Love pasta but want alternatives? Plenty exist
If you’re anything like me, there’s nothing better than a big bowl of pasta smothered in sauce — marinara, Alfredo, cheese sauce — or just plain old butter and salt.
Pasta is one of my all-time comfort foods. Nothing beats it … hands down.
But the sad fact is that traditional pasta is full of refined, processed, empty-calorie carbs.
Not an indulgence I can enjoy in good conscience very often.
So, the switch to whole wheat pasta was a no-brainer for me. Pasta, but better!
It’s full of nutrition, antioxidants and fiber. And it’s much more filling than traditional white pasta. Luckily, whole grain pasta is easily found in grocery stores, so it’s always available.
But for those who have wheat allergies or are gluten-sensitive, wheat pastas aren’t an option.
Today there are a whole host of new “alternative pastas” on the market. These replace wheat with other ingredients such as rice, beans and vegetables.
True, they don’t taste exactly like white pasta, but they have a delicious taste of their own.
They’re good not just for those who can’t eat gluten, but also for people who want to reduce their carbs or are looking for more variety and nutrition in their diet.
If you haven’t yet discovered the huge variety of pasta alternatives on the market today, take a look the next time you go to the grocery store.
You’ll find pastas made from brown rice, legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, navy beans and black beans, corn, quinoa, cauliflower, peas, and fava beans.
These pastas are dried just like regular pasta, and are sold in boxes and bags, right alongside the other pastas.
They’re all low in fat, saturated fat and sodium, and many contain extra amounts of fiber and protein, which slows digestion and provides a longerlasting feeling of fullness than traditional white pasta.
These pastas can be served with tomato-based sauces, cream sauces, lemon, garlic, pesto and parmesan cheese. They’re a tasty substitute in your favorite mac and cheese recipe. You can even add them to soups.
Vegetables can also substitute for regular pasta.
A spiralizer or food processor can transform vegetables such as zucchini and butternut squash into a low-cal pasta.
And take it from me — a confirmed pasta lover — zoodles (spiralized zucchini) pair perfectly with spaghetti sauce.
For comparison, one cup of cooked pasta contains 200 calories; one cup of zoodles contains only 28 calories. And don’t forget spaghetti squash, which when cooked, separates naturally into spaghetti-like strands.
So be adventurous and try these great new ways to get your pasta fix!