Living Low Carb with Shirataki Noodles

Shirataki noodles are made from glucomannan powder and contain no carbs or calories. (There are some varieties which contain tofu, so watch the labels carefully if you want to avoid the soy and/or extra carbs and calories in these.)

Noodles with tofu need to be kept in the frig. Noodles without tofu are room temp stable for up to a year.

Shirataki noodles are mostly soluble fiber, which makes them very filling. They come in many different shapes. Their somewhat rubbery texture can take some getting used to, so I recommend newbies try a small shape first.

My favorite shape is orzo because it is small and blends into recipes well. My second favorite is angel hair. (I snip the angel hair with scissors to shorten the strands.) You can order a variety pack to see which shapes you like and run any you don't like through a blender to pulverize them.

Shirataki noodles are packed in water and have a slightly fishy smell, which rinses off easily by running them under cold water in a wire colander. They don't need to be cooked before using; just add them to your recipe.

While it's possible to use shirataki noodles as you would use regular pasta, some people are disappointed with the results. I got mixed reviews at my house when I fixed them that way.

I was thrilled when I discovered that pulverizing the noodles caused them to blend into my recipes. My husband was happy, too!

My first experiment with pulverized noodles I called "Cheesy Grins" because that's what I was wearing when I tasted the results and they were very similar to the cheesy grits I was aiming for. (Using orzo-shaped noodles eliminates the need to pulverize them.)

I have created recipes using shirataki noodles for everything from puddings to noodle bakes to Crockpot meals. Check out my recipes in the links below...