Pasta, how I loathe thee...

What a timely post - I had pasta last night for the 1st time since starting to use MFP. I also weighed the pasta after cooking and was sad to see the amount that was 2 oz. I'll weigh pre-cooking next time. 2oz cooked was so sad I upped it to 4 oz cooked (counted the calories, but perhaps I put too many since the measure should have been dry) and was satisfied - although it tasted so good I'd have loved to have more, but I resisted. I put a chicken breast and some sauce with it. Would have had a side salad, but my calories for the day wouldn't allow for more.

Sorry, but that last sentence is just nuts to me. A cup or so of homemade salad with a half tablespoon of dressing is about 50-60 calories. If you're still hungry have a salad. Even use "light" dressing if you have to. Moderation is key, not over restriction.

OP: I usually eat 1.5 servings of pasta and just bulk up my sauce with lots of meat and veg. That's my dinner tonight, actually.

One way to make pasta go further is to toss it with vegetables. While the pasta is boiling, saute veggies like mushrooms, bell pepper (I like red but green or any other color is fine), etc., and add them to bulk up the pasta. Another trick is to throw some green beans or other frozen veg in with the pasta part way through the boiling so the pasta and veggie mix is ready at the same time.

Lately, I've been experimenting with making fresh pasta that replaces some of the flour with beans. My most recent batch of orrecchietti made with chick peas, spinach, egg, and whole wheat flour worked out pretty well and has about 3/4 the calories and carbs of regular spinach pasta. And, no, it doesn't taste very much of beans.

rice and pasta are in the same boat… about the same amount of calories per 2 ounces uncooked. I just use that small amount or just don't eat it. sad i know.

Weigh it dry. The increase in weight for pasta/rice is just water, which doesn't affect calories, so weighing before is the accurate way. I think a standard portion of pasta is about 70-100g (dry); since learning about portion control, I discovered I was eating over double the amount of pasta I ought to have been!

Actually I read that 2oz of dry pasta = about 5 oz cooked. This thread may help:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/216638-uncooked-pasta-to-cooked-pasta

embrace the pasta OP. I'll take death before i give up pasta. pic related:


last months 900+ calories of glory so good i didnt even use a plate. And I STILL met my macros

I can't do the spaghetti squash but love to make zuchini noodles with a julienne peeler. Comes out about the same as spaghetti noodles. Then I have one serving of the pasta and as much zuchini noodles as I want mixed with it. Can't hardly tell the difference between the squash and the pasta. I even use zuchini to make lasagna and its better than real lasagna with noodles!

Weight it dry!

Also, this is awesome: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fettuccine-alfredo-00420000014471/

Have you ever tried spaghetti squash? Much healthier and you really can't tell the difference, its a nice sub for pasta fans

No.

Pasta is this awesome, delicious food that brings happiness into my heart. Squash is a gross vegetable that needs to be extinct. :sick:

I have made zoodles and pasta out of vegetables, I've made cauliflower crust and zucchini crust pizza. I have eaten miracle noodles as well. The problem with those items is the eater always goes into it expecting it to be exactly like the real thing. It's not... sure, it's a healthy alternative but for me personally if I want pasta or pizza and I try to substitute it just leaves me feeling even less satisfied than before.

Dry. It says it.

Have you tried courgetti spaghetti? (aka. zucchini noodles but doesn't sound as cool)

- Thin strips of courgette/zucchini in place of the spaghetti. Hugely lower in calories but same effect. I've had this a few times and it works really well. Use whatever sauce/veggies etc. you want with it. Some have it raw, but I prefer to sauté it with my other veggies/sauce. You can get fancy equipment or just use a peeler or a box grater like this:



Original post: http://www.topwithcinnamon.com/2013/06/lazy-girls-zucchini-spaghetti-no-fancy-tools-required-with-peas-creme-fraiche-and-pesto.html

Or just have a smaller amount of pasta (weigh it dry) and bulk it up with veggies - my thinking has now changed to think of it as veggies with some pasta, instead of pasta with some veggies.

One way to make pasta go further is to toss it with vegetables. While the pasta is boiling, saute veggies like mushrooms, bell pepper (I like red but green or any other color is fine), etc., and add them to bulk up the pasta.

I don't think of it as adding vegetables to the pasta, but always make sauces that include vegetables. Personally, I've always considered the pasta as more of an excuse for the tasty sauce (and made my own sauce) anyway, so I never see the problem with fitting pasta into my plan.

Super fast meal is just to sauté a variety of vegetables in olive oil, add some meat (I like smoked salmon, and shrimp is also an easy choice) and other extras (olives or pine nuts are common ones I might use) and top the pasta with it. Add a sprinkling of the cheese of your choice, if you like.

I also like a slower cooked plain tomato or meat sauce, and definitely add greens to the plain tomato one and lots of vegetables (zucchini, cauliflower, spinach, whatever is around, plus the more standard carrots, onions, peppers cut finely) to the meat sauce. One benefit is the sauce makes about twice as much and really doesn't have that many calories. Sure, sometimes I add the same sauces to winter squash -- I tend to use butternut or acorn -- but I see no reason why pasta would not be a good option as long as one sticks to a reasonable amount of it, of course.

I'm carb counting, working with a nutritionist, on doctor's orders to avoid becoming diabetic. There aren't any foods I can't eat per se, but working with a daily guideline of 45 carbs for each of my 3 meals a day and two 15 carb snacks per day. One cup of cooked spaghetti is my entire carb allowance for a meal so I have only had spaghetti twice in the last almost 3 months. Spaghetti squash is a good substitute.

I go for the 50/50 mix of spaghetti & spaghetti squash. Gives it better texture & taste than plain squash and i can have a big 'ole plate of it...