I used to eat "huge" amounts of pasta in my pre-lower carb days.

Now I can still eat pasta; I buy the low carb kind, but I still don't eat large amounts of it because it still contains carbs.

I still prefer to use certain veggies as my "pasta" substitute, with my favorite sauces and grated cheese, and sometimes vegetarian sausage.

I've used shredded zucchini, cabbage "noodles", spaghetti squash, french style green beans, and my all-time favorite Italian green beans.

What do you use?

Sliced eggplant makes great lasagna noodles .. brush with a little olive oil and broil the slices first so they won't go watery in the finished dish.

When you boil cabbage "noodles", add a couple Tbsp heavy cream to the water. This will help to diminish the strong taste.


Doreen

You know, when I started the Atkins diet, pasta was one of the things I thought I'd really miss...

But making your own pasta is ludicrously simple (easier still with a machine, but not essential), and substituting plain flour for soya flour is all it takes to be a great Atkins mainstay! Much cheaper than buying the specialist stuff, and you can add all kinds of stuffings (cheese, etc) to up your protein/fat intake.

For those who want to try making their own though, the basic recipe I use for one large or two small servings is:

1 medium egg
85g soya flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
Large pinch of fine ground salt (I use Solo for the lower sodium intake)

Just mix the flour and salt in a bowl, make a well in the centre, pour in the egg and oil and slowly blend in. Once fully blended, knead it firmly for around five minutes. Cover with clingfilm (saran wrap for the other side of the pond! ) and put in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Then briefly knead again before shaping to the desired style either with a pasta maker or with a rolling pin and knife.

I use the spaghetti squash -- talk about yummy

Zucchini is my favorite, closely followed by diced tofu. I like to make cassarole type dishes that way.

...but I'm going to have to try urban gypsy's recipe!