O Pasta, Where Art Thou?

The fear of pasta deprivation is one of the things that turns people away from low carb diets. The cries ring out: “I can’t live without my pasta!” Fear not. There are many low carb alternatives to pasta, and at least one good low carb pasta on the market.

The Role of Pasta

There are some true hard-core pasta-lovers. These people would just as soon sit down to a serving of plain pasta as anything they can think of. But for most of us, plain pasta doesn’t cut it – it’s the sauces and toppings we want most. For us, pasta is mostly a vehicle for other flavors. So we need to find a different vehicle to fill that role.

Enter: Vegetables

Many vegetables are bland enough to use as a “blank canvas” for pasta sauces, and most of them are far more nutritious than pasta ever thought of being. Take the classic, spaghetti squash. Cup for cup, it has fewer than 25% of the calories and carbs of regular spaghetti (even whole wheat) – AND beats out the pasta in most nutrient categories. Calorie for calorie, it simply leaves pasta in the dust, nutritionally speaking. It’s delicious with pesto, creamy sauces, you name it. It can also be used in casseroles, like Turkey Tetrazinni. If you've never cooked spaghetti squash before, have no fear; it’s easy.

Other veggies that serve as good “beds” for pasta sauces:

• Zucchini or other summer squash, shredded, julienned, or just cut into ribbons with a peeler.
• Cauliflower “Rice”
• Cabbage - shredded and sautéed (nice with a little sliced onion in it)
• Bean sprouts – lighted sautéed on their own, or throw them in with the cabbage for the final minute.
• Use your imagination – many veggies have compatible flavors with sauces, such as green beans with pesto sauce or eggplant strips with marinara.

Low Carb Asian Noodles

You may have to do some looking for these - or then again, maybe not. They are great for making Asian noodle dishes, and other dishes as well:

Shirataki Noodles – More and more widely available, (the Safeway near me carries it, as well as health food stores) this stuff is something of a miracle food. The noodles are made from a plant called different things in different languages - you might see it called “yam noodle” or “Konnyaku”. The great thing about these noodles is that they are almost completely fiber – they hardly have any calories or carbs at all – plus there is some evidence that they may have other health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol and blood sugar. It comes packaged in liquid, which you rinse off. If you run it under the hot water tap, it’s all ready to eat – no need to cook further!

Tofu Noodles – I can only find these in Asian stores. Make sure that tofu is the only ingredient. Again, these come already cooked. I just put them in a strainer and run them under the hot water faucet while I separate them with my fingers. I use them for almost any pasta application, including pesto.