30 Low Calorie Pasta Recipes You Need to Try Now (2024)

FAQs

Which pasta is lowest calorie? ›

"Vegetable-based pastas, such as zucchini noodles or hearts of palm noodles, tend to be lowest in carbs and calories," says Sassos. "They are also packed with nutrient-dense vitamins and minerals and are naturally gluten-free. Shirataki noodles and kelp noodles are also quite low in carbs and calories."

Protein builds lean muscle, fiber reduces hunger and promotes gut health, and healthy fats enhance satiety. You can make any fat-burning pasta dish by using whole-grain, high-protein noodles, adding lean meats, and replacing fatty dairy products with low-fat cream and cheese.

In addition to whole wheat pasta, pasta made from other ingredients such as chickpeas, lentils, and veggies are great options when you are on a diet. Non-traditional pasta like these are generally lower in carbohydrates and calories while having higher protein content.

If you are buying a jarred or canned sauce, choose a tomato-based (marinara) sauce rather than a creamy sauce. Creamy sauces usually have more saturated fat and calories. Eating too much saturated fat has been linked to heart disease. Tomato-based sauces also contain more nutrients like vitamin A and lycopene.

At 117 calories per 100g Vs pasta's 160 calories per 100g, rice has significantly lower calories, so swapping pasta to rice may be beneficial for anyone controlling their calories as a way to lose or maintain their weight.

Black rice contains the least amount of calories and carbs per cup, and it's considered to be the richest in antioxidants out of every rice variety, which makes it the best choice from a nutritional standpoint and a weight loss standpoint.

You can eat pasta for weight loss *What you pair with your carb source is significantly more important than carb selection itself. Choose the carb you prefer, and pair with lean protein, fiber, and lower calorie sauces.

Choose brown rice or wild rice over white rice. Brown rice and wild rice are generally better for weight loss because they're whole grains and higher in fiber (but you can still have white rice sometimes, too, just mix it up!). Monitor your blood sugar. Keep an eye on your personal response to rice.

Eating simple pasta without any veggies would mean loading up on carbs. Instead, add lots of sautéed veggies to your pasta, such as corn, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, olives and jalapeños. This will also reduce your overall consumption of carbs-loaded pasta and increase your fiber intake.

Are potatoes good for weight loss? ›

Research demonstrates that people can eat potatoes and still lose weight. FACTS There is no evidence that potatoes, when prepared in a healthful manner, impede weight loss. In fact, a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition demonstrates that people can eat potatoes and still lose weight¹.

Marinara sauce is lower in calories and fat, making it a preferable sauce choice for those that are counting calories or on a low-fat diet. It also has more fiber than Alfredo sauce as it contains mostly vegetables. Conversely, high-fat diets are on the rise, making Alfredo an ideal sauce for many consumers.

Palmini low-carb pasta uses the interior of a type of palm tree to create a pasta-like substitution. If you've ever had hearts of palm, the taste is somewhat unique (some people love it, and others hate it). As far as low carb noodles are concerned, Palmini is a great option with fewer carbs than most.

Whole-grain pasta is typically high in fiber, manganese, selenium, copper and phosphorus, while refined, enriched pasta tends to be higher in iron and B vitamins. Whole-grain pasta is also lower in calories and higher in fiber and certain micronutrients than refined pasta.

It doesn't actually lower the calories, but it does cause chemical changes that cause your body to digest the reheated pasta differently than fresh cooked. Reheated pasta causes less of a spike in blood insulin levels and makes the carbohydrates harder to digest, like fiber.

Complex carbs - oats, brown rice, brown pasta, sweet potatoes etc - contain high levels of fibre which makes them a useful aid to weight loss because the body takes longer to digest them, meaning you'll be left feeling fuller for longer.