Great Low Carb Pasta Alternatives
How to make incredible pasta the low carb way
If you think pasta is a thing of the past when you start living the low carb lifestyle, think again. There are plenty of fantastic healthy options for making delicious and nutritious pasta dishes that keep carbs out and flavour in. Join us as we explore creative ways to make amazing low carb pasta meals the whole family will love.
Who doesn’t love a hearty serving of spaghetti and meatballs, or a piping hot slice of oven-fresh lasagna? There is an astonishing amount of diversity and variety in the world of pasta. Pasta can be light and fresh or rich and decadent, or anywhere in between. Vibrant tomato sauces, creamy cheese sauces, or bold pesto sauces can be combined with beef, chicken, pork, seafood, and all kinds of vegetables to create a universe of flavours where no two are exactly alike. For people living the low carb lifestyle, the main concern related to pasta is in the noodles themselves, where regular wheat flour is a major source of carbohydrates.
The good news is, there are lots of ways you can adapt your favourite pasta recipes to be healthier and keep carbs to a minimum. All it takes is a little creativity and a tiny bit of learning. No matter what kind of pasta you intend to make, there are multiple choices for low carb noodle alternatives. For the simplest conversion to turn a regular pasta recipe in to a spectacular low carb dish, all you need to do is find a pre-packaged low carb noodle of the same style and shape. Here are some of the most popular low carb noodles that customers rave about at The Low Carb Grocery!
Low Carb Pastas & Shirataki Noodles
Al Dente Carba Nada Fettucine Noodles – If you’re a fan of twirling a long noodle on your fork, we’d bet that fettucine is one of your favourite styles of noodles. They’re popular in a wide range of dishes and one of the standard Italian-style noodles that you’ll likely want to have standing by in your kitchen cupboards. Carba Nada fettucine noodles from Al Dente cook up just like regular wheat flour noodles, only with a much lower carb count. They’ve got plenty of fibre in each serving, and are infused with extra protein for even better nutritional value.
Ciao Carb Proto Pasta High-Protein Penne Noodles – Shorter noodles are great for all kinds of pasta meals, and are often shaped to hold more sauce in each bite. Penne is a very popular short noodle, and Ciao Carb Proto Pasta is sure to become one of your new favourite products. Not only do they have the perfect pasta taste and texture, but they’re loaded with 30g of protein in each serving with just 11g of carbs. You can also find other short noodles from Ciao Carb Proto Pasta such as fusilli, risoni, and sedani, as well as longer noodles like tagliatelle and broad noodles like lasagna to suit any type of pasta dish you’re craving.
Liviva Keto Protein Spaghetti Noodles – When you find a pasta that is suitable for the keto diet, you know that the carb count has to be really low, but will it deliver the taste and texture you want? With Liviva, you can bet on it! Made with a unique blend of plant protein, mulberry leaf, and konjac flour, Liviva spaghetti noodles are the perfect solution for making healthy and delicious pasta that you can enjoy, guilt-free.
Better Than Foods Konjac Angel Hair Noodles – Konjac flour has been a big deal in the world of Asian cuisine for a really long time, but it’s recently seen a massive surge in popularity in North America. Naturally free of carbs and gluten, konjac flour noodles are a great alternative to regular noodles for people who have a wide array of dietary needs and nutritional goals. Better Than Foods has perfected the art of the konjac noodle, and their delicate and light angel hair pasta proves it.
Shop all low carb noodles and pasta alternatives
With so many fantastic alternative low carb noodles available, it really makes you wonder why anyone would stick with regular noodles! Of course, if you want to take things even further and boost the nutrition of your pasta meals to the max, there are simple ways to use fresh vegetables in place of noodles. Let’s take a quick look at the most popular methods for turning veggies into healthy noodle substitutes.
Fresh Vegetable Noodle Alternatives
Zucchini Noodles “Zoodles” – Perhaps the hottest veggie to make noodles out of right now is zucchini. Zucchinis are very high in vitamin C and potassium, and also contain vitamin B6, magnesium, calcium, iron, and dietary fiber, making them a nutritious choice for any healthy lifestyle.
To make zucchini noodles, or ‘zoodles’ as they are playfully called, you’ll need a simple kitchen gadget called a spiralizer. Simply cut the ends off of a washed zucchini and place the spiralizer on the end. Twist in complete circles to slice long spirals of zucchini that are similar in appearance to spaghetti or fettucine noodles. Zoodles can be eaten raw, but when they are cooked lightly they will take on a much more ‘noodle-like’ texture. You can steam them or boil them, and it just takes a couple of minutes to obtain the right softness. Then, just use them in place of regular noodles, and enjoy your meal!
Cabbage Noodles – You might not think of a vegetable like cabbage as an alternative to noodles, but when prepared the right way it really works exceptionally well. Cabbage has many health benefits, and is particularly rich in vitamin C, but also has good amounts of fiber, vitamin B6, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron.
To prepare cabbage for use as a pasta substitute, you can either use the larger whole leaves as a replacement for lasagna noodles, or slice the leaves into your desired width to take the place of spaghetti, fettucine, or Asian-style noodles like pad Thai Once cut into your desired sized, all you’ll need to do is place the cabbage into boiling water for 1-2 minutes to soften. They won’t take long to get to the right texture, so strain quickly and they will be ready to serve.
Eggplant Lasagna – Lasagna is one of our favourite pasta dishes, so we cheered when we discovered that you can swap out the large flat lasagna noodles with thin slices of eggplant. Eggplant, also known as aubergine, is very absorbent and so is ideal for making pasta dishes as it will take on the flavours of everything it is touching.
To prepare eggplant for use as a lasagna noodle substitute, you can use a kitchen mandolin for fast and easy slicing of the eggplant into long, thin sheets. You could do it by hand, but it can be tricky to get the sheets of eggplant to a consistent thickness, and it takes a lot longer. Due to the firmness of eggplant, it will need to be pre-roasted before being added to the lasagna dish. Lightly coat the slices with olive oil, and place in the oven at around 350º until they turn slightly soft and begin to brown. Roasting the slices before assembling the lasagna helps prevent too much moisture in the dish, but you can add the raw slices instead of you want to skip the roasting step.
Serve Perfect Low Carb Pasta With Clever Noodle Substitutes
As you can see, you don’t need anything special to create a healthy and nutritious pasta dish that is low in carbs and big on taste. Low carb noodles from quality brands like Al Dente, Ciao Carb, Liviva, Dipalma, and Better Than Foods make it super easy to leave the carbs out of your favourite pasta recipes. Plus, when you are feeling extra creative, making your own noodles out of vegetables like zucchini, eggplant and cabbage will have you feeling like a culinary genius! Give these products and cooking techniques a try the next time you’re preparing a popular pasta recipe, and enjoy the delicious results. Bon appetit!
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