Healthy Spaghetti?

bama1momma
bama1momma Posts: 21 Member
in Recipes
My picky eater husband has requested spaghetti for dinner tonight. I know I can buy whole wheat noodles, but any other tips on making this meal healthy?
Thanks!!
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Replies

  • monisiaczeq
    monisiaczeq Posts: 131 Member
    extra lean mince, drain the fat as well! load up on veggies, cut back on the cheese!! you can even make the tomato sauce yourself!!
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  • weinbagel
    weinbagel Posts: 337 Member
    Spaghetti squash!
  • sherrirb
    sherrirb Posts: 1,649 Member
    Spaghetti Squash! YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

    Next to no calories (compared to spaghetti noodles) and its all about the sauce you put on it anyways!

    Try it, you'll LOVE it!
  • Whyareyoumad
    Whyareyoumad Posts: 268 Member
    Ground turkey is pretty good with it.
  • christinemadden0223
    christinemadden0223 Posts: 175 Member
    I agree with the spaghetti squash, but I bet your husband won't- Make the squash for you and noodles for him- share the sauce with lean lean beef in it and plenty of veggies and spices =) another thing I do with spaghetti squash and regular noodles alike to get protein but cut fat and add a creamy, cheesy element is to do your squash or pasta with tomato sauce (NO MEAT) and add a quarter cup of low fat cottage cheese to the top =) low fat ricotta works too!
  • Eidetica
    Eidetica Posts: 8
    I like to make individual baked spaghetti dishes. I use small glass dishes (about 1.5 cup size) and put cooked angel hair and some homemade sauce in them (you could also use some reasonable store-bought sauce of course). I top it with some thin sliced cheese (my favorite is muenster) and bake it for about 30 minutes. This way, I get to have the melty caramelized cheese and the normal spaghetti without the huge portions. I usually serve it with fruit. If you want meat in your sauce, I definitely recommend ground turkey.
  • gmthisfeller
    gmthisfeller Posts: 779 Member
    Look for a sauce low in sugar, or no sugar, or corn sweeteners, etc., at all. You can make your own sauce, too, but that might be hard without some pre-planning. Go veggie heavy, and use a lean meat, or Quorn Crumbles (they can be expensive), or no meat at all!
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Zucchini noodles! (Spiralised zucchini)

    I'm not sure how you make bolognese unhealthy. Mine is just meat (that I grind myself), vegies, herbs and spices...I either use no fat to cook, or a little coconut oil or ghee.
  • wozkaa
    wozkaa Posts: 224 Member
    I use extra lean minced beef, grated zucchini & carrot, and sometimes brown lentils (canned) if I want to stretch it out a bit to have more sauce. I also find that jars of sauce are very sugary and not to my taste so I usually use canned tomatoes, onion, a little tomato paste, a splash of balsamic vinegar, garlic, herbs, sometimes chilli. The longer I cook it, the better for my tastes.
    Parmesan, finely grated, is a tasty addition that you don't need much of for a great flavour.

    My husband tends to get a bit distressed if I do to much 'replacement' - eg cauliflower instead of potato. He needs more carbs than me so I just have less.
  • ScientificExplorerGirl
    ScientificExplorerGirl Posts: 535 Member
    Zucchini noodles! (Spiralised zucchini)
    [endquote]

    Agreed. I just had some for dinner for the first time with meatballs. They were fantastic!!
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  • errorist
    errorist Posts: 142 Member
    I don't understand why anyone would feel the need to use a bought in bolognaise sauce. Tinned tomatoes, onion, red wine, garlic, bell peppers... it's just a bit of cutting and stirring.
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
    Is there unhealthy Spaghetti?
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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,004 Member
    I prefer homemade pesto to bolognese on my spaghetti.

    http://www.food.com/recipe/pesto-marcella-hazan-448339
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,706 Member
    I absolutely disagree on the spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is a great vegetable and I like it prepared all kinds of different ways. But it is not a substitute for spaghetti. The flavor, density and texture are different and when I feel like spaghetti or pasta, only real pasta will do. The problem is that people think that pasta only exists to have a place to put sauce on ( the amount. just like salad dressing is often exaggerated in the US ). Good quality Pasta however ( for weight loss reasons it does not matter if it is normal or whole wheat ) is a dish by itself enhanced by sauce, which is not the same as thinking " only the sauce matters ".Go ahead and try spaghetti squash, it is delicious, but not the same as an appropriate amount of cooked " al dente " pasta with the sauce of your choice ( tomato based with lots of veggies is healthier that cream and cheese based sauce, but that again has nothing to do with weight loss ).
  • Candi_land
    Candi_land Posts: 1,311 Member
    Barilla plus multi-grain spaghetti noodles 1 cup

    Tomato Basil light ragu tomato sauce 1/2 cup (I highly suggest making your sauce from scratch but this is not too terrible for a sub if time is an issue)

    Boneless skinless chicken breast 4oz seasoned with a touch of salt, oregano, basil, and fresh garlic

    One Tbsp of shaved Parmesan cheese for topping

    Serve with a tossed salad add a tbsp of reduced fat red wine vinaigrette or a cap full of plain red wine vinegar.

