Low-calorie pasta can be made with healthier ingredients like whole wheat, semolina, and soy flour. Vegetable purees like spinach, butternut squash, and beetroot can replace eggs. Vegetarian and seafood-based dishes with tomato or olive oil-based sauces are lower in calories. Simple dishes like spaghettini aglio e olio and pasta arabiata are low in calories and full of flavor. Pasta primavera can be a low-calorie cream-based dish with healthy ingredients like cheese and sour cream.
Low-calorie pasta noodles can range from spaghetti to ravioli, but the important factor is the ingredients. Ingredients like whole wheat, semolina and soy flour are healthier choices and provide fewer calories or kilojoules than starchy white flour alone. The noodles can be made with or without egg; obviously, pasta made without eggs generally contains fewer calories or kilojoules than those with eggs.
To replace the moisture eggs give to noodles, many people use vegetable purees, adding a pop of color to noodles without the calories or kilojoules. Spinach is probably the most popular ingredient, giving the noodles a greenish tint. Butternut squash and squash are also used, as well as beetroot which creates a rosy color in the pasta.
As for the dishes, the different types of low-calorie pasta are the ones that become vegetarian dishes. Pasta dishes made with fish and other seafood are also more likely to contain fewer calories or kilojoules than other meat-based pasta dishes, such as chicken and beef. Even low-calorie pasta meals tend to have tomato- or olive oil-based sauces. This is because cream sauces are usually made with high-calorie ingredients like milk and butter. Dishes with fewer ingredients will also contain fewer calories or kilojoules.
An example of a simple low-calorie pasta is “spaghettini aglio e Olio”. This dish has only two main ingredients: garlic, which is garlic, and oil, which is olive oil. Spaghettini, on the other hand, are the thinner version of the classic spaghetti pasta. Some spices like basil and thyme can be added for some flavor, while red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper can be sprinkled over the dish for a little more kick.
Pasta arabiata is another low-calorie meal that has more color and flavor. It has a tomato based sauce, added with garlic and onion to taste. Italians prefer to use penne for this dish, as the shape of the pasta makes it ideal for holding the sauce. For fresher, healthier pasta arabiata, fresh tomatoes can be used to make the sauce from scratch.
One cream-based dish that can be a low-calorie pasta snack is pasta primavera. Usually, this dish uses any green vegetables available in spring. These vegetables can include asparagus, broccoli, fennel and peas. Salsa ingredients can be made with healthier ingredients like cheese and sour cream, instead of milk and butter.
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