For the love of Pasta..

JennMarieFitz
JennMarieFitz Posts: 73 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I have this problem. I live in Italy. I LOVE pasta. I make most of my family's food at home to cut down on unwanted calories and all the extra things put into food in restaurants. (Granted, eating out in Italy doesn't weigh you down the way eating out in the States does).

Does anyone have any low-calorie alternatives to pasta? Or maybe a kind of pasta I could cook that is lower in calories?

Replies

  • mcdignan
    mcdignan Posts: 9
    Spaghetti Squash
  • VelvetKey
    VelvetKey Posts: 193 Member
    I've recently tried and really liked spaghetti squash. I now prefer it instead of pasta and I've only made it twice, but at less than 50 calories for a cup, it's unbelievably good and worth the effort.

    There's also a type of pasta out there that's very high in protein (and maybe gluten-free?) that's still higher in calories, but not as bad as regular pasta. If you have a Whole Foods or World Market near you, check there.
  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
    You might want to look into shirataki noodles.
    I'd personally just buy one container to see if I liked them though.
  • tlynnweb
    tlynnweb Posts: 201 Member
    Well, it's now lower in calories I'm sure but it's got to be better for you
    Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta. My hubby is Italian and I normally cannot trick him with pastas but this one did! It's gluten free, cholesterol free and very low in sodium. PLUS there are 4 grams of protein in each serving. It really tastes close to regular pasta. I bought it at Harris Teeter but I'm sure you can google it and find it in a store near you. At least it's not white and processed!
  • swisspea
    swisspea Posts: 327 Member
    Hi! I'm your country neighbour. I live in Switzerland- and Spaghetti squash is impossible to find when not in season, and tofu shiritaki noodles are only available by very expensive mail-order. To get my pasta fix, I usually eat it over a big base of spinach! It fills me right up, and I eat whole-wheat pasta. Other than that, I rarely eat pasta on it's own, it's now relegated to small side-dish in my house. Enjoy La Dolce Vida :)
  • EmRobo
    EmRobo Posts: 146 Member
    we have rice pasta in the uk
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    I make noodles out of zucchini and summer squash. I actually used the summer squash last night for a Chicken Primavera dish.

    By chance do you have any asian food stores in your area? They might have something available. I found a vietnamese brand of noodle that is extremely low carb and low calorie - and definitely makes my Pho feel like the original...

    EDIT: Forgot to mention. I cut eggplant into 'lasagna' type noodles when I want to make a layered lasagna or involtini.... I just purchased a king sized eggplant last night for making a total pasta-free lasagna.. it works GREAT!
  • Dauntlessness
    Dauntlessness Posts: 1,489 Member
    Spaghetti Squash


    This^^^
    I like it much better on white sauce/seafood dishes though. The flavors match well. Its great on a red sauce dishes too but it makes it a little sweeter.

    One of my favorite lunches is Shrimp Alfredo
    6 oz of raw shrimp around 150 calories
    1/3 cup light Alfredo sauce 80 calories
    1-1.5 cups of spaghetti squash 63 calories
    Salt/pepper
    293 calories for a big bowl of food. :)
  • Dauntlessness
    Dauntlessness Posts: 1,489 Member
    Oh! I cant believe I forgot this recipe!

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/zucchini-ribbon-pasta-recipe/index.html
  • tigerdactyl
    tigerdactyl Posts: 112 Member
    The gang threw our my three suggestions: spaghetti squash, shirataki noodles and zucchini ribbons.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,339 Member
    Nothing replaces pasta.......sure you can sub with a veg, but it's not pasta. Just have what you love, eat less of it.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Nothing replaces pasta.......sure you can sub with a veg, but it's not pasta. Just have what you love, eat less of it.

    Not for cases where people cant digest them.... sorry, your statement doesnt always apply.
  • lsang
    lsang Posts: 22
    My husband is italian... so I understand! I started using whole grain pasta for myself and would continue to make him regular pasta. One night we were running late, so he told me to just cook my (whole grain) pasta instead of taking the time to make two different batches. He liked it and told me that was fine with him. Now I cook whole grain pasta for the whole family. So far I have been able to find whole grain spaghetti, ziti and rotini.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I still eat pasta - A LOT - but I add a ton of vegetables so my portion of pasta isn't a calorie budget buster.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,339 Member
    Nothing replaces pasta.......sure you can sub with a veg, but it's not pasta. Just have what you love, eat less of it.

    Not for cases where people cant digest them.... sorry, your statement doesnt always apply.
    Of course, but that wasn't what the OP was referring to. They love pasta, k.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    I still eat pasta - A LOT - but I add a ton of vegetables so my portion of pasta isn't a calorie budget buster.

    Me too! Also I've found a spoon or two of cottage cheese mixed into hot pasta makes it creamy and yummy with good protein, Add lots of diced tomatoes, spinach, or sauteed mushrooms, onions, asparagus, olives, zucchini, eggplant, capers... just about any veggie, load it up, and you can eat pasta and get a variety of veggies without the guilt ^_^
  • Dtho5159
    Dtho5159 Posts: 1,054 Member
    I :heart: pasta
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    Does anyone have any low-calorie alternatives to pasta?
    Less pasta.
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
    bump
  • bugbeenz
    bugbeenz Posts: 31
    Ciao!!

    I'm also in Italy... To be honest, I still eat pasta and have no plans to cut it out at all. Have just lowered my portion size. I have 60grams if I don't want any bread with my meal, or 100grams roughly if I don't have any bread.

    If I'm using small pasta for Minestrina (corallini pasta for example cooked in homemade beef/vege broth) I measure out around 25grms.

    Now I know how much a portion size is for me, I can see i was eating 2.5-3times that before so it's little wonder I put on so much weight! Just lower your portion size, no need to cut it out altogether.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Does anyone have any low-calorie alternatives to pasta?
    Less pasta.
    That's exactly what I was going to say. Not "no pasta", though. I eat plenty of it, but try to make it less of the focus of the dish. Honestly if you want pasta there isn't a good substitute.
  • MichaelFunaro
    MichaelFunaro Posts: 66 Member
    Being Italian that has been my biggest problem, cutting down the pasta. But I do allow myself one day a week for pasta. First I bought online Quinoa Pasta, I think it tastes just like regular pasta but it's made from Quinoa, which is much healthier for you.

    Second, since a serving of Quinoa pasta is 200 calories, I usually use 2 servings and while they are cooking I take a bag of Green Giant Broccoli and mix into it four tablespoons of fat free cream cheese. That will make a nice cheese sauce and when you add the pasta to the Broccoli and mix it all together you get a very nice service size for about 500 calories. You can even drop the pasta to one serving and then you only have 300 calories.

    This gives me my pasta fix each week while making me feeling like I'm cheating. And it's very filling!!!!
  • JennMarieFitz
    JennMarieFitz Posts: 73 Member
    Thanks, everyone! I'm going to be only having it once a week, since there's not really any way to substitute it that's available to me. The pasta I've been using it 210 calories a serving - 1 cup's worth of noodles. I only eat one and I always add in tons of veggies, but if you add in the chicken on top of that and whatever sauce I use, It's a 500 cal meal!! I try to keep my meals around 300 - 350 =)
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