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The swap: Pasta alternatives

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We runners are known for loving our pasta. Some of us maybe love our ravioli and spaghetti a little too much. We hate to say it, but when it comes to eating lighter, pasta is the enemy. If you’ve perfected your tomato sauces and pasta topping combinations though, cutting out this carb-heavy food might be tough. Luckily, there are many pasta alternatives out there. Keep the tomato sauce and basil handy, and switch the pasta out for one of these substitutes. Many of these are noodles made out of vegetables and so chances are, you’re going to need a spiralizer in the kitchen.

Garlic cauliflower risotto 

When shredding the cauliflower with a grater, it turns out looking like rice or orzo pasta. Go ahead and cook it using the same ingredients you normally would for risotto. Or use this creamy garlic recipe above.

Spaghetti squash with mushrooms and Parmesan 

Spaghetti squash is maybe the ultimate pasta alternative. This recipe is great for those fettuccine Alfredo lovers out there because the calories from the pasta and heavy sauce are cut out but the flavour stays similar.

Pad Thai zucchini noodles 

Pad Thai is delicious but it’s also known for being quite high in sodium and fatty, greasy ingredients. This recipe is a gift to those who love this Thai staple because it makes the dish healthy.

Zucchini lasagna

Use this fun recipe or just keep your own lasagna recipe using the exact same ingredients but swapping the actual lasagna noodles for slices of zucchini.  

Spaghetti squash with roasted tomatoes and herbs

The taste or the roasted tomato combined with Italian herbs is really the thing you can’t give up. Use spaghetti squash instead of regular spaghetti and keep this item on the menu without feeling like you must compensate for eating heavy pasta.

Shrimp with zucchini noodles

Nothing beats shrimp pasta dishes. The recipe is so delicious that those who try it are bound to forget that it’s not even real pasta.

Sweet potato spinach pasta

This is a sneaky way to get in your dosage of greens. Load on the spinach when making this one. The sweet potato and flour do make these gnocchi bites quite filling so runners won’t find themselves overloading their plate either. Top it with your favourite sauce or saute vegetables and sprinkle with Parmesan and herbs.

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