Need a novel and fast approach to dinner? Try using a vegetable in place of your traditional pasta.

When SPH went through a low-carb phase back before we had children, I marveled at all the ways there are to replace traditional pastas with vegetables. We often made lasagna using sliced eggplant or portabella mushrooms in place of the traditional lasagna noodles. We also tried spaghetti squash with marinara sauce, something we still eat from time to time. But even during our low carb experimenting, we never had tried using other vegetables as a “pasta” of sorts.

Last year we used zucchini, that had been thinly julienned in our mandolin, as the “noodles” with alfredo sauce. Recently I saw in a food magazine, the idea of using thinly sliced asparagus or green beans in the same preparation. Another food resource suggested using other squash, again thinly sliced, as a base for pasta.

In the interest of full disclosure, since pasta is a traditional kiddie favorite food, your kiddies might be none too happy with a new and foreign texture standing in for their beloved pasta noodles. But while G was not so sure about our rendition of zucchini alfredo, R gobbled it up. You just never know, so as I often think when cooking a new food, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

This recipe idea is super easy to execute, especially if you happen to own a mandolin:

Simply julienne:

Saute (well, so the vegetables are tender enough, sort of like al dente pasta) and mix with your favorite alfredo and top with a sprinkle or two of cooked ham or bacon:

SPC