PASTA ALTERNATIVES

I absolutely love pasta. It was about the only food group I ate while growing up, with ketchup, (I know that might sound gross to some) but I loved it, I still probably do, but haven’t had it for as long as I can remember now. Carbs from the pasta + Sugar from the ketchup is just not going to cut it for me anymore in terms of a well-balanced meal.
 
I know some of you have more expansive pallets then I do so when it comes to eating pasta dishes whether out at a restaurant, or at home, when we are trying to watch our waistline this is the one food group (and yes I am putting pasta in a food group) that I hear from my clients and friends that they are missing out on the most.
 
Lucky for us, there are sooooo many pasta alternatives out there that can still have you feeling good about keeping your health in check. Of course none of these taste EXACTLY like the real deal, however, they do satisfy that noodle craving.
 
Reviewing some of my favorites below and including the dishes I like to use with them.

Shiritake Noodles

If you check my Instagram feed you will see that I use these for most of my dishes. They take on whatever flavor you season your dish with. Before cooking they need to be drained, rinsed and patted dry to remove the odor. I use them for mock lo meins, ramen noodles, and for stir frys. 

For a great alternative ramen recipe using these noodles I have one posted on an earlier blog: Low Carb Ramen

Palmini Pasta

This pasta is fairly new to market and is probably my new favorite. Palmini pasta is made from hearts of palm, and just like the noodles above before cooking with them you need to drain and rinse them. I even like to soak these for 10-15 minutes in some almond milk and then rinse again for a better consistency and taste. 

This pasta is more dense in texture so normally I will make it with a creamier sauce. Alfredo, Cheesey, vodka sauce, are all good options. Check out my  Cheesey Low Carb Pasta  for a recipe!

VEGETABLE Spirals

By now spiralized vegetables are pretty main stream. I have even seen zucchini noodles available on some restaurant menus! (Which makes me so happy). You can even buy pre spiralized veggies in most grocery stores in both the prepared foods and frozen foods section. My spiralizer is pictured below from amazon and is under $25 and does the trick! It also comes with different inserts so you can change the shape of the noodles. 

Brown Rice Pasta/Lentil Pasta

Brown rice pasta and lentil pasta are other popular pasta alternatives. There are so many brands out there it can be tricky to decide which ones to buy. I think its import here to check the ingredient list and make sure its not a long list of things. It should only have one or two items listed. For instance, Ancient Harvest makes a red lentil pasta and the ingredient list is organic quinoa flour and red lentil flour. Tolerent Pasta makes a red lentil pasta that is just red lentil flour. Some of my favorites options are:

If you have used any of the alternatives above, or have others you love I would love to hear from you in the comments below! xoxo Stephi Paige