Why I Love Pasta Recipes {Hint: You don’t have to use pasta!}

So, this week is all about pasta. It is such a convenient conveyance for a wide array of sauces, salads, and main dishes. One of the things I’ve discovered by cooking through Simply in Season, however, is that you don’t have to use pasta in order to get the same convenience!

Tomorrow folks will be linking up their great pasta recipes. Maybe you are sick of pasta. Maybe you avoid it because you are trying to limit carbs or white flour and can’t stand the sprouted/rice/wheat alternatives. What to do? Consider these pasta alternatives:

Quinoa. That’s right. It’s technically a seed, and packs a lot of protein. I substitute it for couscous all the time (couscous is teeny tiny little bits of pasta). Think easy salads by adding beans, chopped vegetables, and a little vinaigrette (see? That sauces week paid off!)

Rice. Many times recipes will say “serve over pasta, rice, or bulgur.” I’ve discovered that most saucy things are good over rice. My favorite is basmati. I saw a commercial where they put canned stew over rice and called it dinner. While I don’t recommend canned stew, I thought it was a good idea – often recipes call for stew to be served atop egg noodles. Rice is a good stand-in.

Spaghetti Squash. I have to admit that I have only cooked spaghetti squash once or twice, as my husband HATES it with a passion. However, friends of mine use it all the time just as they would regular spaghetti.

Lettuce. This might seem weird at first. The idea came to me when I was at a fast food restaurant and ordered a taco salad and realized that they just put chili on top of the lettuce. It was actually pretty good. For fast food. It’s a great way to get in more leafy greens.

Polenta. Polenta, if you’ve not had it, is sort of like grits. It’s coarsely ground cornmeal. Anything that says “serve over pasta or rice” can also be served over polenta.

There you have it – some ideas to take those pasta recipes and start experimenting by not using pasta.

So, do you substitute any of the above for pasta? Any other tips?

This post shared at Things I Love Thursday