spaghetti

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redrider
redrider Posts: 6
in Food and Nutrition
i love spaghetti but i know its not that good for you. need some tips on how to make it a little better for me so i can eat it without feeling like i should do some sit-ups.

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  • redrider
    redrider Posts: 6
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    i love spaghetti but i know its not that good for you. need some tips on how to make it a little better for me so i can eat it without feeling like i should do some sit-ups.
  • usmcwifeb15
    usmcwifeb15 Posts: 470 Member
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    I am right there with you. I made spaghetti for dinner tonight and started adding up the calories I just gave up. There were so many it was ridiculous so I ate some chicken and the Hubby and the kids got to eat spaghetti. :sad: I would love to know how you can make it or what to buy so it's not so bad for you as well. Because it is yummy!:tongue:
  • ce_fit
    ce_fit Posts: 299 Member
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    i love spaghetti but i know its not that good for you. need some tips on how to make it a little better for me so i can eat it without feeling like i should do some sit-ups.

    As he reads the Nutrition facts from a box of Catelli whole wheat spaghetti. There is step one. The next thing to try is adding chicken or turkey to your sauce instead of ground beef.

    I'm sure there are receipes out there. Good luck!! :drinker:
  • EvilPIB
    EvilPIB Posts: 334 Member
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    Look for whole grain/wheat pasta and I have to say the selection is growing. If you haven't already try it you will be surprised at how they hold flavor. I have kids and perferr the whole grain/wheat over regular. I also use ground turkey and/or chicken, make my own sauce (NSA or preservatives) using all fresh items. Check the food network, all receipe and fatssecret website for more receipes. Eating health such as low fat :cry: , low carb :cry: , low sugar :cry: IS SO DAMN HARD :sad: sometimes. I love pasta and rice so I understand your dilema.
  • dschadek
    dschadek Posts: 1
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    Add more veggies to the sauce, make the meat secondary!!! You can also serve the red sauce on top of spaghetti squash, it's delicious... Good luck, and stay STRONG!!!!!:happy:
  • Robin_
    Robin_ Posts: 105
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    All about portion control. Eat on a small plate, and if you have to add meat, lean only, and not a lot! ~Make your own sauce so that you can control the sodium and additives. Add mushrooms, green onions, and olives to your sauce, it will be great! If you eat from a small plate...you can even go back for seconds if you can't help it! Good luck to everyone!
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
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    My husband loves meat. I hate ground meat.
    I love veggies. My hubby hates veggies.

    Our compromise is a spaghetti sauce that contains mushrooms and occasionally garlic. :laugh: Since there's next to nothing in our sauce, it's a really low cal meal for us, even with regular ol' pasta. We do use the more flavorful sauces, like Classico's Cabernet or a Vodka Sauce, so it's not just plain tomato-tastin'.

    You could try Morningstar Veggie Crumbles. We call it "fakey-meat".
  • lcmartin
    lcmartin Posts: 163 Member
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    Have you tried spaghetti squash? I just did the other day and it was really good! I used it just like it was pasta.
  • amycakes812
    amycakes812 Posts: 441
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    Here is my recipe for meat sauce...hope it helps. Just a note...I never measure anything, so taste as you go to adjust seasoning!
    1 lb lean ground turkey
    2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
    2 6 oz cans tomato paste
    1 onion, small dice
    1 green pepper, small dice
    2-3 cloves garlic, minced
    oregano
    basil
    Italian seasoning
    garlic powder
    pinch of sugar
    fresh grated parmesan cheese (about 1 T, plus more for serving)

    In a large pot, brown meat and drain in colander, running very hot water over the meat to get all fat out that you can. Pour a little olive oil into pot, enough to thinly coat the bottom, and add onion, pepper and garlic. Cook over med-low heat until soft and onions begin to turn translucent. Add turkey back to pot and cook together for a few minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste, plus fill each can with water and add to pot. Stir to combine, then add spices, (Start with 1-2 tsp each of oregano, basil and Italian seasoning and about 1/2 tsp garlic powder) sugar and cheese. Stir sauce and leave to simmer for up to 3 hours. After an hour, taste and adjust seasoning. Can add salt and pepper if needed, and if desired, a bit of red pepper.
    You can also add some finely grated carrot or yellow squash puree to up the veggie quota without changing the taste of the sauce.

    I'm sorry I don't have the nutrition info on this...it makes a HUGE batch and I am not sure how many servings I can get out of it. Ususally my 2 kids and I can eat off of it for 2 meals, have some left over to toss with some low fat ricotta and penne, then top with low fat mozzarella and bake, then still some left to freeze! (Just some ideas for the leftovers :smile: )
    I either serve it with a whole wheat/grain pasta, Barilla makes a good one, or if you are watching your carbs, Dreamfield is really good. It has something like 5 digestible carbs per serving. I have seen a lot of suggestions on this site for spaghetti squash...haven't tried that yet.
    Sorry this is so long! I am going to shut up now and sit here craving spaghetti for the day. :happy:
  • laurabelle25
    laurabelle25 Posts: 184
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    i don't know about spagetti, but i just found this article, and there's some good recipes:

    http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/healthy-pasta-dishes-recipes?GT1=47001

    Enjoy!
    Laura
  • amycakes812
    amycakes812 Posts: 441
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    I am bumping this...I analyzed the recipe I gave above. I estimated it at 10, 1 cup servings of sauce. It has 143 calories and 4.6 g of fat per serving. The rest of the nutritional info is in the database under "AK's homemade spaghetti (meat sauce)" Hope this helps! This recipe takes awhile to make, one thing you can do is cook the ground turkey and veggies on the stove, then combine everything in a crockpot, give it a stir and let it cook on low for the day while you are out of the house. :smile:
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
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    I usually use 1/2 cup of pasta (or less, depending on my hungar) and then load it up with a mixture of LOTS of veggies and then tomato sauce (organic). Sometimes I'll add ground bison meat or some chicken sausage as well. If you fill your plate/bowl with the veggies (any maybe some lean meat) you really won't miss more pasta.
  • allaboutme
    allaboutme Posts: 391 Member
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    I use lots of veggies and canned clams in my sauce instead of hamburger, as well as multi grain pasta. Very lowfat and good for you, make sure you measure your pasta though.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    I use Ronzoni- Smart Taste - Rotini...MEASURE it. A cup of cooked pasta is a serving.

    Tomato sauce is good for you, make some yourself. Add mushrooms, onions, garlic, squash, zucchini, eggplant.

    If you use the bottled kind, look at the label for sodium and fat content, a good sauce will have low numbers on both.

    I use 7% fat lean ground beef, and if really in the mood and have extra calories that day (or have planned ahead) I eat 1/2 link Jenny O turkey italian sausage.

    Also, eat a big salad before you start on your pasta.

    I am a pastaholic, cant and WONT give it up! If you measure and take care, you can have your pasta and eat it too!

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