Get the flavor of baked macaroni & cheese without all the carbs
It’s no secret one of my favorite foods in the world before I started livin’ la vida low-carb was macaroni & cheese. Christine used to make two boxes of this stuff for me to eat in one sitting back in my sinful high-carb days prior to 2004 when I gobbled up the nearly 200g carbs per box that “meal” gave me. These days I wouldn’t dare dream of eating that many carbohydrates in a day or consuming regular pasta every again. Your body just doesn’t need it.
That’s why I was glad to see a low-carb recipe from our friends at Low-Carb Connoisseur for a macaroni & cheese substitute that looks like it could fill your desire for this favorite comfort food while keeping the carbs low on the totem pole. Using the low-carb House Tofu Shirataki Spaghetti Noodles, you’ll never miss enjoying this favorite dish again. ENJOY!
LOW-CARB SHIRATAKI-RONI & CHEESE-Y NOODLE BAKE
Two 8-oz packages of House Tofu Shirataki Noodles
1 large egg
½ cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
½ tsp. hot pepper sauce
TOPPING
1 Tbs butter, melted
½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
½ cup seasoned dried low-carb bread crumbs
Yields 4 servings
PREP TIME: 10-15 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 350°.
Prepare noodles according to package directions, below. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
Lightly beat egg in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and the noodles (not topping ingredients). Stir well. Pour into a well sprayed or buttered 1 ½ quart baking dish.
In another bowl, blend topping ingredients together and sprinkle over noodle mixture.
Bake 25-30 minutes until set and the top is crisp. Serve as a side dish, light supper or breakfast item. Each serving contains 5g net carbs.
I tried shiritaki noodles once, a loooong time ago. They took on the flavor of the soup in which I cooked them; not a memorable experience at all. The above looks far more promising.
I think you might like this one better, Barbara. THANKS for commenting.
–Jimmy
Jimmy
I made chili without beans tonight and served it over Shirataki fettucine noodles that I jjust rinsed well and microwaved to heat up for 2 minutes. I topped it with a little grated cheese.
It was great and kids would love it. CHILI MAC!
Sounds yummy!
–Jimmy
Jimmy, I’m sorry to bother you, but I have to ask. Do you happen to know the ingredients in those noodles? This sounds wonderful, but I’m allergic to Splenda. And do you know of any other granulated sugar substiture I could use in place of Splenda in sugar-free recipes?
THANKS Megan! My readers are never a bother to me, so feel free to ask questions anytime.
The shirataki noodles have glucomannon, which is a natural fiber source from a plant and tofu to give them a noodle texture. As for a great Splenda substitute, try the new stevia product called Truvia…delicious and works well in sugar-free recipes. THANKS for writing!
–Jimmy
Guess you’re not a soyphobe like so many low carbers. I miss the different varieties of freshly made tofu noodles for sale in local Chinese supermarkets. Shirataki noodles are a decent low-carb alternative to pasta. They work well in soups and salads with Asian-style dressings.
I also avoid sucralose and other artificial sweeteners. Besides Truvia, there is a sugar alcohol called erythritol. Unlike xylitol, another sugar alcohol, erythritol passes through the digestive system intact, and thus has no caloric or glycemic value. The only known side effect is that it acts as laxative if eaten in large quantities. Erythritol has a cooling effect in the mouth, so it doesn’t work well in baked goods. I use it to sweeten coffee and homemade cranberry sauce.
I don’t eat a lot of soy, but try to limit my intake of it. Actually Truvia is a mix of stevia and erythritol. The cooling effect is strange, but it does have a nice “sugar” taste to it.
–Jimmy
I think I am going to try this tonight. I’ve been craving mac and cheese for a while now and since I’m going away to Florida at the end of the week and trying to watch my carbs, this sounds perfect. I might add in a can of tuna to turn it into a cheesy version of a tuna noodle casserole.
Thanks Jimmy! I caught the link off the discussion group. I had picked up some of those noodles at a local health food store. I did also try the fried radishes tonight…they were Very Good!
Robin