The best low carb pasta alternatives are cauliflower, spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles and eggplant. These vegetables can replace traditional pasta in familiar dishes like carbonara, mac and cheese and arrabbiata. The carbs are as low as 3 to 4 grams per serving. Regular pasta has over 40 grams of carbs per cup. The alternatives in this collection range from about 3 grams to 13 grams depending on the recipe.
Each recipe below comes from a real food creator and uses a different vegetable as the pasta alternative. Whether you are on keto or watching your carbs these recipes can help you out.
Cauliflower has about 5 grams of total carbs per cup, compared to over 40 grams in a cup of regular spaghetti. This recipe uses roasted cauliflower as the base for a classic carbonara with crispy bacon, parmesan, and egg yolks. The cauliflower gets caramelised in the oven first, which gives it a rich depth of flavour you would not get from boiling.
Spaghetti squash has roughly 7 to 10 grams of carbs per cup. That is about a fifth of what you get from regular pasta. This recipe cooks the squash in an Instant Pot. It cuts time down to about 15 minutes instead of 45 to 60 minutes in the oven. The flesh separates into golden strands that work beautifully as a noodle replacement. Top it with your favourite sauce and you've got a pasta substitute that fits easily into a keto or low carb plan.
Spaghetti squash keeps the carb count at around 7 to 10 grams per cup. This recipe makes it even more filling by stuffing the shells with spinach, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes and pecorino romano. It gets baked twice so the cheese melts into every strand. It is vegetarian, gluten free and works as both a side dish and a meatless main dish. A great option if you want something more substantial than plain squash noodles.
One cup of raw eggplant has about 5 grams of carbs. A serving of this Sicilian style parmigiana comes in at roughly 10 to 13 grams depending on the sauce. What makes this version especially low carb is that the eggplant slices are fried plain with no flour, no egg wash and no breadcrumb coating. They get layered with tomato sauce, parmesan, and fresh basil. You can use this recipe as a lasagna substitute.
This recipe uses cauliflower into a traditional mac and cheese by cooking small florets right alongside the pasta. The cauliflower breaks down during cooking and practically disappears into the creamy cheese sauce. The result is a bowl with fewer carbs than a standard mac and cheese. It still contains pasta though. It is a smart way to start with lower carb eating. It works well for picky eaters who are not ready for a full pasta swap. If you want the full keto/low-carb version just remove the pasta. It works for the Roasted Cauliflower Carbonara from xoxoBella so it will work here too.
Zucchini noodles are one of the lowest carb pasta swaps you can make. It's only about 3 to 4 grams of total carbs per cup. That is roughly a tenth of what regular spaghetti gives you. This recipe pairs spiralised zucchini with a spicy arrabbiata sauce made from fresh tomatoes, garlic and red pepper flakes. It's prepared in minutes. This is the quickest and lightest option in the collection.