My Low Carb Pasta Alternatives

Real talk, I’m totally obsessed with pasta.

…and the reality is…my body type doesn’t react well with carbohydrates. To put it bluntly, they make me fat. That is why I went on a mission to find some great pasta alternatives that would satisfy my craving, but help keep my carb intake low and my waistline small.

Not only will I share my 2 favorite alternatives, but as a bonus, I’m going to tell you the best way to prepare them (because in reality, if I just told you about them, you probably wouldn’t actually use them)!

Here are My Low Carb Pasta Alternatives

1) Tofu Shirataki Noodles: These “noodles” are a MUST have in my apartment at all times. Don’t freak out when you see the word tofu (because I know some of you are). Although mostly made of water and soybeans, if I made you a dish with these, you may not even realize a difference. With only 3 grams of carbs (1% of your daily value) and 40 calories for the whole bag, you can’t lose by giving them a try!

The Shirataki come in a ton of different varieties including: spaghetti, fettuccini, angel hair and even macaroni. I mostly use these noodles in asian type dishes since sometimes the “pasta” can have a little bit of a tofu smell. While the texture can be a tiny bit slippery compared to regular pasta, when prepared correctly, you will be very impressed!

Tofu Shiritaki Preparation
a) Saute up some stir-fry type veggies in your favorite sauce.  I usually go onion, pepper, snap peas, baby corn, carrots and baby bok choy (for best results, cook the carrots and onions first, then add the peppers about 5 minutes in. Throw the peas, corn and bok choy in during the last 10 minutes.)

For the sauce, sometimes I’ll make my own, but every once in a while I’ll use this teriyaki sauce.  I promise you, it’s the best in the world. If you don’t believe me, google “best teriyaki sauce” and see what comes up. This stuff is amazing.

b) Right before your veggie stir-fry is done, open the bag of tofu shirataki “noodles”, put them in a colander and give them a good rinse. under cold water. Rinsing them helps get rid of the odor.

c) Place the rinsed “noodles” in boiling salted water for no more than 3 minutes. Any more than that and they start too become to soft.

d.) Drain the noodles and directly add them into your stir-fry. Make sure they get totally covered with sauce and veggies. Serve right away. These will not store very well after they are cooked.

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2) Spaghetti Squash: This healthy pasta alternative clocks in with just 7 grams of carbs (about 2% of daily value) and just 31 calories per serving (about 1 cup). I use this vegetable as my pasta substitute whenever I’m craving an italian feast (since I think it works best with Italian flavor profiles).

It’s super easy to prepare and stores in the refrigerator for up to a week after you make it! I usually make one every Sunday so that when my boyfriend, Dan, tells me he wants pasta during the week, I have my own low carb version available really easily!

My Favorite Spaghetti Squash Preparation
a) Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Cut the spaghetti squash in half length-wise. Scoop out all the seeds. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for about 40 minutes or until squash feels a little squishy.

b) While the squash is cooking, saute up some finely chopped or grated garlic (about 2 cloves) in olive oil or butter. Make sure the heat stays low so you don’t burn the garlic (it will taste bitter).

c.) Once the garlic is almost dissolved, add some chopped up tomatoes and keep cooking.

d) When the spaghetti squash is finished, let cool. Then take a fork and scoop it out of the squash directly into the pan with your garlic and tomato mixture. Add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, saute a little more and serve!

So that’s it! There are many other things you can do with both ingredients, so I challenge you to play around and figure out how you like them! The possibilities are endless!

Love always,
Erica