What do you do for pasta?

2

Replies

  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    My mom used to eat Shirataki noodles. I have never had them. She said they tasted fine...and are lower cal/carb. I believe they are tofu-based.

    I don't like pasta, so I'm lucky there. I do like rice, but started subbing quinoa (for the higher protein). I will use spaghetti squash in the fall. Even my kids like it.

    Shirataki is definitely an acquired taste. It has a very strong smell and you have to rinse it thoroughly before you use it, otherwise the smell might make you gag. Some people like it, but I can't seem to get past the smell.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    I weigh it dry, boil it, drain it.. Just like always.

    If I want more bulk than the typical serving, then I add zucchini noodles (I have a peeler that julienne cuts)

    Then I add a small amount of butter (by weight) and garlic with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, or spaghetti sauce or alfredo sauce.. or anything else that strikes my fancy.
  • Jelaan
    Jelaan Posts: 815 Member
    I really like the shirataki noodles. I have also used finely chopped cauliflower as a substitute for rice - that was very tasty.
  • Rosyone
    Rosyone Posts: 74 Member
    I eat pasta for pasta, I just don't supersize the servings anymore. A standard 2 oz dry weight serving that used to look skimpy looks completely normal to me now. So do my size 2/4 jeans :smile:
  • bcanderson123456
    bcanderson123456 Posts: 45 Member
    Why do so many people on here view pasta as something bad? What myth did you all fall for to think you can't enjoy pasta? It's all about reasonable serving sizes. Here is a good recipe: http://www.ahl4u.com/pasta-mushroom-toss.html . It is 138 cals and 18 carbs for a 100g serving.

    (had to fix my grammer)
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
    White pasta, like all other refined carbs, is not good for you. It's like eating sugar. That said, I still eat it, just not nearly as frequently as I used to. (I had Chicken Parm with pasta for dinner! lol) I now consider pasta the way I consider desserts - to be enjoyed in small amounts and not every day.

    I tried Shiratake noodles and I found them to be repulsive. They smelled foul when I opened the package (they came in liquid) and even when I rinsed them as instructed and added them to my recipe, I could not enjoy the texture or flavor. I don't mind zucchini squash but it is a pain to prepare.

    Seriously, there are many other foods to enjoy that don't revolve primarily around grains. Because I try to eat as much protein as I can, it just doesn't make sense for me to spend as many of my calories on carbs as I used to.

    I am trying to not only lose weight, but be healthier. So although I do allow myself treats and carbs, I eat way differently than I used to. Pasta is definitely not a weekly thing for me anymore.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Why do so many people on here view pasta as something bad? What myth did you all fall for to think you can't enjoy pasta? It's all about reasonable serving sizes. Here is a good recipe: http://www.ahl4u.com/pasta-mushroom-toss.html . It is 138 cals and 18 carbs for a 100g serving.

    (had to fix my grammer)
    Interesting that you assume we all fell for a "myth".
  • Naley2322
    Naley2322 Posts: 181 Member
    Vegetti.... turns zucchini into noodles! I love it!
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    I don't eat pasta because it contains gluten (gluten free pasta is disgusting) and it has too many carbs for me due to being insulin resistant and hypoglycemic.

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE spaghetti squash with a little asiago cheese sprinkled over it.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I eat the pasta. I weigh out my portion and honestly I'm very satisfied with 2 oz.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    ExploreAsiaNoodlesLg.jpg

    Explore Asia pastas are made from legumes like soy and mung beans, and they have a ton of protein. They're not quite the smooth texture I'm used to from pasta, but they're still a pretty good substitute.

    Also, spaghetti squash. Also, I often splurge on regular pasta, because I love filled pastas like ravioli and tortellini. I just make sure there's plenty of veggies mixed in. A tortellini stir fry with chicken or steak and lots veggies with a little olive oil and garlic is an amazing meal. If you do it right, you can use less tortellini and still have a huge bowl full.

