You guys, I found pasta that's GASP....HEALTHY!

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  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    ooh, morphing into a photos thread s0221.gif

    am cooking spaghetti bolognaise for tea tomorrow - will post photo too. :)
    This thread has inspired me to put baked ziti on the menu this week :smiley:
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member

    Experimenting and tossing things together is very freeing and educational: What's the worst that can happen, after all? :)


    Oh, trust me, my family has several "hilarious" stories about just how badly things can go. I'm good with soup, but everything else needs a recipe. And sometimes even that doesn't help. One of the stories that gets trotted out on holidays is the lasagna that even the dog didn't want.

    Yup, that's about the worst that can happen. Presumably, you learned something, and no one died (not even the dog). ;) All part of the fun . . .

    I could tell you about back in my early days of vegetarian cooking, decades back, when a common kitchen output was something we called "unidentified patties with brown sauce". :lol: I learned a lot. ;)
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    I really like lacinato kale, aka “the flat kind.” Especially baked into kale chips.

    @Momepro Has your mom tried mung bean pasta? Nutritional profile is similar, no soy.

    Never heard of it!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited January 2020
    90 minutes to make spaghetti bolognaise??

    from pre-made store pasta?? or do you make your own pasta as part of the recipe? ( i admit I have no idea how long that would take as have never made my own pasta)

    But I can make home made spaghetti bolognaise in 2o minutes (which really is 20 minutes ;) )

    @paperpudding a lot of that time was fussing with pancetta - first chopping it in the food processor, adding onion, celery, and carrot, and grinding to a paste, then sauteing, and sauteing, and adding tomato paste and sauteing some more, and then finally adding the ground beef. Also, this was a One Pot recipe, so the pasta was cooked in the pan with everything else - using another pan to cook the pasta while the sauce was simmering would have saved time.

    Oddly, it took me exactly 90 minutes, which freaked me out. (I did saute the pancetta for less time then they said, b/c I had worked out earlier and my stirring arm was ready to fall off and using my left arm would have been awkward.)

    I didn't get a picture but it is the cover recipe:

    40696206._UY500_SS500_.jpg
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 8,003 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    90 minutes to make spaghetti bolognaise??

    from pre-made store pasta?? or do you make your own pasta as part of the recipe? ( i admit I have no idea how long that would take as have never made my own pasta)

    But I can make home made spaghetti bolognaise in 2o minutes (which really is 20 minutes ;) )

    @paperpudding a lot of that time was fussing with pancetta - first chopping it in the food processor, adding onion, celery, and carrot, and grinding to a paste, then sauteing, and sauteing, and adding tomato paste and sauteing some more, and then finally adding the ground beef. Also, this was a One Pot recipe, so the pasta was cooked in the pan with everything else - using another pan to cook the pasta while the sauce was simmering would have saved time.

    Oddly, it took me exactly 90 minutes, which freaked me out. (I did saute the pancetta for less time then they said, b/c I had worked out earlier and my stirring arm was ready to fall off and using my left arm would have been awkward.)

    I didn't get a picture but it is the cover recipe:

    40696206._UY500_SS500_.jpg

    I make bolognaise sauce in about 5 hours using Marcella Hazan's recipe. I have been using this recipe for a couple of decades. I do make quadruple batches to freeze.

    https://leitesculinaria.com/84057/recipes-marcella-hazan-bolognese-sauce.html
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    So I've been craving pasta since this thread. Finally got a chance to cook it tonight. Plenty of fiber and protein in that meal.

    brll5vijbdfn.jpg

    If we're still exchanging foods, I'm more than willing to take this off your hands minus the avocado :) I just can't get into avocado in any form except guac

    My mom bought me a pasta roller for Christmas since I'd been wanting to try homemade ravioli but just could not get the dough to turn out right trying to roll it out by hand. The first batch was absolutely wonderful, made with fat free ricotta and spinach and clocking in at around 105 calories for 5 of them that I paired with a homemade alfredo sauce that I got down to 167 calories. Paired it with some steamed broccoli for a pretty satisfying meal.

