Noodles

clobern
clobern Posts: 341 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone know of any good noodles just for basic stuff such as lasagna, spaghetti, macaroni bake, etc.? I am not huge on the noodles myself, but my family loves to eat these sort of things occasionally and they have an immense amount of calories and carbs in such small servings.

Thanks!

Replies

  • JessieMay1995
    JessieMay1995 Posts: 11 Member
    I'm pretty sure that weightwatchers do their own brand of noodles :) xx
  • clobern
    clobern Posts: 341 Member
    Jessie to the rescue! Thanks, I'll look into that. Anyone know if those spinach noodles or vegetable noodles or whatever the hell they are are really any better? Maybe I need to spend time at Walmart comparing.

    But then some guy in another thread will say I'm aiding and abetting the fat people :(
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    Personally I would always rather have a smaller portion of the real thing.

    In an effort to save calories for regular spaghetti I now only make half the amount I used to (sometimes a bit less). I than add in spaghetti squash and thinly sliced zucchini and green peppers. You still get the pasta but you can eat more for the same (or less) calories.

    For lasagna, alternate layers. So, one layer with pasta, one layer with something like zucchini or eggplant.

    For macaroni, I sub half the pasta with cauliflower or add a bunch of veggies to bulk it up without the extra calories.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    There's nothing wrong with pasta...if you stick with a normal 2 oz portion, it's only about 200 calories. As far as the carbs go - well carbs are necessary for energy and aren't as "evil" as many dieters will have you think. However, I will say, as with any other grain based product (cereal, bread), it is far healthier to find the most nutrient dense/whole grain version you can. I've compared a lot of labels and tend to go with either whole wheat pastas or the Ronzini Smart Taste pastas. I would definitely encourage you do do your own label checking to find whichever suits your needs best.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Compare the nutritional labels. Some (I think Ronzoni Smart Taste?) have more protein and fiber than others.

    I usually just buy store brand or what's on sale, and stick to a normal serving size, and add a ton of frozen vegetables. I'm eating a large volume of food (takes up a lot of space on my plate) while getting more nutrition and less calories by having it be half vegetables. And honestly, while I'm not found of cauliflower, a piece of cauliflower covered in vodka sauce tastes just as good as a penne noodle in vodka sauce.
  • amyniceneasy
    amyniceneasy Posts: 143 Member
    I use either barilla plus or ronzoni smart taste brands. I don't care much for the taste of whole wheat pasta but I love the taste of those two brands.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I like Barilla Plus. It has chickpeas and lentils added for extra fiber and protein, but tastes just like regular pasta and cooks up white (no gray tint like whole wheat).
  • Brandilynnrose
    Brandilynnrose Posts: 121
    If you want to cut the calories WAY back in lasagna you can use zucchini or eggplant (or both) in place of the noodles. It's delicious! Just slice the zucchini or eggplant super thin, lay out on paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt- this helps "sweat" out the water so the lasagna is more firm since there is so much water in these veggies- after about a half an hour blot the zucchini or eggplant (which also helps wipe off off some of the salt to reduce the sodium). Then just use it like you would noodles when layering your lasagna. Yummy and low cal, especially if you use reduced fat and fat free cheese!

Categories