    I saw these today at the store and wondered about them. How do the calories compare to regular pasta?
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
    Pasta. Sigh. Love it. Might eat some 2-3 times a month now, at best.
    New favorite recipe. Italian "Drunken" Noodles with Spicy Italian Sausage.
    Find at food.com
    Uses pappardelle pasta but the ratio of pasta to veggies/sausage is small.
    So you get your pasta but not too much. Great flavor !
    Not sure out the "Drunken" part....calls for 1/2 cup white wine. ???
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Egg, flour, water and maybe a little salt. Run it through my pasta attachment on my KitchenAid, boils for a minute or two and enjoy with my favourite sauce. The only thing "wrong" with pasta is bad box pasta ( as in it doesn't taste as good).
    I just portion it and log it.

    I do like spaghetti squash and eat it frequently with a tomato based meat sauce. It is very good that way but it is not, however, a substitute for pasta.
  • Lemongrab13
    Lemongrab13 Posts: 206 Member
    There's not much I won't do for pasta, but it still won't sleep with me T_T
  • alereck
    alereck Posts: 343 Member
    ExploreAsiaNoodlesLg.jpg

    Explore Asia pastas are made from legumes like soy and mung beans, and they have a ton of protein. They're not quite the smooth texture I'm used to from pasta, but they're still a pretty good substitute.

    Also, spaghetti squash. Also, I often splurge on regular pasta, because I love filled pastas like ravioli and tortellini. I just make sure there's plenty of veggies mixed in. A tortellini stir fry with chicken or steak and lots veggies with a little olive oil and garlic is an amazing meal. If you do it right, you can use less tortellini and still have a huge bowl full.

    Where do you buy these? They look good.
  • SteampunkSongbird
    SteampunkSongbird Posts: 826 Member
    I eat gluten-free pasta (coeliac) and I don't think it's especially different from normal pasta, I still enjoy it just as much, it's just more prone to breaking if you overcook it. I could live off pasta with My Dolmio tomato sauce and grated cheese, it's just a shame GF pasta is more expensive so I can't afford to buy it all the time, plus the calories and carbs are really quite high. If not for those things, I would stuff my face with it every day, lol.
  • bcanderson123456
    bcanderson123456 Posts: 45 Member
    Why do so many people on here view pasta as something bad? What myth did you all fall for to think you can't enjoy pasta? It's all about reasonable serving sizes. Here is a good recipe: http://www.ahl4u.com/pasta-mushroom-toss.html . It is 138 cals and 18 carbs for a 100g serving.

    (had to fix my grammer)
    Interesting that you assume we all fell for a "myth".

    You are right using "you all" was incorrect only 75% of the posts are saying pasta is evil and that you should use alternatives. So to the 25% I apologize for lumping you in with the rest.
  • Mygsds
    Mygsds Posts: 1,564 Member
    I honestly cannot tell you the last time I had sauce....I try to stay away from it, or make sure it has no HFCS in it. I make my pasta with 1 bag of the Trader Joes pasta. Cut up chicken tenders, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms. Add some small amount of butter to the pasta with some EVO, and a drained can of Tomatoes and green chillies. Thats it..

    Sounds yummy, thanks
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Why do so many people on here view pasta as something bad? What myth did you all fall for to think you can't enjoy pasta? It's all about reasonable serving sizes. Here is a good recipe: http://www.ahl4u.com/pasta-mushroom-toss.html . It is 138 cals and 18 carbs for a 100g serving.

    (had to fix my grammer)
    Interesting that you assume we all fell for a "myth".

    You are right using "you all" was incorrect only 75% of the posts are saying pasta is evil and that you should use alternatives. So to the 25% I apologize for lumping you in with the rest.
    who said it was "evil"?
  • BeginningAgainMay14
    BeginningAgainMay14 Posts: 97 Member
    I eat pasta. Usually whole wheat because I've started to prefer it, except in shapes where I can't get whole wheat and then I eat white. I just weigh it and cook it and toss it with vegetables like spinach or zucchini.

    Tomorrow I'm having whole wheat pasta with chicken breast, and this sauce:
    http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/five-minute-tomato-sauce-recipe.html

    It is super easy, 95 calories for 1/2 a cup with no sugar, and has just a hint of lemon which I wasn't sure about, but ended up loving.

