Top five alternatives to pasta, potato and rice
Pasta, potatoes, rice: the three carbs everyone settles for. Change the habit of a lifetime and serve your dinner with one of our top five experimental sides instead.
All of our five favourites are just as filling, and would work great with both meat and fish. Plus they're generally healthier, too.
Spelt
An ancient, nutty grain which is a cousin to wheat (but can usually be eaten by people with wheat intolerances), spelt is chock-a-block with nutrients and is also a good source of protein. Anthony Worrall Thompson serves his with lots of dried fruit, nuts, and fresh herbs to make pilaf (above).
Barley
Did you know that these little pearls are a member of the grass family? Nutty and chewy, they’re a fantastic source of fibre and can help lower cholesterol. Paul Merrett uses the grain to make a barley salad, with plenty of crisp green vegetables. Serve with goats’ cheese toast to make it a main meal.
Couscous
Tiny granules made from steamed and dried durum wheat, couscous is a popular option because it takes less than five minutes to cook. Stella McCartney prefers the whole wheat variety to make her spiced couscous, which includes fresh herbs, roast sweet potato, and pistachios.
Bulgar wheat
There’s nothing vulgar about bulgar! Made by coarsely grinding wheat berries, it’s another protein-packed grain and is great in salads, pilafs, and stuffings. Tabbouleh, a favourite mezze salad, tosses bulgar wheat with parsley, mint, lemon juice, a slosh of olive oil and ripe tomatoes.
Beans (and sweet potato)
Two great options (beans = protein; sweet potato = Vit C and iron), rolled into one with this sweet beans pie recipe. Kidney, butter and baked beans, all mashed up with herbs and cheese then topped with sweet potato mash. Lower the quantities and it would make a great side to red meat.
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