Low-carb and keto pasta recipes

By , medical review by – Updated February 3, 2020

A low-carb or keto way of eating means giving up or at least cutting way back on starchy foods like pasta, rice and potatoes. Our modern way of eating makes this seem hard and many people eating low carb or keto know that one of the most common questions they get is “What do you eat instead?”

The answer? Food. Real food. Vegetables in different forms make great dishes with all your favorite sauces. Enjoy your Bolognese, Carbonara or Alfredo sauces with zoodles instead of noodles. Thin strips of green cabbage fried in butter makes for another great option.

Traditional pasta is made from wheat flour which raises your blood sugar faster than sugar. By replacing it with a vegetable, you get more nutrients, more flavor and by adding a delicious sauce, enriched with healthy and natural fat, you stay satiated for much longer.

Here are all our top low-carb pasta recipes:

Instead of pasta

Your recipe here?

Do you have a great low-carb recipe that you want to share? We can cook it, photograph it and publish it here on the site, with your name on it. Or maybe you have a traditional recipe you want us to make a low-carb version of. Please send us an e-mail at kristin@dietdoctor.com with your suggestions on how to make our recipes better. Alternatively, leave a comment below.

25 comments

1
Sharon Cassidy
August 2 2018
what and how do you make ( keto) which seems to be the paste replacement for supermarket paste?
2
Maddison
August 12 2018
Does anyone have a good gnocci substitute? I absolutely love pasta and have been missing it immensely.

Replies: #6, #27
3
Rodney Nelson
August 12 2018
Shiritaki noodles are a good replacement. Don’t cook too long. They get kinda rubbery
4
Catherine
August 16 2018
I think Jerusalem artichoke pasta is delicious. Our family loves it.

Reply: #5
5
Reply to comment #4 by Catherine
Mira
August 16 2018
If you're referring to artichoke pasta made by DeBoles, it's largest ingredient is wheat which it not allowed on the Keto plan. Even gluten free rice pasta (Tinkyada) is not allowed. Keto followers are supposed to eat gluten free flours like almond, coconut, cashew and other nut flours.
6
Reply to comment #2 by Maddison
Mira
August 16 2018
There are recipes online for mozzarella-based "gnocchi" similar to Fat Head pizza dough that you boil and ricotta-based "gnocchi" that you bake. (I haven't made either recipe.) Here are two links:

http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/fathead-keto-gnocchi-low-carb/

http://www.mariamindbodyhealth.com/gnocchi/

(FYI: Maria Emmerich writes Keto cookbooks which are the largest sellers of all Keto cookbooks online).

Reply: #13
7
Dawn
August 20 2018
Hi what about Spaghetti Squash?
8
Anna A.
September 1 2018
Spaghetti squash is incredibly delicious. I eat it with all the usual pasta sauces. Make no mistake, however- it is not and does not taste like pasta. I have tried (and am still trying) to just accept the fact that some foods have to be permanently eliminated from a healthy human diet. I do not try to make substitutions (they will invariably disappoint you.) The selection of acceptable keto-friendly foods and recipes is enormous- there is so much we CAN eat. But old habits and ways are hard to break and change. I am not completely there yet (I still look enviously at my friends' fettuccine alfredo). But I know my body is thankful for my choices.
9
carol
October 22 2018
so can I use spaghetti squash in a recipe in lieu of pasta? How high in carbohydrates is it? Thank you
10
Debbie
January 12 2019
Highfalutin low carb does a "pasta" comparison that are "keto friendly". He gives the links to the recipes also to try. Works for chicken noodle soup so might be okay for a pasta dish if needing that "taste or texture".
11
Tom
January 16 2019
Any suggestions for a meatloaf filler?

Replies: #12, #16
12
Reply to comment #11 by Tom
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
January 17 2019
Here's a good meatloaf recipe on our website.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/bacon-wrapped-keto-meatloaf
13
Reply to comment #6 by Mira
Janice
January 26 2019
Mira, I'm trying this for sure! thx for sharing
14
Rosemary Smith
February 18 2019
Does anyone use Carbquik ( may not be spelling that right) baking mix? I know two people who swear by the stuff. Is it legal?

Reply: #15
15
Reply to comment #14 by Rosemary Smith
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
February 19 2019

Does anyone use Carbquik ( may not be spelling that right) baking mix? I know two people who swear by the stuff. Is it legal?

We do not recommend any of the low carb bread mixes that use wheat. We have recipes for keto friendly breads on our page that are a much better option.
16
Reply to comment #11 by Tom
Patti
February 20 2019
I’ve used crushed pork rinds in place of the bread crumbs. Delicious!
17
Billie Shelton
March 26 2019
Spaghetti squash is tasting better and better to me!
Be creative!
18
Megan
April 7 2019
I make cottage pie with ground beef carrots peas and a brown gravy instead of potatoes I mash a cabbage place it on top of ground beef mix after it's cooked cabbage all over the top then top it with sharp shredded cheese and place in oven at350. For 45 minutes delicious!

Reply: #19
19
Reply to comment #18 by Megan
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
April 8 2019

I make cottage pie with ground beef carrots peas and a brown gravy instead of potatoes I mash a cabbage place it on top of ground beef mix after it's cooked cabbage all over the top then top it with sharp shredded cheese and place in oven at350. For 45 minutes delicious!

That sounds delicious! With the carrots and peas, that may work if you are eating a more moderate or liberal low carb diet but is likely too high carb for keto.
20
Theresa Lepiane
May 16 2019
Mashed Turnips work well as a potato substitute. They don't taste like potatoes--sweeter and a little bit of a cauliflower taste, but not as much as cauliflower itself. Lots of butter works well, and I'm always under my fats ratio, so lots of butter works well.
21
Liz
May 16 2019
Use pork skins..
2 comments removed
24
Angelique Abel
August 28 2019
Help!!! I need a breakfast substitute that is egg and breadless, but convenient to be able to eat on the go. My job is floater (traveling last minute to fill in where needed). My staple in the past was pre-cooked sausage and cheese on an english muffin, bagel, or wheat bread. Any suggestions would gladly be taken into consideration.
25
Shelly-Ann Danglade-Miller
September 12 2019
Egg muffins
1 comment removed
27
Reply to comment #2 by Maddison
Ashley
February 4
Trader Joe's has a cauliflower gnocchi that I like a lot!
1 comment removed
29
Annette O'Carroll
February 28
I make corned beef hash with frozen cauliflower (1 whole pack) well cooked, 1 carrot, 1 small onion and 1 tin of corned beef. Steam the carrot and cauliflower till soft, mash over heat to dry out a little, add pepper and butter and stir in fried onion and tin of corned beef. Would feed 4 but my son eats a lot, so it does for 3 in our household, lol.
My son has just been trying keto because I've been on keto for about a year, so I've been making him try at least a spoonful of everything I cook and he is slowly coming round to the idea that some of it's actually quite delicious. He's 24 so I told him if he won't try it, I won't cook, lol :)

Low-carb and keto pasta recipes

Instead of pasta

Your recipe here?

25 comments

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