I love pasta. LOVE love love pasta. On 14 April 2014, when I received my surprising life-changing near-death diabetes diagnosis, my doctor told me NO PASTA. None. Zip. Zero. Never. I thought I could beat it, that this whole no-pasta rule would just be a temporary thing. Especially when I went on insulin that September, and learned about “covering carbs” with insulin. But covering carbs hasn’t worked for me. While it allows me to eat pasta without dying, it doesn’t mean I should east pasta. At least not very often.
Enter shirataki noodles.
About Shirataki Noodles
Shirataki noodles are not a noodle substitute. They are a legit Japanese noodle, made from yam, and naturally very low in carbs. They come in a wet or dry variety, however we have only ever found and used the wet variety.
I heard about these shortly after my diagnosis, from friends on Facebook. My husband and I started researching them, and decided to order a few bags. It was worth the experiment. Shirataki noodles have become a regular part of our low-carb diet.
They definitely are NOT a straight substitute for pasta. Hubby and I both agree that these noodles make an excellent substitute for Asian noodles, but there is something about the texture (on the slimy side) that makes them less desirable (in our opinion) in Italian style pasta dishes. They aren’t bad in Italian dishes, I just prefer other low-carb alternatives for my Italian sauces (that’s another blog post). They go virtually undetected in Asian cuisine though, working great in hot or cold dishes.
Our Recommended Brands
Jeff and I regularly buy and cook with two brands of wet shirataki noodles — Miracle Noodles (we buy them from Amazon), and House Foods (carried by our Albertson’s, also available on Amazon). Miracle Noodles have to be refrigerated, while House Foods can be stored dry in the pantry (despite still being a wet noodle). Neither of us have ever noticed any difference in taste between the two brands.
When ordering from Amazon, you have to buy in bulk. The prices below are for multiple bags per unit. At Albertson’s, we can buy individual bags.
Each bag of Miracle Noodles yields 2-1/3 servings (3 ounces each, 9 ounces per bag), and each bag of House Foods yields 2 servings (4 ounces each, 8 ounces per bag). So we almost always have to use two bags when cooking, although we can go with just a single bag if preparing a dish just for the two of us (no leftovers).
Following are the specific varieties we regularly use.
Miracle Noodles Brand
| Angel Hair | Fettuccine | Ziti |
|---|---|---|
| 2g carbs / 0 cal / 0g fat | 2g carbs / 0 cal / 0g fat | 2g carbs / 5 cal / 0g fat |
House Foods Brand
| Angel Hair | Spaghetti | Fettuccine |
|---|---|---|
| 3g carbs / 10 cal / 0.5g fat | 3g carbs / 10 cal / 0.5g fat | 3g carbs / 10 cal / 0.5g fat |
Cooking with Shirataki Noodles
Swap for cellophane noodles in our original recipe.
Swap for regular pasta in our grilled shrimp scampi recipe.
- Wet variety shirataki noodles
- Sauce and toppings of choice
- Heat a saucepan of water on high.
- Open bag of noodles, and dump in a strainer or colander.
- Rinse under cold water 1-2 minutes (this is to rinse off the fishy smell).
- Add to boiling water for 2 minutes.
- Strain water out of noodles.
- Serve with your favorite sauce and toppings.
