- There are plenty of low-carb, creative alternatives to traditional pasta.
- You can pick up a spiralizer to turn produce like zucchini, carrots, and parsnips into noodle-like shapes.
- When cut properly, cabbage and spaghetti squash can also serve as pasta substitutes.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Whether you're looking to cut back on carbs or are simply seeking out substitutions for your favorite pasta, there are plenty of options.
And although they may not taste quite the same, here are some creative alternatives to traditional pasta.
Use strips of zucchini to make lasagna "noodles."
With just a few large zucchinis, you can easily make flat, lasagna-style "noodles" using only a mandolin or a potato peeler.
Then, according to Delish, to make zucchini-based lasagna, all you really need is a few types of cheeses, a baking dish, eggs, and some marinara sauce.
Use a spiralizer to turn produce into "pasta."
For only $15 on sites like Amazon, you can order your own handheld spiralizer, which can help you convert a range of produce into spiralized "noodles."
If you're looking for more variety, you can buy a $25 spiralizer with seven different blades that can help you create different shapes.
Some popular produce items to use in spiralizers include zucchini, carrots, parsnips, and butternut squash.
Cook time varies for the different types of "noodles," but generally, you can toss your spiralized creations in a pan with olive oil until they are your desired consistency.
When shredded, spaghetti squash already looks like noodles.
After cutting open a spaghetti squash, just scrape out the seeds and then heat up the squash using the directions listed in your recipe of choice. Then, scrape the squash's insides out with a fork — the result is a natural spaghetti-like shape.
Spaghetti squash is so simple to prepare, you can even cook it in the microwave, according to the Kitchn.
Eating pasta that's made from black beans is another flavorful way to cut carbs.
Although this option is not totally free of carbs, it certainly has fewer carbs than traditional pasta. Black-bean pasta contains additional fiber and protein, plus you can prepare it the same way you would with any other pasta.
If you can't find it in the grocery store it's also something you can make from scratch, though it may not be easy since most recipes for bean-based pasta require ingredients (like bean flour) that may be difficult to find at standard grocery stores.
Trader Joe's sells fan-favorite cauliflower gnocchi, but if you can't get to the store you can also try making it yourself.
Trader Joe's famously sells cauliflower gnocchi, which are made of 75% cauliflower and contain fewer carbs than typical gnocchi, which is made from potatoes. Found in the frozen section, the cauliflower gnocchi are premade and easy to cook.
There are also plenty of recipes that allow you to make your own cauliflower gnocchi from scratch. According to Tasty, all you need is cauliflower, flour, salt, and olive oil.
Cabbage can also serve as a substitute for regular pasta.
When cut into strips and pan-fried or boiled, cabbage can even resemble pasta on a physical level.
According to the food blog Low-Carb Maven, "noodles" made from cabbage can taste slightly sweet and a tad bitter.
To create cabbage "noodles," you want to focus on the green part of the vegetable and ignore the white part, which can taste bitter when cooked, according to the lifestyle blog Our Everyday Life.
Read More:
- 10 rice alternatives to try if you want to cut down on carbs
- 10 foods to try if you want to cut down on carbs
- 3 things to do when quitting the keto diet to avoid gaining back the weight you lost
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