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Old 12-14-2008, 06:54 PM   #1  
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Default Instead of pasta!

Well, I thought I would make this post because recently I told a couple people on here what I have been eating instead of pasta, and they seemed to like it! My mom decided instead of making the usual spaghetti with spaghetti sauce, she was going to make cauliflower instead! I really liked it, and my family really liked it. You just make the regular recipe you do, and substitute the pasta for cauliflower, we steam it. I'm almost sure it will go with any kind of pasta sauce you could think of!!!

Has anybody else come up with something to replace pasta? Let's hear it!
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Old 12-14-2008, 07:24 PM   #2  
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Spaghetti squash is a pretty decent substitute. You're not going to think that it's pasta, but I used to enjoy it. The one thing that I've found is that I don't need to have a big bowl of pasta to enjoy it. Today for lunch I had some homemade turkey sausage sauce with 2.5oz of pasta, and an apple. That's pretty much in line for what I would have for a lunch dish. If I was having it for dinner, I'd add a side of whatever veggies we have (and a salad instead of the apple).
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Old 12-14-2008, 07:25 PM   #3  
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I love cauliflower, so I may try that, thank you for the idea!

I love bulgur wheat, and really enjoy it as the carb portion of a meal! I find it very filling. It's not really a substitute for pasta in that it's completely different in texture and form, but it can go really well in place of it. For instance, tonight, I had for my dinner a piece of oven-baked smoked haddock, and on the side, I made up a warm salad with a small amount of bulgur wheat, and some garlic, red onion, sweetcorn, savoy cabbage, spinach and baby tomatoes, stirred through with a small amount of green pesto. It was so delicious!

I never really eat white pasta anyway, if I am having pasta it tends to be whole wheat, which isn't much different in terms of calorie content to white pasta, it's just much more nutritious and has a lot more fibre.
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Old 12-14-2008, 07:48 PM   #4  
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I tried whole wheat (or even partial whole wheat pastas) and wasn't crazy about the taste, and didn't find them any more filling. Then I tried multi-grain pastas - ahhhh, tasty and much more filling.
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Old 12-14-2008, 08:52 PM   #5  
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That's funny you should mention it since I am steaming broccoli and cauliflower right now.....although I'm having it with pasta rather than instead of!

I mix a cup of whole wheat pasta with 2 cups of steamed veggies for a GIANT pasta dish that's not too bad calorie wise....

A friend of mine mashes cauliflower (after boiling it a few minutes in broth) to make a pretty decent sub for mashed potatoes, with a little skim milk and margarine in it.
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Old 12-15-2008, 12:18 PM   #6  
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We still have pasta 1-2 times a week, only now I measure 1 cup after it is cooked and put any leftovers in the fridge for lunch the next day or even give some to our furry buddy, who loves it. 1-2 nights we have a mixture of rices (I mix brown rice 1/2 & 1/2 with white long grain and wild); about once a week, we have beans, and 1-2 nights we have a new jacket potato; and another night we will have a grain carb like whole bread or buns. I am adding in one dinner with other veggies as a sub like yams, turnip, cauliflower, corn, parsnips, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, and so on. You can also buy caucus and other type grains at the supermarket as well.

TINICITIES ~ that BULGAR WHEAT dish sounds great and is good with caucus (sp) and rice as well.

I think the most important thing is to MEASURE the cooked amounts; I just know that this is the way I would want to eat long term, so I am learning to have what we like, but watch the portion sizes. Adding lots of veggies really fills you up so you don't notice that. A plate with 1 cup cooked spagetti with lean meatballs and sauce, with a salad or veggie is still a very filling meal.
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Old 12-20-2008, 03:39 PM   #7  
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I personally like to replace pasta with eggplant. Eggplant goes beautifully with marinara sauce and most recipes using it.
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Old 12-20-2008, 08:15 PM   #8  
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My grandmother would make a side dish of green beans in tomato sauce. She'd brown diced bacon and saute chopped onions in the browning bacon, add tomato sauce and simmer green beans in it. Very yummy.

For calorie reduction, I greatly reduce the bacon (but still use one slice, I just dice it very, very fine). I'll add a large jar of tomato sauce or a jar of marinara sauce, and add fresh or canned beans (if using fresh, I add water and simmer longer). I don't usually use it as a side dish anymore though, it's a meal in itself. In graduate school, I practically lived on the stuff (but would pour it over a large baked potato).
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Old 12-29-2008, 08:59 PM   #9  
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It's funny to stumble across this thread since I just finished a similar meal!
I did a broccoli, pea, & chicken stir-fry & then added a 1/2c Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce.
It was the best spaghetti I've ever had, & it was sans the noodles!!
Definitely making this, & similar spaghetti's again.
Broccoli is a beautiful substitute!

Last edited by UrthWurm; 12-29-2008 at 09:01 PM.
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Old 12-29-2008, 09:08 PM   #10  
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I love making "spaghetti" with a can of bean sprouts in place of the pasta. Has basically the same "look" as spaghetti without the carbs---and it helps me get in my veggies for the day, too!
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Old 12-30-2008, 12:57 AM   #11  
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Have y'all tried brown rice pasta? I love the stuff
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Old 12-30-2008, 08:44 AM   #12  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NightengaleShane View Post
I personally like to replace pasta with eggplant. Eggplant goes beautifully with marinara sauce and most recipes using it.
That is really nice. I like to do a whole tray of different roasted veg with marinara sauce and sometimes I add some couscous if I'm really hungry.
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Old 12-30-2008, 10:08 AM   #13  
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I love roasted vegetables with olive oil, S&P, and garlic. Mix with a little bit of spaghetti sauce and put that on a little pile of ricotta cheese. UMMM! Well, guess I know what I'm having for lunch. Thanks for the nudge!
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