Delicious Low Carb Side Ideas for your meals

If you are looking for some delicious and healthy low-carb side dishes to accompany your meals. Look no further than Slimming Eats. In this post is lots of yummy ideas for low-carb side ideas that are not only nutritious but packed with flavour and easy to prepare.

Are you trying bulk out your meals to make them more filling while still keeping calories low? then Slimming Eats Recipes and Ideas will satisfy your taste buds and help you achieve your weight loss goals. So here goes with some healthy low carb side suggestions.

Pasta and Noodle Replacements

All of the below are great replacements for pasta in dishes that require pasta, such as spaghetti bolognese etc

• Spaghetti squash (this can be hard to come by at certain times of year, it is normally readily available across the US/Canada but for those of you in the UK, try local farm markets or online veggie box deliveries, plus supermarkets like Waitrose. See how to cook spaghetti squash here
• Spiralled Vegetables – I recently bought a vegetable spiralizer and omg  I love it, courgette tastes so much better when spiralled and then lightly sauteed with olive oil spray with a little garlic and salt or your favourite seasoning, this is a great substitute for pasta, and why not try some other veg, like carrot, butternut, swede, radishes - pretty much any veg that is not hollow or soft.
• Beansprouts – These are great in stir fries in place of noodles. Just add to your meat and stir fry for a few minutes and you are done.
• Shredded Vegetables - like cabbage, brussels, carrot etc are all great for subs for pasta or noodles.
• Sauteed Veggies or Stir Fries - make a rainbow of colours by choosing lots of different vegetables - courgette, peppers, carrot, mushrooms, cabbage, baby corn, spring onions.

Mashed Potato Substitutes

Do you want a mashed potato style side for your main course but are trying to go lighter on the carbs/calories? Then try some of these alternatives:

• Mashed Vegetables – Swede, Celeriac and Carrot are all great replacements for mashed potatoes, you can try a couple mashed together or on their own. Just steam until tender and then mash with your choice of seasoning.
• Mashed Squash – squash roasted or steamed and then mashed is also a lovely substitute for mashed potatoes. If you roast it, then it has a more sweeter flavour.
• Cauliflower – this is actually surprising good as a topping for Shepherds or Cottage pie. I often make a mashed potato substitute using cauliflower instead of potatoes, like this Soured Cream and Spring Onion Cauliflower Mash. Why not try my Cheesy Cauliflower Mash Topped Pie it's a delicious cottage pie recipe that uses a really tasty cauliflower mash as the topping.

Chips and Roast Potato Low Carb Substitutes

Fancy chips, but need to reduce the calories in your meal? Try some of these:

• Try roasting some butternut squash or celeriac instead. Root vegetables like carrot and swede work well too. Just drizzle with a synned serving of olive oil or use Frylight or Pam spray, cover with your choice of seasoning and roasted in the oven until caramelised. Paprika sprinkled roasted butternut squash is a favourite of mine. But some rubbed with crushed garlic and fresh herbs works well too.
• Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli – okay they don’t have that starchy texture, but they are still equally delicious roasted in the oven with some slivers of garlic and onion.
• Cheesy Vegetable Bake - this is a delicious side for any recipe
• Roasted Vegetables - so many possibilities for yummy sides with a variety of different vegetables roasted on a tray.

Rice Substitute

It is my friend the cauliflower again. Seriously though, this vegetable is so versatile and did you know it really does work well as a substitute for rice?

This is definitely the best method for cauliflower rice - Roasted Cauliflower Rice

but there is also this Egg Fried Cauliflower Rice - for a great side to your Chinese Fakeaways

What to add to salads to make them more interesting

Then of course there is always the choice of a salad with your main meal, and it doesn't need to be boring lettuce. There are so many things you can add to a salad to make it delicious and interesting.

Here are a few things I like to use:

• Mixed Lettuce - baby leaves and crisp lettuce
• Cucumber
• Thinly Sliced Raw Veggies - cauliflower, broccoli, fennel, carrots
• Radishes
• Onion
• Peppers
• Beetroot
• Fruit
• Tomatoes
• Pickled Veg
• Jalapenos
• Roasted Vegetables - like butternut squash
• Celery

Other Low Carb Side Suggestions

It doesn’t have to just be a replacement for the usual carb heavy stuff. Vegetables are equally yummy just as they are, they key though is added some of your favourite seasoning to make them more flavourful.

Low Carb Side Recipes

and if you need some low carb side recipes, check out these

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