Pasta replacements
inherentst0rm
Posts: 84 Member
Any good recommendations for pasta noodle replacements?
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Replies
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Zoodles, shiratki, kohlrabi5
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Once I tried to replace pasta...didn't work. I came to the conclusion NOTHING replaces pasta!
I have eaten spiralized zucchini(zoodles) before instead. They taste okay but they are not pasta!
It's kind of like using shredded cauliflower for rice...cauliflower is NOT rice.
I probably have rice or pasta almost every day...I just decrease my serving size if needed. If for some reason I can't fit in rice or pasta I just do without.13 -
I wanted pasta so bad the other day do I just spent a bit more time doing cardio to earn it. Worked okay but I thought replacing then sometimes would be good too2
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i really like spaghetti squash. of course, it's not pasta but it's good with sauce and turkey meatballs.
if i weren't diabetic i would probably continue eating pasta, as long as i stayed under my calorie goal.2 -
I love cauliflower rice as a replacement for rice but just can’t find a replacement for pasta!!!! First world problem I know but very sad!!!0
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inherentst0rm wrote: »I wanted pasta so bad the other day do I just spent a bit more time doing cardio to earn it. Worked okay but I thought replacing then sometimes would be good too
I don’t understand. pasta is like 200 calories. Half cup sauce maybe 70 cals tops. Your having trouble fitting that in?13 -
Moderate you portion size, or have low calorie breakfast and lunch to save enough for dinner.
I have come to love spaghetti squash, with a great home made sauce and some parmigiana cheese it is yummy.
Remember the key is calorie deficit not the foods. A guy on instagram ate only fast food for a week to show if you stay in a calorie deficit you will lose weight.2 -
Most of my pasta dishes fall in the 400 calories per serving. I fill them with lean meat and lots of vegetables. So the serving is quite large. I don't know what your calorie allowance is but you might could fit in 1 1/2 servings. I made Cajun Chicken and pasta a few days ago and it was 385 calories. I served it with vegetables on the side for a total of about 500 calories.
I will say though you have to practice portion control with pasta and rice. For me it works in part because I only eat two meals and a couple of snacks a day.3 -
inherentst0rm wrote: »I wanted pasta so bad the other day do I just spent a bit more time doing cardio to earn it. Worked okay but I thought replacing then sometimes would be good too
I don’t understand. pasta is like 200 calories. Half cup sauce maybe 70 cals tops. Your having trouble fitting that in?
I should say I wanted to binge....3 -
It kind of depends why you like pasta.
For some people, pasta/noodles are all about the sauce, the pasta is just the vehicle. In that case I'd bet spaghetti squash, zoodles, shiritaki, etc would be worth a try.
For others (like me
), the pasta itself is what you enjoy, especially the texture and "chew". In that case, low cal substitutes will probably not hit the spot. I do find that some tweaked pasta noodles, like those made from beans or higher protein/fiber noodles can help because they are a bit more filling. I like to get Barilla Plus pasta as it is higher protein, and I've tried a red lentil pasta and a black bean pasta that were pretty good too.
But for the most part, I try to thin the pasta out with veggies. So a serving of pasta combined with a serving of frozen veggies all tossed in marinara and parm cheese. And then some days I save up a few extra calories and go for some tortellini
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I would add that if you wanted to binge, are you restricting your diet too much? There is nothing wrong with fitting your fave foods in reasonable portions into your calorie goal, and usually no reason to lose weight aggressively fast. Figuring out why you want to binge would probably help more than a low cal substitute to binge on.7 -
I've found that in general, the best "replacements" for food you like are usually just eating that good but in a more manageable portion. I totally incorporate pasta and rice into my weight loss diet, I'm just mindful of how much I'm eating.5
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Pasta is not really all that calorie dense. Some people here have said that 300 calories of spaghetti is not a plateful. It is. Cook 500 calories of thin spaghetti (5oz. dry) and eat the first half of it. Wait a half hour and see if you still need to binge the other half. Skip the meatballs and olive oil.0
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the problem is a pasta serving size isn't anything we are used to. too small. i'm not a huge pasta fan so i can get away with zoodles once in a while. also not a huge red sauce fan.2
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@inherentst0rm, you like pasta and so do I. Eat and enjoy or as they say in Italy, mangia mangia!
I eat mine at least once a week and my serving is half a package (8 oz. uncooked) which is 800-900 calories. Lately, I eat mine plain and it fills me up good. Might weigh a lb. or two higher the next morning but it’s merely an outlier that goes away.
I’ve lost 35 lbs. eating lots of pasta and other high carb foods plus I sit for a living. Eat your pasta and eat some for me.3 -
There's nothing that tastes like pasta other than pasta.
If you want something noodle shaped to act as a vehicle for sauce, you can use shirataki, spaghetti squash, or spiralized vegetables. None of those taste like pasta, though.
There are also various high protein pastas that may help you feel fuller/meet your macros more easily than traditional pasta. They taste different from traditional pasta.
