Substitutes for Pasta

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  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    pope705 wrote: »
    I second the vote for the spiralizer. I love zucchini noodles and sweet potato noodles. You can spiralized just about any veggie!
    I will admit I was never a big pasta fan to begin with, but I love spaghetti sauce, esp home made.
    www.inspiralized.com has good spiralizer recipes

    Thanks for posting that link. I just ordered a spiralizer and wanted ideas for how to use it. :D
    I have no problem eating regular pasta in terms of calories but dh started hating it after taking a medication. Dd loves pasta though. I've been making pasta as more of a side dish to chicken or fish. I'm hoping spiral cut veggies could be more fun and tasty for my whole family.
  • bhdon
    bhdon Posts: 117 Member
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    We also use the spiralizer to make the zucchini noodles, and love it. 'Explore Asian' also makes a black bean pasta that has 25 gm of protein and 12 gm of fiber per serving, which is also an alternative to regular pasta. It may be difficult to find in some grocery stores, unless there is a 'health food' section. You can order it online ( amazon) though, and some health food stores carry it.
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
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    IMO, there is not substitute for a given food. I learn to do with less or without. Mostly it works, sometimes I scarf down more than I should.
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,592 Member
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    zucchini pasta is realllly good
  • FatOldBat
    FatOldBat Posts: 3,307 Member
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    I quickly got used to the recommended serving of 56 grams dry weight, it now seems like quite a lot. I tried and hated the spiral cutter, lol.
  • RogerDeRok
    RogerDeRok Posts: 3 Member
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    I use spaghetti squash and prefer its taste over noodles anyway. For lasagna I substitute with eggplant. I also use eggplant slices as a pizza "crust" for mini pizzas.
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
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    Zucchini or half a cup of the real thing as a side.
  • WednesdayJanuary07th2015
    WednesdayJanuary07th2015 Posts: 163
    edited January 2015
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    I have an idea, how about not substituting at all; I'd just use an equal combination of a healthier than normal version of pasta & vegetable pasta! So that I'll technically be consuming the same amount of "pasta", as I prefer to; while reducing Calories, etc. & therefore don't entirely do without regular pasta's taste/texture!
  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
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    RogerDeRok wrote: »
    I use spaghetti squash and prefer its taste over noodles anyway. For lasagna I substitute with eggplant. I also use eggplant slices as a pizza "crust" for mini pizzas.

    I forgot about eggplant in lasagna! Thanks Roger. It has been years but I made a veggie lasagna once with alternating layer of eggplant, zucchini and squash. It was delicious.
  • DWBalboa
    DWBalboa Posts: 37,259 Member
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    It's already been said but it's so good it bears saying again, spaghetti squash.
  • jmauerhan
    jmauerhan Posts: 82 Member
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    I buy the veggie pasta from the store that already has veggies mixed into it, and is like a tri-color pasta. Thats my compromise. It tastes the same :)
  • Archon2
    Archon2 Posts: 462 Member
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    Really great idea in this thread! I like the idea that you keep the pasta, but lower the percentage of it, and up the veggies and other stuff. Gotta try one of those spiral cutters for zucchini and go for a 50/50 mix.
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
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    I LOVE mushrooms, so what I'll typically do is use a much smaller portion of pasta and then round out my bowl with some sliced portabellas sauteed in a bit of butter. In-season I'll throw in some zucchini, too (never "spiralized" it or whatever, just cut up and also sauteed with just a touch of olive oil and some salt and pepper, maybe some garlic, maybe some onions...whatever I have on hand that fits my day). Also, I use angel hair or thin spaghetti - it's totally a mental thing, but somehow having more noodles from a quantity perspective makes it a little more satisfying. Basically, by adding a bunch of veggies to the dish and mixing it into your pasta noodles, you can make that smaller portion go a much longer way.

    We tend to make pasta our "meatless Monday" dinner dish, but having a hearty meat sauce or meatballs or something to go with it might also help.
  • Keladelphia
    Keladelphia Posts: 820 Member
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    Urban_Princess wrote: »
    Mung Bean Fettuccine or black bean spaghetti which you can get on Amazon. It is a bit hard to find in stores. But only made out of those ingredients - so yes, it is 'clean'


    I order this Mung Bean Fettuccine all of the time; it tastes suprisingly like regular pasta and while its only slightly lower in calories is has 20 grams of protein a serving which helps me hit my protein macro and definitely fills me up way more than a serving of real pasta ever did.
  • Robbnva
    Robbnva Posts: 590 Member
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    yeah you should never cut out the foods you love to eat, or even like to eat. That is the sure fire way to fail. Make it fit, even if you have to eat less of it. Cooked pasta is about 1 cup like already mentioned (sometimes you can't weigh dry pasta especially if you are making it for others) Eat a salad or some other sort of green vegetables or even mix veggies in with the pasta/sauce. I have done very well with my weight loss and I still eat whatever I want. Also if you get in some exercise that gives you a little bit of room, even if it is just a 20 minute walk at a brisk pace, it helps.
  • DWBalboa
    DWBalboa Posts: 37,259 Member
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    Robbnva wrote: »
    yeah you should never cut out the foods you love to eat, or even like to eat. That is the sure fire way to fail. Make it fit, even if you have to eat less of it. Cooked pasta is about 1 cup like already mentioned (sometimes you can't weigh dry pasta especially if you are making it for others) Eat a salad or some other sort of green vegetables or even mix veggies in with the pasta/sauce. I have done very well with my weight loss and I still eat whatever I want. Also if you get in some exercise that gives you a little bit of room, even if it is just a 20 minute walk at a brisk pace, it helps.

    100% agreed! Make room for what you love.

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