Desiring weight loss but can't seem to give up your heaping bowl of rich pasta? 

Although noodles can certainly fit into a well-balanced diet, people often misinterpret serving and portion sizes, ultimately overindulging on calories and carbs. 

Give your beloved pasta a nutritious makeover with these low-carb pasta alternatives.

7 Vegetable Pasta Substitutes

From zucchinis to beets, find out how to transform nutritious produce into a low-carb pasta option!

1. Zucchinis

To dramatically decrease carbohydrate content, lean towards zucchini noodles over regular, boxed pasta noodles. 

Create the noodle look by using a tool called a spiralizer. Even if you do not own a spiralizer, chopped zucchini makes an excellent blank canvas to harness various flavors.

2. Spaghetti Squashes

A spaghetti squash is not only low in calories and carbs like zucchini noodles, but is also packed with vitamins A and C. Scrape the flesh out of a cooked spaghetti squash to achieve a noodle-like product. 

Complement with a wide variety of seasonings and sauces such as pesto sauce, filled with fresh herbs and olive oil, that will accelerate the nutritional profile even further. Looking for more ideas? 

Try one of these 10 delicious ways to eat spaghetti squash! 

3. Carrots

For a "healthified" macaroni n' cheese, cook or steam chopped carrots until tender. 

Create tasty variations such as a New Orleans-inspired dish by mixing mozzarella cheese, Cajun seasoning, and green onions. For an Asian-inspired dish, mix julienne-cut carrots with fresh garlic, soy sauce, scallions, and sesame seeds.

4. Sweet Potatoes

Take the pasta world to a completely new level with this sweet potato noodle dish with kale pesto. The richness of flavors and nutrients will have you forgetting about traditional noodles! 

If creating the noodles seems like too much of timely task, don't fret! Cubed potatoes can still pair nicely with pesto and other preferred seasonings and spices.

5. Cucumbers

Have fun with temperature changes of pasta! Stay cool as a cucumber with a fresh, chilled pasta salad. 

Pasta noodles can be reduced or absent by bulking up the salad with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, and black olives. Drizzle with olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add a little salt, pepper, fresh garlic, red pepper flakes and other preferred seasonings to your liking. 

Eat as a main dish or side with a chicken breast! Also, achieve more of a pasta presentation by using a julienne peeler to create lengthwise strips.

We have also given this 6-ingredient dill cucumber salad an update to keep your healthy lifestyle on track without having to sacrifice the flavors you love!

6. Seaweed

The noodle-like appearance of wakame takes "pasta" on a whole new level. 

For a unique noodle twist, drizzle seaweed with sesame oil, vinegar, and ginger. Bulk up the seaweed with cucumbers, avocados, and green onions. Eat alone or pair with fresh, fatty fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids!

This low-calorie superfood can be used in a variety of ways. And if you cannot get enough seaweed, try one of these top 7 seaweed recipes ideas. 

7. Beetroot

Beetroot noodles offer vibrancy and nutrients to dishes without loading up the calorie and carb content.

An approximate ½ cup serving of sliced beets supplies about 35 calories and 8 grams of carb. Beets are chockful of essential nutrients, including B vitamins, copper, folate, iron, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. They also contain betaine, which is an antioxidant and responsible for their rich, red color.

Cooking and enjoying beetroot noodles is simple and versatile, too. Prepare beet noodles with parsley pesto and parmesan, yogurt and dill, or goat cheese and pecans. Truly, the nutritious and delicious options cannot be beet!

Ultimately, noodles can be reduced or eliminated by bulking up pasta dishes with veggies. Although the texture may vary, the carb content is significantly lowered while supplying heaping amounts of nutrients. 

Have fun with veggie variations by experimenting with different cooking techniques and flavors! It is also important to remember you can still enjoy your favorite pasta, just do so in moderation and stick to portion sizes!