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    I tried the spaghetti squash yesterday after seeing it posted in another thread. It doesn't taste like pasta but man it was really good. I ate it with a spaghetti sauce that I made with turkey ground but I bet it would taste good with a lot of other things too.

    Thanks for the tips on the slim pasta and the others. I'm gonna try to find some here. Does anyone know if they sell them at "Fresh Market"? There's one of these right around the corner from where I live.
  • precioustypeoflove
    precioustypeoflove Posts: 197 Member
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    where do i get these? and do they taste ok
  • bates
    bates Posts: 122
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    My grocery store has a pasta (egg wide) by the name of No Yolks I believe? Anyways, a lot better macros than other pastas out there.
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
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    i use zucchini, which is less calories(i think) than spaggetti squash....you can peel it(i leave the pel on) then slice it slim long ways, then turn to the side and cut it long ways again. let it sit for about 30 minutes in a strainer, this is when i make my own spaggetti sauce, then boil noodles for about 1.5 mins to 2 minutes. I use 2 zucchinis per person.
  • precioustypeoflove
    precioustypeoflove Posts: 197 Member
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    yea i love the no yokes there great