Healthy Pasta Salad ~ any such thing?

dargytaylor
dargytaylor Posts: 840 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I recently made a batch of pasta salad, knowing the mayo would make it high in calories....BUT......Holy *kitten*, i had no idea that a serving was 500 calories until I put the ingredients into the recipe builder!! DAMN!! I LOVE this pasta salad! Any suggestions for lightening up? I even cut the pasta in half and upped the veggies, but still came in way over what i am looking for in calorie content :'(

Replies

  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    Stick with cutting the pasta and upping veggies, but try a tasty pesto (traditional basil, sun-dried tomato, pea-and-watercress, whatever) instead of mayo. Pesto is fairly calorie-dense, but you need much less of it to pack a flavor punch. You could also try entirely swapping the pasta for zucchini or carrot noodles.
  • MFPMol
    MFPMol Posts: 151 Member
    Try using low fat greek yogurt instead of mayo (or half mayo half yogurt) it gives it the same type of consistency with fewer calories plus extra protein.
  • dargytaylor
    dargytaylor Posts: 840 Member
    ahhhhhh...i love pesto!! good idea :) And my next kitchen gadget will surely be something to make noodles out of different veggies!
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    Can we link to our own recipes here? If so: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/54872007011885

    That's my personal favorite summer pasta salad. Sometimes I switch the tomato-bacon dressing for about 3Tbsp pesto, sometimes I make it as-is. I like to throw some grilled chicken or steak on top to make it super-satiating. 331 calories/serve.
  • aprilgrl27
    aprilgrl27 Posts: 176 Member
    I make my pasta salad with italian dressing....cheese, green and red peppers, black olives..tomatoes...its yummy!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Try not to confuse high calorie with unhealthy - two very different things.
  • sup3rb3ast
    sup3rb3ast Posts: 73 Member
    Cutting the pasta and upping the veggies is an awesome idea!

    -Replace mayo with plain yogurt
    -Try using a lower calorie dressing such as a vinaigrette or tzatziki
    -Whole wheat pasta has less calories than regular pasta

    All in all though, 500 calories is not terrible for a meal. Just have the salad as a meal for that amount and use a smaller amount if its going to be a side. If you really love it the way it is, just make room for it in your calorie goals.
  • dargytaylor
    dargytaylor Posts: 840 Member
    avskk wrote: »
    Can we link to our own recipes here? If so: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/54872007011885

    this brought me to my own recipe

  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    Swapping out yogurt for mayo is a great suggestion. Try out zucchini or carrot noodles in place of some or all of the pasta and see if you like it!

    Also whole wheat pasta is not always less calorie than regular pasta. "Healthier" does not equal "lower calorie"
  • sup3rb3ast
    sup3rb3ast Posts: 73 Member
    ASKyle wrote: »

    Also whole wheat pasta is not always less calorie than regular pasta. "Healthier" does not equal "lower calorie"

    Any brand I have ever bought has been about 50 or so less calories per serving. Which isn't much of a difference but if you eat a lot of pasta it can add up. I guess it depends on the brand, but generally I find whole wheat lower.

  • dargytaylor
    dargytaylor Posts: 840 Member
    great suggestions, thank you!!
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    edited April 2015
    dargytaylor wrote: »
    avskk wrote: »
    Can we link to our own recipes here? If so: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/54872007011885

    this brought me to my own recipe

    Thanks for letting me know! If anyone's interested, this is the recipe:

    8 oz (227 g - about 1/2 box), Farfalle Bowtie Pasta- Corrected
    6.00 Tbsp, Garden Tomato & Bacon Dressing
    2.00 medium, Squash - Zucchini, includes skin, raw
    225.00 g, Tomatoes - Red, ripe, raw, year round average
    200.00 g, Broccoli - Raw
    2.00 pepper, large (3-3/4" long, 3" dia), Peppers - Sweet, yellow, raw
    475.00 g, Chicken - Breast, meat only, raw

    Six servings, 331 calories each, 8g fat, 202mg sodium, 699mg potassium, 42g carbs (4g fiber), 26g protein. And of course, if you wanted it to be even lower in calories, you could swap the chicken for cucumbers and olives, cut the pasta and up the broccoli & tomatoes, etc.
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    don't use mayo. I make pasta salad with a fat free italian dressing - the dressing goes a long way so not too much is needed and it makes a ton of servings.
  • kmsoucy457
    kmsoucy457 Posts: 237 Member
    I find the yogurt swap a little off-putting due to tanginess, though it is the best option if you want to keep it creamy. A secondary option which i think is better in taste: cottage cheese. If the lumps bother you, just run through a blender until smooth. The consistency will not be as dead-on as the yogurt, but flavor will be a lot closer.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Summer Macaroni Salad - 115 calories/serving
    Summer-Pasta-Salad-with-Tomatoes-and-Zucchini.jpg
  • dargytaylor
    dargytaylor Posts: 840 Member
    kmsoucy457 wrote: »
    I find the yogurt swap a little off-putting due to tanginess, though it is the best option if you want to keep it creamy. A secondary option which i think is better in taste: cottage cheese. If the lumps bother you, just run through a blender until smooth. The consistency will not be as dead-on as the yogurt, but flavor will be a lot closer.

    very interesting!! i will have to try this

  • dargytaylor
    dargytaylor Posts: 840 Member

    Queenmunchy wrote: »
    Summer Macaroni Salad - 115 calories/serving
    quote]

    This looks delicious!
  • AngryViking1970
    AngryViking1970 Posts: 2,847 Member
    Damn, this thread is reminding me of how much I love pasta salad!
  • Jessikin13
    Jessikin13 Posts: 52 Member
    Skinnytaste.com has a bunch
  • jamie_reynolds
    jamie_reynolds Posts: 67 Member
    a little italian dressing and lots of red wine vinegar does the trick for me.

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