These delicious health diabetic pasta substitutes will allow you to transform your traditional pasta dishes into wholesome and diabetes-friendly delights.
You don’t have to be diabetic to enjoy them. If you have been following a keto diet, any type of low carb diet, are looking for foods that have a low glycemic index or even simply want to try new things then these options will make an excellent choice for you.
In a world where pasta has long been a staple on dinner tables, if you have been trying to manage your diabetes by balancing your love for this carb-laden food there’s good news. You don’t have to pass on your favorite pasta dishes. These low carb pasta alternatives offer a delicious compromise that won’t send blood sugar levels soaring.
Spaghetti Squash
While looking like a rather large summer squash, once cooked, the insides separate into spaghetti like strands. They aren’t soft and squishy like traditional pasta. Instead the strands of spaghetti squash are a bit firmer than pasta cooked al dente.
As for taste, there really isn’t much, which is why it makes it a perfect pasta replacement. It has a very mild flavor so if you’ve have tried other varieties of squash and didn’t like the flavor be sure to give this one a try.
Spaghetti squash will take on the flavor of whatever you top it with. Toss your favorite toppings on some cooked spaghetti squash and enjoy!
Cooking a spaghetti squash is super easy to do. You can cook it using one of two methods….the oven method or the microwave method.
To cook spaghetti squash in the oven:
- Wash the outside of the squash
- Cut the squash in half
- Scrape out the seeds with a spoon
- Rub the cut side with your choice of oil
- Place, cut side down, on a cookie sheet
- Bake at 375 F for 30 to 40 minutes or until softened
- Allow the cooked squash to cool
- Use a fork and scrap the inside of the squash to separate the strands
To cook spaghetti squash in the microwave:
- Wash the outside of the squash
- Pierce the skin with a knife in several spots
- Put the whole squash into the microwave
- Cook on high for 10 to 12 minutes depending on the size. I usually cook for 5-6 minutes then turn over and cook it for another 5-6 minutes. If the squash is still firm continue to cook for 2 minutes at a time until soft.
- Remove from the microwave and allow the squash to cool
- Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds by scrapping out with a spoon
- Use a fork to separate the strands
How does spaghetti squash nutrition compare to pasta?
1 cup of regular spaghetti (pasta):
- Calories: 221
- Total Carbs: 43
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Net Carbs: 40 grams
- Protein: 8 grams
1 cup of cooked spaghetti squash:
- Calories: 42
- Total Carbs: 10 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Net Carbs: 8 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
Net carbs represent the amount of carbohydrates in the food that will affect your blood glucose or blood sugar levels. This is found by taking the total grams of carbohydrates and subtracting the grams of fiber from that amount.
While dietary fiber is a carbohydrate, it does not cause blood sugar spikes. It is typically subtracted from the carbs that raise blood sugar levels. What remains are the Net Carbs. These are the grams of carbs that most people count toward their daily carb intake.
Try serving this Chicken Pad Thai over cooked spaghetti squash:
Spaghetti squash not your thing? How about zucchini?
Zucchini Noodles
Zucchini also has a mild enough flavor that all of your favorite pasta toppings taste great over them.
You can simply cut the zucchini into rounds and boil them for several minutes to soften them up. You’ll want to avoid over cooking them. You want to soften them a bit. Not turn them into mush.
You can make zucchini into a variety of shapes such as strands, thin ribbons, larger ribbons to use in place of traditional lasagna sheets in your favorite lasagna recipes.
Zucchini can be made into long thin noodles similar in shape to spaghetti pasta (as seen above). Or you can turn them into a ribbon shape (as shown below).
To make ribbons:
Use a vegetable peeler to peel ribbons off the zucchini. Peel from one end down to the other to make a long ribbon. Keep peeling ribbons and stop when you get to the seeds.
To make long, thin strands similar to spaghetti:
You can run the zucchini over the larger holes of a cheese grater. This will make thin strands of zucchini. If you hold the zucchini the long way it will make longer strands. You can also purchase a device called a vegetable spiralizer to create spiralized zucchini noodles.
How to use zucchini noodles (aka zoodles):
- Put the ribbons or strands in a colander and sprinkle a little salt (perhaps 1/2 teaspoon) over them
- Use your hands to toss the zucchini to coat them with the salt
- Leave the colander in the sink or place it over a bowl. The salt will pull the excess moisture from the zucchini giving them a more al dente pasta like texture
- Leave them sit for an hour or place in the refrigerator and let them sit overnight
- When your ready to use them wash off the salt and gently squeeze the water out. You can also blot them with a towel to remove the moisture.
- Use the zucchini pasta as they are or gently warm them up in some boiling water. Remember you don’t really want to cook them or they will become too soft and mushy.
- Top with your favorite tomato sauce and enjoy!
How do these zucchini veggie noodles stack up to regular pasta?
1 cup serving size of traditional spaghetti (pasta):
- Calories: 221
- Total Carbs: 43
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Net Carbs: 40 grams
- Protein: 8 grams
1 cup of zucchini zoodles:
- Calories: 19
- Total Carbs: 5 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Net Carbs: 3 grams
- Protein: 1 grams
Even if you aren’t passing on the pasta because of the carbs and just watching calories then one can easily see that using a veggie replacement beats pasta every time.