    The dough recipe I found calls for 2 egg yolks per egg and 1 cup flour and come out to about 190 calories per serving, so I'm going to play around with it and see if I can get it down a little more than that by knocking out an extra egg yolk and see what happens (I've been told pasta dough is pretty forgiving lol) I made spaghetti on Friday night and loved the texture and flavor of the homemade stuff versus store bought and thought that it was more filling for me, too.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    So I've been craving pasta since this thread. Finally got a chance to cook it tonight. Plenty of fiber and protein in that meal.

    brll5vijbdfn.jpg

    If we're still exchanging foods, I'm more than willing to take this off your hands minus the avocado :) I just can't get into avocado in any form except guac

    My mom bought me a pasta roller for Christmas since I'd been wanting to try homemade ravioli but just could not get the dough to turn out right trying to roll it out by hand. The first batch was absolutely wonderful, made with fat free ricotta and spinach and clocking in at around 105 calories for 5 of them that I paired with a homemade alfredo sauce that I got down to 167 calories. Paired it with some steamed broccoli for a pretty satisfying meal.

    The dough recipe I found calls for 2 egg yolks per egg and 1 cup flour and come out to about 190 calories per serving, so I'm going to play around with it and see if I can get it down a little more than that by knocking out an extra egg yolk and see what happens (I've been told pasta dough is pretty forgiving lol) I made spaghetti on Friday night and loved the texture and flavor of the homemade stuff versus store bought and thought that it was more filling for me, too.

    What roller did you get?

    For years the task of rolling dough defeating me and I avoiding recipes that called for rolling. But now I have this, and rolling circles is so much easier:

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HK2DNA/

    41zigKi7MsL._AC_.jpg
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Also in that dutch oven cookbook is Couscous Risotto with Chicken and Spinach, which will be next Saturday's project.

    181eb7f88e5ac448f62c33fdb7479e4d.jpg

    I MIGHT USE BABY KALE INSTEAD :lol:
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Also in that dutch oven cookbook is Couscous Risotto with Chicken and Spinach, which will be next Saturday's project.

    181eb7f88e5ac448f62c33fdb7479e4d.jpg

    I MIGHT USE BABY KALE INSTEAD :lol:

    Omg I want!!!
  • fdlewenstein
    fdlewenstein Posts: 231 Member
    I like pasta, but I can live without it. I stopped eating pasta because of the carbs. I can't say that I really miss it, but finding a low carb alternative for pasta every now and then would be great. Any suggestions?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    I like pasta, but I can live without it. I stopped eating pasta because of the carbs. I can't say that I really miss it, but finding a low carb alternative for pasta every now and then would be great. Any suggestions?

    Does the "pasta" in the OP still have too many carbs for your needs? Or the chickpea/lentil/whatever ones?
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    edited January 2020
    I like pasta, but I can live without it. I stopped eating pasta because of the carbs. I can't say that I really miss it, but finding a low carb alternative for pasta every now and then would be great. Any suggestions?

    This won’t work for full fledged keto, but what I do as a diabetic with limited carb tolerance is eat a smaller portion of ordinary pasta, plus a portion of zoodles. Zoodles (spiralized zucchini noodles) are quicker than pasta to make, have hardly any calories, and lower carbs than pasta. By themselves I find them too sweet and not satisfying as a pasta substitute, particularly when added to tomato based sauce, but added to real pasta they bulk up a small portion nicely without being distracting in flavor or texture.

    So far I haven’t found any of the weird alternative pastas (bean, chickpea, etc) to be worth eating regularly. They tend to have strange flavors and textures, many of them aren’t much lower in carbs, and most have as many or more calories. Some are not bad when considered as their own new type of food but not as a reasonable substitute for wheat based pasta.

    They have about the same carb content, but I do find that soba noodles, which are made of buckwheat, seem to spike my blood sugar less than the equivalent amount of spaghetti. And soba noodles are also delicious.

    Spiralized cucumber is a great option for chilled Asian noodle dishes.
  • windra06
    windra06 Posts: 50 Member
    I've tried the black bean, soya and edamame noodles from Aldi and personally didn't like the texture but my bf loves it.
    I've seen edamame pasta in both ASDA and Costco.
    Id eat it more if the texture was better because ratio of fibre and protein to carbs is much much higher Than regular pasta so It fits better in my calorie allowance.
    Personally red lentil pasta is my favourite it's really cheap from morrisons and although not massively high in protein and fiber like soy it tastes great and still has more than double the protein and fiber than wholewheat pasta for the same calories. Morrisons also does pea pasta too.

