Shirataki noodles, in their packaging, could quite possibly be one of the most unappetizing food items one might ever see or smell. Get past it and you have a terrific pasta replacement for your gluten-free lifestyle.
Nasoya PASTA ZERO plus is a shirataki noodle that contains 20 calories for 1/2 of the package and only 1 net carb (3 of the 4 total carbohydrates are fiber), 0 grams of fat and 1 gram of protein. Ingredients? Simple: water, potato starch, konjac flour, chickpea flour, calcium hydroxide, reduced iron, and folic acid.
The texture reminds me a lot of ramen noodles you find in the quick-prepared soups, and is not at all unpleasant. In fact, I rather like it.
See the spaghetti? It was really easy and incredibly delicious! For this dish, I rinsed the pasta twice, boiled the noodles for 20 minutes in water and 1 teaspoon salt, and then served hot with sugar-free, store brand pizza sauce, fresh-snipped Genovese Basil and shredded Parmesan cheese.
General recommendations based on the advice of friends for the pasta:
1. Do not let the smell of this product upon draining hamper you. The smell dissipates with rinsing.
2. That said, rinse twice–and thoroughly–so the product keeps less of that fishy smell.
3. Use clean scissors to cut noodles to easy-to-use lengths, especially since these do not always cut well with a fork.
4. Drain the product well well since it contains a lot of liquid.
5. Serve hot with a heated sauce. Don’t bother trying to get the noodles to absorb the sauce since they are fairly impenetrable.
Anne’s Easy Pad Thai
Add a splash of hot sauce to the Pad Thai sauce for extra heat. This amazing recipe is based on Anne’s luscious Peanut Butter Shirataki Noodles recipe and is used with Anne’s permission.
Serves 6
2 Tbsp peanut oil
2 Tbsp + 1tsp sesame oil, divided
2 cups cooked chicken tenders, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
1 package (12 ounces)(340 grams) frozen, all-natural stir-fry vegetables*
1 package shiritaki fettuccine noodles (1-1/3 cups), cut into 2 inch strips
2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar equivalent replacement
1 tsp sesame oil
To prepare the noodles, drain them well in a colander. Rinse twice and let drain again. Using a pair of kitchen shears or clean scissors, cut noodles into 2-inch strips. Place the noodle segments between 2 sheets of paper towel and allow them to dry for about 30 minutes, changing out the paper with a new sheet when it is saturated.
Heat 2 tablespoons each peanut oil and sesame oil in a large (1o-12″) skillet or a wok over medium heat.
Sauté chicken, stirring every 2 minutes, until browned (about 4 minutes). Add vegetables and stir; cook for 3 minutes. Add noodles and sauce. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
OPTIONAL: Serve with this Fried Cauliflower Rice recipe.
NOTES: * My stir-fry mix includes broccoli, sugar snap peas, green beans, carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms and red pepper for a total of 120 calories, 20 carbohydrates, 8 grams of fiber, 12 net carbohydrates, 0 fat and 4 grams of protein. If you replace the stir-fry mix with yours, subtract the following from the “entire recipe” totlas and add your own.
Makes roughly 6 cups of stir-fried meat, vegetable and noodle.
Nutritional Information per entire recipe: Calories: 1413, Carbohydrates: 36.7 grams, Fiber: 16.2 grams, Net Carbohydrates: 20.5 grams, Protein: 95.8 grams, Fat: 95.2 grams
Nutritional Information per 1-cup serving: Calories: 235.5, Carbohydrates: 6.1 grams, Fiber: 2.7 grams, Net Carbohydrates: 3.4 grams, Protein: 16 grams, Fat: 15.9 grams
The final word: I have never, until today, tried a Shirataki noodle, but I know I will definitely not only try these again but recommend them to others looking for gluten-free, soy -free solutions. Enjoy! Just plug your nose.
Nasoya All Natural Pasta Zero Plus
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Save: Print a coupon if you like their Facebook page in time click to print a coupon
Usefulness: Excellent low-glycemic soy-free, gluten-free pasta
Found: Store Locator
Website: Nasoya
Disclosure: Nasoya provided this product free of charge for review, but this has not affected my review of the item.
Whilst eating…what was the texture like, if it does not absorb the pasta sauce! What makes them …..smell?
Regards,
Glad
You know, it’s the liquid. I’m not sure what is in the liquid, to be honest, but it must preserve the noodles. It’s just an unpleasant smell. Now that I know how nice they taste, I am not afraid to open the bag and deal with it for 2-3 minutes, but it is a shock if you’ve never smelled that kelpy-seaweed-y smell before. It’s like the beach at low tide.
funny you should have this post today… I found them in our local Safeway store and tried them yesterday… the smell, ya. I knew to expect it. The texture… not bad. You are right, ya can’t cut them with a fork. I had mine with some leftover chili on top. The package said to throw them in a pan and cook them till dry. That might help as they are watery.
Strange product… I will try again, though, when I am craving pasta.
Thanks for your review. I tend to like the “noodles” with thai food and will try this pud thai recipe. I like kelp noodles in thai foods…
I have been hearing friends talk about “miracle noodles” for years in their various iterations, but I have never been brave enough to buy and try them myself due to the mixed reviews out there. I am thinking I really like this particular brand. I’m still a little dubious about trying others, simply because of the mixed reviews. I like the Nasoya and see no reason to change at this time.