    The entire meal is about 445 calories, quick, easy and not macro killing.

    Or you can use 93/7 lean ground beef if you're making your meat-sauce from scratch..and don't pass on the cheese, because that's just wrong!
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    Is there unhealthy Spaghetti?

    this.

    noodles, sauce, meat.

    unless youre sprinkling meth on it, it's pretty healthy by default.
  • verdemujer
    verdemujer Posts: 1,397 Member
    I'm not crazy about spaghetti squash but I do like a winter squash of any type cut up and cooked in sauce.

    My recipe: a can of dice tomatoes, a can of tomato puree, a can of tomato paste, about a can and half of water, meat of choice (we use turkey but also beef or no meat at all), basil, oregano to taste, a tablespoon of molasses (I need the iron), a tsp of unsweet chocolate powder, a dash of salt - sometimes I use onion and garlic, sometimes I don't. If I am using meat, I will cook the onion and garlic with that before I start adding all the sause ingredients. To this basic sauce I have been known to add chunks of sweet potatos, or chunks of winter squash, or if I'm in a hurry, a small bag of mixed veggies. I've also added grated zuchinni during the summer. The family is not happy with this last one, much like the spaghetti squash. We then eat it with noodles of choice or no noodles at all.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Spaghetti isn't unhealthy (even with regular Semolina pasta)!
  • LesaDave
    LesaDave Posts: 1,480 Member
    Spaghetti squash!

    THIS!!
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I like spaghetti squash, but don't expect it to replace the experience of eating real spaghetti. It is nothing like spaghetti except for the fact that it is in the same stringy form. It is good, but it is definitely squash in taste and texture.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    Is there unhealthy Spaghetti?

    this.

    noodles, sauce, meat.

    unless youre sprinkling meth on it, it's pretty healthy by default.

    Oh crap. So the way I make it isn't healthy?
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    i like to sautee eggplant mushrooms onion and garlic. a can of crushed tomatoes with the juice, puree it up and add a little tomato paste to thicken if needed. mix the veggies to make a chunky sauce. or you can toss with olive oil and garlic and add oven roasted broccoli to it a sauteed spinach with parmesan
  • piersonj
    piersonj Posts: 62 Member
    If you are like me, I always manage to make the correct amount of pasta but have another meals worth of sauce at the end of dinner. The left over sauce on steamed broccoli is a great lunch.

    I recently found that making meatballs to go with the spaghetti is a great way to add meat without going overboard. Also a great way to "hide" veggies in dinner. Onion is an obvious one, but carrot will sweeten up the meatball. You don't need to you the yolk of the egg to get the binder effect, so that saves on calories and fat. I don't normally like ground chicken or turkey, but as a meatball they are good.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    For the sake of all that is holy in this world ditch the whole wheat spaghetti noodles. They're crap. Some things taste great with whole wheat, spaghetti noodles not so much.

    Then add some ground beef and sauce to real noodles. Good to go.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    For the sake of all that is holy in this world ditch the whole wheat spaghetti noodles. They're crap. Some things taste great with whole wheat, spaghetti noodles not so much.

    Then add some ground beef and sauce to real noodles. Good to go.

    I like Ronzoni Smart Taste noodles. Extra fiber and protien, but way better than whole wheat.

    And I actually prefer ground turkey to ground beef for Italian dishes. The flavor of the beef is over powering.
  • turtleball
    turtleball Posts: 217 Member
    Well I found these noodles that are 0 calories-
    http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Noodle-Pasta-Angel-Ounce/dp/B00BP36RTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387725278&sr=8-1&keywords=miracle+noodles


    didnt taste them yet, but want to try.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    For the sake of all that is holy in this world ditch the whole wheat spaghetti noodles. They're crap. Some things taste great with whole wheat, spaghetti noodles not so much.

    Then add some ground beef and sauce to real noodles. Good to go.

    i like the whole wheat noodles!! i buy them freshly made though. and with enough homemade sauce, you can't taste the difference.

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