what do you eat with pasta?

[neonalee]

I'm meal planning for my first week with my SD (13) living full time with us, so I need better rounded meals.  We've agreed to 1 pasta meal a week.  We're trying to reduce carb consumption - what's a good side dish?  DP does not like having bread with pasta anyway (too much carb he says), and when we make pasta it's generally very veggie heavy.  Do we not need a side?  I just feel like there should be more than 1 thing, does that make sense?

Another question - if you had a veggie main dish that was served with rice and/or naan, would you serve both?

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by neonalee 

I'm meal planning for my first week with my SD (13) living full time with us, so I need better rounded meals.  We've agreed to 1 pasta meal a week.  We're trying to reduce carb consumption - what's a good side dish?  DP does not like having bread with pasta anyway (too much carb he says), and when we make pasta it's generally very veggie heavy.  Do we not need a side?  I just feel like there should be more than 1 thing, does that make sense?

I tend to just do a salad on the side - plain greens, maybe some grated carrot or chopped tomato (would put in cucumber, but dh doesn't like it). If we don't do a salad, then we just put out a tray of cut veggies (usually about four different kinds). I know what you mean about "there should be more than 1 thing", and it's nice to have a bit of variety, anyway.

Another question - if you had a veggie main dish that was served with rice and/or naan, would you serve both?

In our family, I would. But, that's because I love, love, love rice...and both my middle kids hate it. They both love naan. So, they'd each get a piece of naan, and I'd eat rice, and maybe have some naan, as well. Mind you, we've been playing more with quinoa lately, and using it in place of rice, under some of our curries...

[2xy]

We usually do salad with pasta. If the pasta sauce is heavy on tomato, sweet pepper, onion, I keep the salad simple. If it's a cream sauce or piccatta style, I load up the salad with more veggies.

[onlyzombiecat]

We usually have salad and garlic bread if we have side dishes. Dd doesn't eat salad but does eat the bread. If the sauce had a lot of stuff in it we might not have anything else.

Maybe you could just do some olives and cheese to go with the pasta.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/guides/antipasto.php

I would have both rice and nann because we love both of those things and we aren't trying to be low carb.

[katelove]

If we do anything with pasta it would be a salad but, for us, pasta tends to be an on-it's-own thing.

We'd usually just have rice with the vege curry but occasionally we do roti as well.

[zebra15]

Pasta usually has a meat in it, either chicken or meatballs.  Also garlic bread, sometimes I will eat that or I will just make enough bread for DS.   Always a salad as well.

Sometimes I skip the traditional pasta and make lasgana or pasta bake type stuff.  But the bread and salad is a must around here.

A teen eats differently than a grown man.  Your SD is going to need carbs and such as she is growing and developing, where your DH may skip those parts of the meal.

Kids eat ALOT... be ready for that!

[MEcatlady17]

We rarely eat bread with pasta unless I've bought some of the frozen Alexia garlic baguettes on sale- way too delicious...

I like to make pasta with stuff mixed in- like artichoke hearts, diced tomatoes, spinach, feta, etc.  I also add non-meat proteins like cheeses, tofu, or beans in with a pasta dish.  I get sick of pasta with red sauce.  If we eat it like that we have a side of salad or veggies from the freezer.  Basically, I try to balance the starch with veggies and proteins.

[skreader]

With pasta, usually it will be a salad or a cooked greenie.

Sometimes to save water & heat I'll boil water w/ salt & oil, plunge in my veggie (e.g. cut up broc) and boil for about 3 minutes until tender. Then I'll scoop out the veg and  add a bit more water and re-use for boiling the pasta.

If I'm serving a non-pasta dish usually it will be rice or bread (including roti or tortilla) but usually not both.

[Lenore K.]

Just a single fruit looks and tastes great with veggie-laden pasta. Slice some oranges. Grapes. Strawberries.

Steamed broccoli is a standard in our house.

I don't have a problem serving just one dish (think stir fry).

We do like garlic bread.

[newmamalizzy]

Originally Posted by skreader 

With pasta, usually it will be a salad or a cooked greenie.

Sometimes to save water & heat I'll boil water w/ salt & oil, plunge in my veggie (e.g. cut up broc) and boil for about 3 minutes until tender. Then I'll scoop out the veg and  add a bit more water and re-use for boiling the pasta.

If I'm serving a non-pasta dish usually it will be rice or bread (including roti or tortilla) but usually not both.

Ditto on the cooking veggies in pasta water thing.  We often do green beans like this - boiled a few minutes, well-drained, then tossed with olive oil and sea salt.  Delicious lukewarm, and add a nice crisp couterpart to pasta dishes. 

[MommyofNRM]

Originally Posted by 2xy 

We usually do salad with pasta. If the pasta sauce is heavy on tomato, sweet pepper, onion, I keep the salad simple. If it's a cream sauce or piccatta style, I load up the salad with more veggies.

Completely agree! I didn't read all the posts but if you eat meat- I like chicken thighs or chunks of beef in my tomato sauce. Yummm