I would recommend just weighing out your portion of pasta, and "stretching" it by adding veggies, low calorie protein, and/or low calorie sauces.1 -
Another vote for stretching real pasta by adding veggies. And chewing slowly.3
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Keep your usual amount of sauce and halve the pasta. If it's too saucy, have some brocolli or spinach leaves on the side to mop it up, or treat it like soup and use a spoon!2
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I like a big plate of spaghetti, so I do half zoodles and half pasta. 120 grams of cooked spaghetti is 423 calories and it looks tiny by itself, but with the zoodles added, it really bulks up my portion. I just ate this for dinner, with mushrooms, marinara and cheese and it is so yummy and filling.2
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Chickpea, lentil and pea pastas taste more like pastas than most of the other "substitutes" folks have mentioned, and have materially more protein, so it can be easier to fit them in, depending on nutritional needs.
I find them to have a little flatter taste than wheat pasta, but a similar texture. With a flavorful sauce, the flatter taste is fine with me. YMMV.
There are also soy and black bean pastas that are much higher in protein (usually well over 20g for a 2oz (dry weight) serving). These have a less wheat-pasta-like texture, usually more chewy. I personally don't care for them in tomato or cheese sauces, but enjoy them as the noodle component in a pseudo-Asian prep (peanut sauce, chili sauce, stir fry, that sort of thing).3 -
I like a big plate of spaghetti, so I do half zoodles and half pasta. 120 grams of cooked spaghetti is 423 calories and it looks tiny by itself, but with the zoodles added, it really bulks up my portion. I just ate this for dinner, with mushrooms, marinara and cheese and it is so yummy and filling.
Well, your first problem is that you have your calories all wrong. 4 oz of dry spaghetti is 400 calories. Cooked it is probably twice that weight. 140g of cooked spaghetti has 221 calories, not 423.5 -
I have tried pasta substitutes mentioned above and still eat them occasionally but they are not that satisying.
I usually make 2-3 oz of Barilla protein plus or lentil pasta with spicy red sauce and a bunch of veggies. Portobello mushrooms are low in calories and very satisfying.1 -
Spaghetti squash is good.
Mostly I realized that why I love pasta is the toppings, so I stick to a serving size or less (sometimes half) and have lots of toppings (sauce or what not).1 -
inherentst0rm wrote: »I wanted pasta so bad the other day do I just spent a bit more time doing cardio to earn it. Worked okay but I thought replacing then sometimes would be good too
I don’t understand. pasta is like 200 calories. Half cup sauce maybe 70 cals tops. Your having trouble fitting that in?
Eh... who eats 1 cup/serving of pasta!! Lol.
Not me:)3 -
^^ 280 calories for 4 oz serving dry weight. Nobody but a person on a binge would need more than 4oz dry.2
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Shirataki noodles all the way! You can find them in the produce section in the little refrigerator area. Nasoya is the brand I buy - they have fettuccine and spaghetti types. I followed some online advice to first drain them in a colander and then rinse with vinegar, then water. Then pan fry them til they 'squeak'. This gets rid of any weird smell that turns some people off. The texture is perfect, the taste was just like regular pasta. This is coming from a girl who used to eat a whole box of pasta on the reg.
Best part - 4g carbs for exactly HALF the bag. So you technically could eat the whole bag yourself!2 -
The OP wants pasta, not fake pasta. As I told him, eat it or "mangia, mangia" and just work with remaining calories budget to get his goals accomplished.1
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Chickpea, lentil and pea pastas taste more like pastas than most of the other "substitutes" folks have mentioned, and have materially more protein, so it can be easier to fit them in, depending on nutritional needs.
I find them to have a little flatter taste than wheat pasta, but a similar texture. With a flavorful sauce, the flatter taste is fine with me. YMMV.
There are also soy and black bean pastas that are much higher in protein (usually well over 20g for a 2oz (dry weight) serving). These have a less wheat-pasta-like texture, usually more chewy. I personally don't care for them in tomato or cheese sauces, but enjoy them as the noodle component in a pseudo-Asian prep (peanut sauce, chili sauce, stir fry, that sort of thing).
^This, except the flatter taste of those other pastas isn't an issue for me (comparatively) since wheat pasta isn't an option thanks to celiac disease. The Banza brand of chickpea pasta has added pea protein so has a higher amount of protein than other chickpea pastas.
I've come to prefer roasted cherry tomatoes as a "sauce", finding them far more flavorful, and often add in other roasted veggies as well. Toss those veggies, some pasta water, and a few grams of romano or parmesan cheese, and I find it makes a very satisfying meal.3 -
Whole wheat pasta. Has tons of fiber and you get full with less. Plus overall healthier.0
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It is disheartening to see the basic premise of calorie counting so easily dismissed. What I mean is that the therapeutic benefit of calorie counting is self-training, not losing weight. Anyone can lose weight. but, anyone can gain it all back plus some more. What lasts is making proper portion size decisions at the time of food preparation.
To me, that is what eating fake pasta is all about. Not eating less, just eating less calories. Old habits, new calorie totals.1 -
Italian here! I have been loving the Explore Cuisine Edamane and Mung Bean fettuccini or Black Bean pasta. Yes, the texture is different than regular pasta, but for me it is working. And is it high in protein, which is a big plus.0
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