    I really don't know why the OP got so much abuse, the composition of basic pasta is far different than these alternatives and for those like myself who are on low calorie diets it's nice to have an alternative. I usually eat legumes and veggies and choose my grains carefully as for me the calories are too high in things like basic pasta for the serving size and amount of fiber and protein you get.
  • DarkSong555
    DarkSong555 Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks for suggesting this healthy
    new product. I'll look for it next time I go to Aldi.
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    What roller did you get?

    For years the task of rolling dough defeating me and I avoiding recipes that called for rolling. But now I have this, and rolling circles is so much easier:

    I think Mom got this one:
    nmssyx1c09q2.png

    https://www.amazon.com/Attachments-Authentic-Spaghetti-Fettucini-Lasagnette/dp/B00006ADVC/ref=pd_sbs_79_3/139-8932615-4871022?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00006ADVC&pd_rd_r=40b6f21d-d05f-4ad3-af89-3db91f94b242&pd_rd_w=syjFm&pd_rd_wg=YovWg&pf_rd_p=7c0dad87-8a25-4c4f-9349-026039ea6cb3&pf_rd_r=2ZAHKXSZ4C9XF1Y5BN2E&psc=1&refRID=2ZAHKXSZ4C9XF1Y5BN2E


    I didn't care for the ravioli make part - it didn't work well at all, but everything was fine. Mom wants me to try lasagna noodles next, but I need to wait to the end of the month so they'll be fresh for the pan she's making for my sister's birthday.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member


    I didn't care for the ravioli make part - it didn't work well at all, but everything was fine. Mom wants me to try lasagna noodles next, but I need to wait to the end of the month so they'll be fresh for the pan she's making for my sister's birthday.

    This is what I use for my ravioli. Works great with a little spray of Pam and a rolling pin. I have the ravioli maker for the pasta machine too and didn't like it.
    91cf17yZrhL._SL1500_.jpg




  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    windra06 wrote: »
    I've tried the black bean, soya and edamame noodles from Aldi and personally didn't like the texture but my bf loves it.
    I've seen edamame pasta in both ASDA and Costco.
    Id eat it more if the texture was better because ratio of fibre and protein to carbs is much much higher Than regular pasta so It fits better in my calorie allowance.
    Personally red lentil pasta is my favourite it's really cheap from morrisons and although not massively high in protein and fiber like soy it tastes great and still has more than double the protein and fiber than wholewheat pasta for the same calories. Morrisons also does pea pasta too.

    I really don't know why the OP got so much abuse, the composition of basic pasta is far different than these alternatives and for those like myself who are on low calorie diets it's nice to have an alternative. I usually eat legumes and veggies and choose my grains carefully as for me the calories are too high in things like basic pasta for the serving size and amount of fiber and protein you get.

    Stuff like "alternative faux food" and claims that something with the same calories but fewer protein/fiber grams is "just as nutritious" are not abuse. They're just people being laughable about their personal preferences and prejudices. ;)

    So laughing is the right response, if you ask me, not feeling abused and beleaguered.

    (snip other sensible stuff, for reply length)

    So people can discuss traditional pasta and alternatives with various pros and cons and no need for hyperbole.

    Yup, preferably on all sides. ;)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    edited January 2020
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    So OP did not get "abused," and I would also disagree that the responses were "laughable." Let's remember that the title of this thread is "I found pasta that's-gasp!--healthy"

    (snip)

    This will be one of those cases where we disagree.

    I agree with most of your post. I agree that most responses were entirely reasonable. Pasta, including white, refined wheat pasta, is a fine thing to eat, though as usual I'd be looking at context and dosage (for either pasta).

    Implying that soy pasta is an "alternative faux food" is laughable, IMO. Soy flour made into shapes is no more a faux food than wheat flour made into shapes. It's food, with pluses and minuses.

    That was about as close to "abusive" as anything I saw (ETA I don't think it is abusive, either), and it's as hyperbolic (so as laughable) IMO as the over-dramatic OP and some subsequent responses ("soy is poison" "white pasta is a simple carb", etc.) that I'd also call laughable.

    JMO, as always.
  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,033 Member
    Whole wheat pasta, chicken breast, hot rotel tomato and chicken broth for dinner tonight. Yummm.
  • tontondam
    tontondam Posts: 7 Member
    What's unhealthy about traditional pasta?

    High carb without protein. For some people that will cause t2 diabetes in the long run, even whole wheat pasta. It can cause high triglycerides too that will after that increase LDL. Not everybody has those responses, I think it's about 40% of the population. If your blood lipids and glucose are fine, then you're part of those who are not affected. Enjoy!
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