We all have a guilty pleasure, and if we’re being honest, pasta is probably most of ours. Diet culture tends to make carbs a sin, but thanks to all the information out there, we now know that this isn’t necessarily true, its about how you make them!
These days making a good nutritional pasta is far from hard, you just need to slot in some alternatives.
Work those noodles
Spaghetti is not always your only choice, even if its your go-to. These days you can get a variety of vegetable options as a replacements to a carb-heavy pasta base. These are also an great way to up your veggie intake. Zucchini pasta for one, is the alternative we wish we knew about sooner.
Salt the water
Sometimes we tend to have a bit of a heavy hand on the salt. A good trick is to salt the water just before throwing the pasta into the pot to cook, this in essence prevents you from adding salt to the plate once you dish. The ultimate win here is a dish with lower sodium levels, amazing right?
All vegged out
Protein options to your pasta does not always have to be chicken, beef or pork. If you’re looking for the perfect ‘Meatless Monday’ meal choice, then let the veggies take centre stage in your pasta dishes.
Playing around with some greens can be a fun creative way to make your dish more nutritious. Sauté those veggies in a pan with some butter for a nice crispy crunch addition to the pasta and for some more flavour throw in a dash of soy sauce.
It’s all in the flavour
Not everyone loves veggies and these are the facts, so finding creative ways of getting them in there is a God sent. Creating a veggie sauce or puree is such a good hack to have the veggies, without actually having the veggies. If the crunch doesn’t work for you or the kids, sauté those veggies in the pan and give them a good blend afterwards. Another good trick would be to add sardines to the mix just before blending as this gives an amazing flavour.
ALSO SEE: Homemade pasta guide for beginners
Written by Rojaun Devos for Woman&Home.
Feature image: ollo via Getty Images
