If you're trying to eat healthier this year, you're probably trading in your bowls of carb-filled pasta for spiralized veggies. When you get home from a long day at work though, the last thing you want to do is bust out the spriralizer when you could dump simply some boxed pasta into a put of water, boil, and call it a day. Solving the healthy diet versus convenience debacle, Green Giant released frozen Veggie Spirals.
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Green Giant Veggie Spirals™ are set to be the first brand to nationally distribute frozen veggie spirals. The spirals contain only 15 calories per servings, while the average pasta dish contains a whopping 200 calories. According to Business Insider,
"The latest in the brand's popular Veggie Swap-Ins™ line can save Americans more than 2 trillion calories this year if consumed in place of pasta."
Not only can Americans replace their carb-filled calories for lighter caloric meals with the new spirals, but they can also increase their veggie intake - which let's face it, it's hard for some of us to squeeze more vegetables into the diet.
If you're worried about the prep time compared to the average pasta cooking time, you'll be happy to know you can have dinner on the table in a mere six minutes. That certainly beats all the prep it takes to spiralize veggies, not to mention spending extra money on a spiralizer kitchen gadget, when all you want to do is veg out.
When discussing the company's move to introduce the new product, Green Giant Vice President & General Manager Jordan Greenberg stated,
"Families are always looking for new ways to simplify their clean eating routines, especially in the New Year, and Green Giant Veggie Spirals is our answer to their call."
Made from 100 percent vegetables, the paleo and gluten-free vegetable noodles come plain with no seasonings or sauce, meaning you can doctor them up any way you see fit. There are also four veggie pasta varieties to choose from - beets, carrots, zucchini, and butternut squash - so you can mix up your flavors and not eat the same old thing every night after work.
Speaking of after work, the last thing you probably want to do right now is go on an endless Pinterest search, trying to think of ways to use the new veggie noodles. Don't worry, we've got you covered.
Ditch that hand held spiralizer and whip up one of these five vegetable spiralizer recipes. Without needing to deal with vegetable spiral slicer and different blades, frozen veggie pasta will be you're new go-to for any spiralized meal.
1. Garlicky Butternut Squash Noodles with Spinach and Ricotta
Spiralized vegetables can easily fool you into thinking you're eating pasta, like this satiating Garlicky Butternut Squash Noodles with Spinach and Ricotta. Taking all the prep time out of the spiralizing, all you have to do is simply cook the noodles and prep you toppings.
Sauté pine nuts, garlic, and red pepper flakes, then add in lemon, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes. Toss with the pasta then top with creamy ricotta, and dinner is served. Cutting the time in half, after a single bite you'll be thanking Green Giant for the wonderful shortcut. Get the recipe here.
2. Stir Fry Zucchini Noodles
Stir-fries are a quick, super easy way to bust out dinner. Add zucchini noodles and you've got yourself a healthy weeknight dinner. All you need are some Green Giant spiralized zucchini noodles, onion, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and sesame seeds.
With only ten minutes to cook and less than 200 calories, you'll be humming your happy food song while enjoying your meal. Get the recipe here.
3. Lemon Garlic Zucchini Noodles
Speaking of quick and easy, Lemon Garlic Zucchini noodles with Green Giant are as simple as it gets. Thanks to not needing a veggie spiralizer, you can take a few ingredients and add it to your zucchini spaghetti for a flavorful meal.
Take garlic, lemon, and a handful of parsley, toss it with your zucchini, and dinner is ready in a snap. You can also add in tomato sauce for a more filling meal. Get the recipe here.
4. Roasted Spiralized Carrot, Feta, and Toasted Walnut Salad
Forget using a grater or vegetable cutter for adding carrots to your salad, use Green Giant and turn them into a filling meal with this Roasted Spiralized Carrot, Feta, and Toasted Walnut Salad recipe.
Roast the spirazled carrots - along with spiralized zucchini if you like - with balsamic vinegar, then toss with feta and walnuts for a scrumptious take on the average shredded carrot topped green salad. Get the recipe here.
5. Roasted Beet Pesto Pasta
There are an endless array of salads you can make with beets, but let's face it, you're craving pasta. Satisfy your cravings and eat more of your veggies by making this tasty low carb Roasted Beet Pesto Pasta recipe. Beet spaghetti - not extra kitchen tools required - is topped with a beet pesto, hazelnuts, parsley, and nutritional yeast for a healthy, satisfying bowl.
Don't have time to make pesto? Use store-bought or squeeze on some lemon and add a dash of oil. Either way, you'll be happy to ditch the carbs for this tasty beet inspired veggie spaghetti. Get the recipe here.