Cutting down on rice and pasta

[Yellowsubmarine5]

Hi all,

Was just looking for some suggestions on what I could use instead of rice and pasta. I do use whole grain rice and whole wheat pasta to make it a bit healthier but we do usually eat one or the other with 90% of our meals. What can I use instead to cut down on the carbs?

Thanks!

I originally tried swapping them out but found things like cauliflower rice to taste different and not enjoyable. I ended up reducing them/ eliminating them entirely and found they didn’t really add much to the meal. With a chilli for example just having beef chilli filled with loads of peppers/ onions/ courgette and then topped with cheese and a bit of sour cream was really filling and delicious without the added calories of rice.

I think it's a better mindset to do something different, rather than try to find substitutes.

If we have chilli, we just have the meat sauce, and serve it with yoghurt, pickled jalapenos and lots of grated cheese. Guacamole if I have any avocado to hand/can be bothered!

That said, I really like cauliflower rice - either home-made, or bought fresh from Sainsbury's. (Don't buy the pre-packed/ambient brand Cauli-rice as it's disgusting!), and I make egg-fried 'rice' with it.

Pasta can be replaced with shirataki noodles, which is a Japanese noodle made from the Japanese Yam (nothing like the yam we know!). You can either buy them from Asian supermarkets, or look out for the brand Bare Naked Noodles which is the same thing, which some of the big supermarkets sell. It isn't quite the same as spaghetti, but it works very well as a noodle replacement in something like a stir-fry or broth-type soup.

I think as PP said it can be quite hard to get a like for like carb replacement.
Some of the things we do include-

Roasted Cauliflower is really nice with curry in place of rice with curry.
Cauliflower mash on top of cottage pie/fish pie
Keto corn bread to have with chilli along with avocado, sour cream, cheese etc
Keto naan
Lots of recipes for keto pastry using almond flour/sesame seeds for use in quiches, pies etc.

Apart from the above mentioned we don't sub so will have trout with broccoli, chicken breast with veg etc.

Sorry just realized you specifically said I place of rice/pasta 🤦🏻‍♀️

Hi all,

Thank you for the ideas!

I like cauliflower rice if it's cooked properly. I dry fry mine with a few spices so it's not all soggy (had tried steaming it before) I have that with chilli or curry.

With pasta sauce I've sliced lots of veggies thinly and stir fried those (carrots, peppers, courgettes, mange tout)

Swoodles (swede noodles) fresh from Tesco were surprisingly gorgeous!

I halve the pasta/rice and add more sauce and a poached egg. Not keto obvs, just trying to reduce empty white carbs.

I love celeriac in all forms. Frozen cauliflower rice in microwave, then season, add butter or double cream, mix in with fried mushrooms. Delicious!

Dishes like cauliflower cheese instead of macaroni cheese are great for low carb.
We had bolognese this week. OH had it with pasta, I had it stuffed in a roast pepper topped with cheese. Delicious! We're having fajita tonight and I'll use a lettuce leaf instead of the tortilla; tomorrow is aubergine and courgette bake (like lasagne but no pasta); I'm planning a sausage casserole at the weekend - OH will have potato mash and I'll just have extra side of cabbage; burger next week topped with melted stilton - just naked without the bun!

Instead of rice I have cauliflower rice and instead of pasta I have courgetti.

@DianaT1969

I love celeriac in all forms. Frozen cauliflower rice in microwave, then season, add butter or double cream, mix in with fried mushrooms. Delicious!

Celeriac chips are fantastic!

I forgot all about them but made them last night with garlic. Delicious!

Konjac noodles/rice. This is a 10 kalorie, 0
Carbs plant that has a Texture is just like pasta/rice.

Yes it tastes bland but add pesto/capers/anchovies/cheese etc and it’s yummy.

The only thing that makes me feel like I’ve actually eaten pasta.

I just have smaller portions of rice or pasta and more veg on the side. Can't be doing with cauliflower rice but cauliflower florets, sweetheart cabbage or chard stir fried with garlic are all lovely with a curry. Or potatoes instead of rice - lower carb, more fibre and more nutritious.

With beefy type sauces/dishes like bolognaise or chilli I swap with chargrilled roasted veg (which you can buy frozen from lots of supermarkets)

Curries i have cauli or brocolli chopped up small. Have got used to it. But do prefer basmati when I have it!

I like celeriac mashed. Also I love shredded cabbage fried up or steamed with pasta sauce on or where the family have rice. In the summer / autumn I had roasted courgette.

Butternut squash.

I like cauliflower rice and cauliflower mash, and sometimes I’ll have a curry with roasted vegetables instead of rice. You can buy frozen cauli rice now in steam bags that you just bung in the microwave. I also quite like those packets you can get of mixed “healthy” grains and rice e.g. wild rice.
Courgetti is nice instead of spaghetti/noodles and works surprisingly well IMO.
Celeriac is great as a potato substitute in stews and makes good chips too.

I don't use substitutes. I just eat more veg. Win win.

With curry I have roasted cauliflower

With chilli I either have on its own or with shredded lettuce or chopped mushrooms

Bolognaise is courgette, mushrooms, cabbage and broccoli

Don't bother with lasagne anymore - tend to do aubergine parmigiana instead

Creamy salmon pasta - I have salmon fillet, spinach, cabbage, leeks with creamy buttery lemon sauce all over

Oh yes and bakes are great eg cauli cheese, swede mashed and baked, celeriac dauphinois or Boulanger style. Plus you can make a massive one then portion up for easy sides in the week.

A bit more protein and double the veg - and do an extra one so 2 or 3.

Cauli rice is ok if you stir fry it, cauli florets good baked in oven with spices. You can use lentil pasta. Lentils work well with Salmon or sausages or as extra Dahl with curry

I’ve never liked anything I’ve tried to directly substitute for rice or pasta (cauliflower rice, zoodles etc)
I find it better to just do without and plan meals around just meat/fish and lots of different types of veg.
My current favourite is chicken fajitas (with lots of onions and peppers) in a little gem lettuce leaf topped with cheese- it’s actually so delicious and I don’t miss the wrap at all.

Shameless placemarking

With eg a bolognese sauce I'd rather use it to stuff some veg or make a moussaka with aubergine rather than substitute someething for pasta.

I did manage to get courgette down DC last summer by grating it and adding to a carbonara so I imagine a mix of courgetti and spaghetti might work in a similar way.

I don't mind cauliflower rice if it is seasoned so indian spices with curry or smoked paprika with chilli. Again both also work well with just veg perhaps you could try stuffing a roast pepper with chilli and serving with salad or salsa. Curry is also good with lentils rather than rice.