Let’s not forget all the nutritional benefits you get from including these vegetables in your diet. Aren’t we always being told that we (people in general) aren’t eating enough veggies? Why not kick pasta to the curb and put some healthy, vitamin rich veggies on your plate instead.
Why not serve some homemade spaghetti sauce over your zucchini noodles:
FREEZER TIPS:
Cooked spaghetti squash strands freeze well. Allow the strands to cool off and package into freezer bags. To use, allow them to thaw, drain off any liquid that may form when the squash thaws and then gently warm up. Top with your favorite sauce and serve. You can also add the frozen squash directly to dishes and cook until thawed/heated through.
Zucchini strands can be frozen after being prepped (salted to remove the excess moisture but NOT cooked). You’ll want to spread out the pieces on a baking sheet and freeze. Once the pieces are frozen you can remove them from the baking sheet and place in a freezer bag to store. This will keep the strands from freezing into one large frozen mass.
Use the zucchini vegetable noodles right from the freezer and add it to your recipes. The texture of the frozen zucchini is better this way. I’ve found if you thaw them first before cooking that the texture becomes very soft and mushy.
Shirataki Noodles (Miracle Noodles)
Shirataki noodles are thin, translucent noodles made from a fiber from the konjac root / konjac yam. They are a traditional Japanese food that became a popular low carb pasta replacement once people realized that the fiber they were made from left them with zero net carbs. The low carb and keto communities quickly picked up on these noodles and suddenly there were a wide range of companies producing them in various shapes.
These noodles look like pasta and have a slightly chewy texture making them a pasta replacement that actually looks like pasta.
The one difference is the liquid they come packed in to keep them soft has an unusual smell. The noodles need to be packed in this liquid to keep them from drying out. However, some of the brands currently available smell….. sort of fishy. That smell seems to carry over to the noodles and they can have a bit of this same flavor.
I only warn you because I had no idea and thought that my first packages of noodles had gone bad. I opened and threw out several packages before learning that the scent was normal. Some brands are worse than others. Before you buy multiple packages you may want to try one out to be sure you like the texture, taste and even smell.
After trying a variety of brands I came across one that is amazing. These are made with konjac fiber, like the others that are available, but they also have oat fiber. This fiber addition seems to improve the taste (no fishy taste) and smell (no fishy smell). If you have tried shirataki noodles before and found the smell a bit off putting then give Zeroodles a try!
Zeroodles come in a variety of shapes such as angel hair, spaghetti, fettuccine, penne and a rice shape. The texture is great and these noodles have NO SMELL! They are easy to use in recipes. Simply drain, rinse, pat dry and add to your favorite recipe.
Since writing this post back in October of 2019 the Zeroodles package has been updated by the company and the name has changed. They are now sold under the name Liviva but the noodles are still the same. Here’s the updated packaging:
Liviva organic shirataki noodles (Amazon link) are found in several shapes including spaghetti, penne, fettuccine and even a rice shape. Each package contains two smaller bags. I find that one of the smaller bags is more than enough for a larger sized single serving.
Shirataki nutritional information for 1/4 of package:
- Calories: 28
- Fat: 0 grams
- Total carbs: 4 grams
- Fiber: 4 grams
- Net carbs: 0 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
Try using the shirataki rice shape to make this delicious Lemon Keto Rice dish. It’s a low carb take on a favorite lemon orzo dish that my family enjoys. Rather than use high carb orzo pasta I swapped it out for zero carb shirataki “rice”. Everyone still loves it because the texture of the shirataki rice is very similar to pasta. Give it a try!
Want to hear more about these noodles? Listen to this quick review:
Other Pasta Alternatives:
There are lots of other pasta substitute that can be found on the shelves at your local grocery stores. Many of them, while not a traditional white pasta or a whole wheat pasta are still made from ingredients that are high in carbs. Some of the bean pastas are lower in carbs than the others.
Here’s a few that you might see:
Gluten-Free Pasta: made with a variety of gluten free flours such as corn flour, white rice flour, brown rice flour, quinoa flour and others. They run about 40 Net grams of carbs per 1 cup.
Chickpea Pasta: this type of pasta is made with chickpeas, pea starch, tapioca and xathan gum. A 1 cup serving of pasta has 30 Net grams of carbs.
Lentil Pasta: made with ground red lentils, this pasta has 28 Net grams of carbs in a 1 cup serving.
Bean-based Pastas: there’s several different types of bean based pastas on the market including a black bean pasta made with Soy black beans (10 Net grams of carbs in one cup), Edamame pasta (9 Net grams of carbs in 1 cup) and even combination bean pastas Edamame/Mung bean (6 Net grams of carbs in 1 cup).
Palmini Pasta – this is a low carb pasta made from Hearts of Palm. They are low in carbs (2 Net grams of carbs per serving) and have a texture similar to pasta when prepared correctly.
If you love pasta and want to use a pasta with fewer carbs than the traditional flour based stuff then give spaghetti squash, zucchini and Zeroodles a try.
If you are looking for other low-carb/keto recipe ideas, be sure to check out our growing Recipe Index full of low-carb/keto recipes! Try these recipes with your favorite low carb pasta replacement:
Cincinnati Chili with Spaghetti Squash
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