It’s unfortunate that the brand name is Nasoya when there is no soy. I bet lots of people walk away from this product because of it. Going to try the pad thai soon!
Bonnie, that is such a good point. I was incredibly worried that this product contained soy. I can’t have soy. I am allergic, my mouth goes tingly and I feel terrible afterwards. I know they do sell a lot of soy-based products, so my guess is this is a new spin-off of their brand.
I’ve tried another brand of this type of product, and I was incredibly grossed out. I could get past the smell after the rinsing; it was the texture. I reminded me of what it would feel like if one wanted to chew raw, old meat. I mean my jaws sprung back and almost knocked me out.
Nadine– And reviews like yours (very true ones) are why I have never tried so many of the noodles out there. I didn’t want to spend money on something I was going to hate. This is more the consistency of Top Ramen noodles. They’re a little bit springy, but they’re not like chewing rubber bands. Any food that makes your jaw ricochet around your face = socially awkward, minimally.
I never do the boiling bit of the noodles just thorough rinsing. They are ready to eat after rinsing. I generally run boiling water through to heat them up or I toss them into a meal just before serving.
Recently made the most scrumptious ‘cheese macaroni’ with them. Cooked up 3 diced rashers of bacon, remove from pan-keep the fat. Add some cream cheese, sour cream and grated cheddar and Parmesan. Pop back the cooked bacon, stir in the noodles. Oh what blissful memories of my childhood!!
Your dish sounds positively hearty and simple. I love it! I might get to the point where all I have to do is to rinse the noodles and heat them minimally, but at this point, I really need that extra step to assure the smell from the packaging subsides (at least psychologically). I could try boiling for only 10 minutes next time. I don’t want to overdo it.
Hi, Miracle Noodle has been around for years and there are many recipes on their Facebook page.
I eat Shirataki noodles every night! I just get very creative with the add-ins. I love the macaroni type the best for some reason. (That is by House Foods, I think?) I buy so many at a time the cashiers always think I’m a huge weirdo. 😉 Thank you for the new recipe.
Macaroni noodles? Be still my piddy widdy heart. I am going to have to look for those, too. Thank you for the heads up, Stephanie.
I can get House Foods tofu shirataki noodles at local Albertsons. 1 net carb per serving. Ingredients do include soybeans. I rinsed twice and somewhat sautéed in a hot skillet. They were great mixed in a spaghetti type sauce. I had not told my husband that he was eating tofu until he had pronounced the dish delicious! Am eager to use in other dishes.
Very cool, Patty. That is a happy ending and promising.
Interesting! I made these and they did not turn out very well. The texture bothered me the most. I will try this recipe next time
It’s definitely a different texture. They’re so much like ramen noodles.
This was very good! I’ll be adding it to my recipe arsenal and making it again!
I am so glad, Matrigna! I know I was really impressed with these. I am going to try them again next week after my weigh in.
I wanted a “rice” dish so I put the miracle noodle in the blender and pulsed for a few seconds… it worked great and was a wonderful replacement for one of my all time favorite carb bombs!
What a great idea!
OMG! Thank you. Great idea.
I was very excited to find this recipe. I have used the tofu shiritaki noodles, and they are a very good alternative. Then I noticed this recipe makes 6 servings. That’s pretty small portions aren’t they? I can usually have a bag of noodles with Alfredo and chicken by myself. But, I guess at 3.4 net carbs I could afford to double it.
I say definitely double it. I know I did!
Can not find this product in the Salem, NH area, any locations near me where I can buy them?
Hi, Ann! That is a really good question. Using their store locator here: https://www.nasoya.com/buy.html?productid=2548400670&searchradius=10&zipcode=03079 it looks like there are some outside of Salem (within 10 miles), but you’re right–not in Salem.
I purchase them online from miraclenoodles.com
Good product but steep shipping costs!
My only question is where to buy Nasoya pasta zero. There is all this other stuff but no way to order pasta. I would like to order pasta zero thanks.
Hi, Susan! Here is their store locator. At this time, I don’t beluieve they sell online per se, but you could probably order other noodles online (I haven’t tried these, though): https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=nasoya+pasta+zero
Jamie,
Thank you for sending me this link in our email correspondence. I found some tofu shirataki noodles at our local Asian market on Thursday. I just made this dish tonight. Other than being a bit sweet, my husband and I really liked it. I’m going to buy some of that sriracha sauce and add to it. I used equal because it is the only sugar substitute I have. I thought about buying some Xylitol. Do you have any experience with that?
Thanks again!
Amber
Nice & Healthy meal for anyone!!
I love Pasta Zero…just looked online for a better deal (then grocery store prices) with no luck. I did find “Pasta Slim Spinach Fettuccine Tofu Shirataki Noodles.” Has anyone tried these?
Just a tip – (I eat these noodles a lot) After rinsing them for a min. (under hot water) – I drizzle some soy sauce on them. And let sit while prepping whatever else I’m eating. Or making sauce etc. Really zaps the smell right away – and adds a bit of salty flavor.
I just tried these and they had a very strong taste.
I prepared them as instructed.
What did I do?
Good idea for pad thai BUT what you cooked was not pad thai FYI 🙂 i’m thai.
haha well the “Americanized” version