When someone mentions pasta alternatives, there’s almost always someone on hand to roll their eyes before exclaiming that nothing could come close to real pasta itself. After all, what’s not to love?
Pasta might be the perfect carbs with its ability to be both sophisticated and comforting. Sauced, filled, or baked, there are numerous ways to prepare a heavenly pasta. The only downside is what a steaming bowl of pasta does to your waistline, as even an average size portion packs in the calories.
Spiralized veggies have become all the rage in pasta’s stead, but are they really an appropriate stand in?
Veggie noodles, made from anything from zucchini, as the most popular option, to butternut squash, sweet potato, or even daikon radish, might seem as far away from starchy pasta you can get, but when prepared correctly, they come close to matching in satisfaction as a bowl of higher calorie pasta.
You may be thinking, “But I don’t have a spiralizer!” The best thing about noodles made from veggies, is that there’s no fancy equipment needed, even if a decent spiralizer is not only fun to use, but cheap to find. Minus a trip to the kitchen supply store, you can easily create noodles with only a vegetable peeler.
Veggie noodles are even easier to cook than pasta, given that they can go directly into the same pan in which you’re preparing the sauce, and often will take even less time to prepare. You can douse your zucchini in your favorite marinara or bolognese, while a sweet potato or butternut squash noodle is better suited to a creamier sauce, like Alfredo or even mac and cheese.
The noodles are also great tossed with pesto or even in a stir fry. If you’ve been trying to fit more veggies into your diet, this is the perfect way to do so, without compromising on taste.