fbpx ;

Nosh: Tofu Shirataki Noodles

By
July 2, 2008

I love pasta. Like, I would eat it every night if I could. But alas, pasta is high in calories—even the whole-wheat, high-fiber kinds—and I don’t do pasta portion-control well. A 1/2-cup serving just isn’t enough in my book, no matter how much I try to fill up with a side salad. So, when I first heard about Tofu Shirataki Noodles, I was elated. These noodles are made out of tofu, which is a tad odd I’ll admit (and I’m even a regular tofu nut), but one package has only 40 calories, one gram of fat, four grams of fiber and two grams of protein. Wow.

I’d heard mixed reviews about the noodles. Hungry Girl is a huge proponent of them, but even she admits that they’re not for everyone. I figured that for 40 calories it was definitely worth trying. I picked up four packages of the noodles—two spaghetti and two fettuccine—at Whole Foods. Each package costs about $1.75, so it wasn’t crazy expensive. With my new noodles, I tried three different ways to munch them up.

3 Ways

 to Try Tofu Shirataki Noodles

1. The fettuccine experiment. I’d heard about Hungry Girl’s fettuccine alfredo recipe, so it was a natural noodle starting point. I have to admit, I wasn’t that impressed. The recipe was fine, it only took five minutes to make (in the microwave, too, which was awesome), and it was filling, but the fettuccine noodles were really chewy and kind of slimy. I added more parmesan, loads of freshly

ground black pepper, salmon and steamed broccoli, which helped, but, sadly, it still wasn’t my fave. Although it did look pretty.

2. Soup it up. You can use the noodles in a variety of ways, including in soup. I had recently bought a can of Progresso’s Hearty Tomato Soup, so I decided to give it a go. Once added, the noodles were still chewy and slimy, but I liked them better when they weren’t the star of the show. In fact, you could make a full meal of the soup by adding in some low-fat turkey meatballs. It would be like SpaghettiOs, only good for you. After this revelation, the noodles started to grow on me.

3. Stir-fry success. I like stir-fry almost as much as I like pasta. And what better way to combine my two food loves than to make stir-fry with pasta? Delish. I browned some tofu (you could easily use chicken instead), stir-fried loads of fresh veggies, stirred up some low-fat peanut

tofu-shirataki-noodlessauce, and then tossed the remaining two packages of the spaghetti noodles with the deliciousness. And. It. Rocked. The spaghetti noodles were thinner and therefore less chewy, and my man had no idea he was wasn’t eating normal pasta. A stir-fry success? YES.

The Fit Bottomed Girls’ Take on Tofu Shirataki Noodles

While the fettuccine noodles probably aren’t for everyone, the spaghetti noodles were pretty awesome. With only 40 calories for almost two cups of noodles, they’re definitely worth a try.

Tips to Make Tofu Shirataki Noodles Extra Tasty

The Tofu Shirataki packages are found in most natural food stores or online. I found mine in the refrigerated section with the tofu products. To cut down on the chewiness, be sure to drain the noodles and dry them off well with paper towels before cooking them. Also, the noodles can be a bit long, so either run your knife through them to avoid excessive slurping or be prepared to slurp away! Other than that, get creative and enjoy the tofu-noodley goodness. —Jenn

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!

New Fitness
New Mamas
New Eats
New Zen

Comments

10 Comments
  1. every gym's nightmare says:
    July 2, 2008 at 2:47 pm

    40 calories for 2 cups of noodles? thats kind of amazing…

    i always make stir fry cause it always turns out perfect- its hard to mess up. even for me 🙂

  2. Trish says:
    July 2, 2008 at 3:19 pm

    Wow, looks great, I need to look for those noodles!

  3. JennDZ - The Leftover Queen says:
    July 2, 2008 at 5:01 pm

    Hi! Thanks for your comment on my blog! I am so glad you found a great substitute for pasta pasta. So you can indulge and not feel the guilt! 🙂

  4. MizFit says:
    July 3, 2008 at 10:10 am

    lovelovelovelove

    just filmed a video on these as they are a MIZFIT STAPLE!

    I knew we were kindred spirits!

    M.

  5. Beth says:
    July 4, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    I just discovered your blog — and love it! These noodles look quite tasty. I recently discovered Ramen’s new line of organic noodles, which are tasty, healthier than regular Ramen, and easy to make. They don’t seem quite as nutritionally thrifty as these shirataki noodles, though, but our natural food store doesn’t sell them. I might have to order some! Anyhoo, love the blog — check out my own healthy cooking blog here!

  6. Anonymous says:
    July 26, 2008 at 11:32 pm

    I just tried these noodles for the first time and I am very impressed. They taste great and I actually enjoyed the chewiness.

  7. Anonymous says:
    January 14, 2009 at 7:15 pm

    I just found your website – how exciting!

    these noodles are wonderful if you microwave one container of green giant just for one broccoli with cheese sauce (1 pt for the container) and then mix with the noodles. It’s a great treat and only one point……or 100 calories.

  8. Anonymous says:
    May 20, 2009 at 4:12 pm

    I use Shirataki noodles all the time and love them. Mostly in asian type foods (like pad thai), but sometimes in Italian style dishes as well.

    The author was exactly right that you MUST rinse the noodles before using, but I’ve also found if you “saute” them over HIGH heat for a minute or two after rinsing you never have gooey noodles.

    Hope this helps.

  9. lorrwill says:
    June 29, 2009 at 4:00 am

    I was totally stoked when I found these at Safeway. Thank goodness for decent food you can find easily!

    I just tried these with the GG broc and cheese and 3 ounces chicken breast tenders. The entire ginormous serving is a whopping 326 calories.

    I love the texture of these shirataki – but I saute dried them. Anonymous (Anonymouses, Anonymii?)had some great tips for these awesome low-cal noodles.

    I will be re-concocting a lot of noodle based recipes using them.

    (I am SO glad I found this blog!!!)

  10. CP Jen says:
    July 15, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    I know this is an old post but I wanted to comment on using these noodles. I use them all the time. I've found that if I (1) rinse them thoroughly, and then (2) cook them in the microwave for 3-5 minutes after rinsing that it just about makes the texture like regular noodles.

    I do recommend taking a clean pair of kitchen scissors and cutting them up a little, because they're too long.

    But if you eat them right out of the package they smell funny and are slimy and rubbery. Rinsing and cooking work wonders.

Comments are closed.