    I'm serving it with a side of sauteed summer squash with garlic. It will be great!
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    ExploreAsiaNoodlesLg.jpg

    Explore Asia pastas are made from legumes like soy and mung beans, and they have a ton of protein. They're not quite the smooth texture I'm used to from pasta, but they're still a pretty good substitute.

    Also, spaghetti squash. Also, I often splurge on regular pasta, because I love filled pastas like ravioli and tortellini. I just make sure there's plenty of veggies mixed in. A tortellini stir fry with chicken or steak and lots veggies with a little olive oil and garlic is an amazing meal. If you do it right, you can use less tortellini and still have a huge bowl full.

    I saw these today at the store and wondered about them. How do the calories compare to regular pasta?

    Here it is for the black bean spaghetti. Keep in mind this is black soybean, not what we think of as black beans.

    black-bean-pasta-nutrition.png
  • Whiskey2206
    Whiskey2206 Posts: 189 Member
    I usually eat spaghetti squash but when I do eat pasta (which is about 2/month) I have regular spaghetti but no sauce...just lemon juice and pepper.
  • Swiftlet66
    Swiftlet66 Posts: 729 Member
    I don't really eat pasta but for some reason, I do crave a simple pasta dish every now and then (maybe once every two months??) so I'd boil some and make an easy tomato mushroom pasta sauce:

    1. Boil a bunch of ripe tomatoes until it forms loose skin.
    2. Drain, then return back to pot.
    3. Add sliced mushrooms, then some olive oil or butter, basil, salt, pepper, and sugar.
    4. Simmer until nice and thick.
    5. Add boiled pasta, mix, and eat.

    Sometimes, I use canned tomatoes too, depending on what I have.

    ETA: This simple pasta sauce makes great pizza sauce too! :heart:
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Pasta tends to not agree with me, but I love it. So i'll either bite the bullet and buy a ticket to the procelain party... or... make ricotta gnocchi.

    It has just enough flour in it to bind, but not so much that it aggravates my internals. It's pretty easy too. 1# ricotta, 4 eggs, 2T olive oil, salt, pepper, a little potato mash to give an initial binder, and then a few T of flour until it will hold enough to turn out and make into a roll. Slice and boil.

    They're light, pillowy, and can hold added herbs really well.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    I normally pair it with a nice homemade bolognaise and some garlic bread.
  • skjones0323
    skjones0323 Posts: 53 Member
    I use spaghetti squash. Someone mentioned they thought it was a lot of work, but I don't find it so. You just need a really sharp knife to cut it lengthwise, scoop out the seeds like a pumpkin, bake it for about 45 minutes and scoop out! Viola! I have a great homemade sauce recipe but usually don't have enough time, so I dress up my sauce with veggies and ground turkey or ground Italian breakfast sausage turkey!
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
    Pasta tends to not agree with me, but I love it. So i'll either bite the bullet and buy a ticket to the procelain party... or... make ricotta gnocchi.

    It has just enough flour in it to bind, but not so much that it aggravates my internals. It's pretty easy too. 1# ricotta, 4 eggs, 2T olive oil, salt, pepper, a little potato mash to give an initial binder, and then a few T of flour until it will hold enough to turn out and make into a roll. Slice and boil.

    They're light, pillowy, and can hold added herbs really well.

    Oooooohhhhh....I need to try this!!
  • MysteriousDreamer
    MysteriousDreamer Posts: 96 Member
    I just ate pasta, nothing wrong with it if you have a serving.

    completely agree
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    I had some awesome chicken and mozzarella ravioli today. We made a sauce with olive oil, garlic, fresh shredded basil and crumbled bacon. It was amazing!
  • Birder155
    Birder155 Posts: 223 Member
    Vegetti.... turns zucchini into noodles! I love it!

    I don't own a Vegetti but I have a julienne peeler that does a pretty decent job although not as cool as this gadget.
    I actually like the zucchini noodles better than pasta but I've never been a pasta lover anyway.
    I like the zucchini better than the spaghetti squash but the squash will do in a pinch.

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