Carbs in Pasta & Noodles

How to make pasta healthier

When eaten in moderation, pasta can be part of a healthy diet. Portion size is important when it comes to pasta, and it is a good idea to weigh out the amount of pasta per person before you cook it. It’s all too easy to cook more than you need if you pour the dry pasta from the pack. Aim for 50g to 75g of dry pasta per person.

Of course, in addition to the type and amount of pasta you have, what you top it with is also important. Carbs and calories can stack up quickly when adding high-fat or high-calorie toppings like cheese and cream-based sauces.

Try to use a tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce. In the examples shown below, you’ll see that the carbonara has significantly more calories and fat than the spaghetti bolognese. Adding plenty of vegetables to your dish helps to boost fibre and antioxidants. Finally, go easy on the cheese! Cheese can add significant calories and saturated fat to your pasta dish.

Carbs in rice noodles

A typical portion of rice noodles contains between 50g to 70g of carbs. Brown or wholegrain noodles have a higher fibre and lower carb content than rice noodles.

Carbs in egg noodles

Egg noodles typically come in either fine or medium thickness. A typical portion of egg noodles contains 40g to 60g of carbs.

Low carb alternatives for pasta

There are a variety of alternatives that you can use instead of pasta and noodles if you are on a low carb diet and are trying to lower your carb intake. Think about the dish you are preparing and what might make a good alternative. For example, if making a lasagne, instead of lasagne sheets, you could use aubergine and/or courgette slices.

Another low carb alternative to pasta is certain squashes, such as spaghetti squash or acorn squash.  They are naturally lower in carbs but still packed with other beneficial vitamins and are a good source of fibre. Red lentil pasta is a great alternative to normal pasta. It is high in fibre and still looks and tastes like pasta.

Low carb alternatives for noodles

For a low carb alternative for noodles in stir-fry dishes, try going without noodles entirely and make a low carb stir-fry such as cashew stir-fry, or chicken & oyster mushroom stir-fry.

Cashew stir-fry (without noodles)

Per portion (300g):
Carbs = 11g
Cals = 309

Low carb pasta options

Some companies are now making low carb pasta, such as Slim Pasta, Better Than, and CarbZone. It is important to keep in mind that these low carb pasta products are normally also low in other nutrients such as protein and fibre. This could lead to you feeling less full after eating. You may need to add more protein and veggies to your pasta dish to bulk it out.

How many carbs in restaurant pasta & noodle dishes?

When you eat out at a restaurant, the carb content of pasta and noodle dishes may be different from what you are used to at home. Portions are often larger and it is hard to control the extras such as sauces and cheese that are added. This loss of control over serving sizes and what is included in your dish can put some people off eating out.

Thankfully, the Carbs & Cals app contains a wide selection of well known restaurant chains with all the nutrition facts to help reduce the guesswork and support your healthy eating.

Carbs in restaurant pasta dishes

If you are trying to estimate the carbs in a pasta dish for your meal plan, a useful tip is to compare it to what you would have at home and decide if it is more, less or the same as your typical portion. When choosing healthy foods while eating out, when it comes to pasta dishes, we recommend picking dishes with extra vegetables and a tomato sauce, rather than a creamy one.

In the three examples below, you can see the carbs vary from 76g to 112g. This is a wide variation and can be difficult for you to estimate. The Carbs & Cals app contains the nutritional facts for a wide number of well known restaurant dishes.

Carbs in restaurant noodle dishes

Noodle dishes tend to be lower in carbs and calories compared to pasta dishes, as they typically contain more vegetables and less heavy cream-based sauces. However, there are so many options and dishes on offer, and the portion size will, of course, play a key part in determining the number of carbs.

In the example below, you can see 3 popular noodle dishes from Wagamama: Ramen, Pad Thai and a lower carb Glass Noodle Salad. You can see a wide variation with the glass noodle salad having around half the carbs of the other two dishes.