Have you ever been craving pasta, but avoided making it because of all of the carbs?

When I first started my weight loss journey, pasta quickly became one of my biggest cooking challenges. I tried several vegetable options like zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash, but I found that both were a pain to make. The spaghetti squash had a crunch to it that reminded me that I’m not actually eating pasta, and it took a while to prepare.  I love zucchini noodles, but the gadget that I used to make them was a pain to clean.

 Finally, I came come across something even better (and much easier) to make than both of these options: Slawghetti.

So what is Slawghetti?

Slawghetti consists of one bag of broccoli slaw, one jar of sauce, and whatever vegetables or meat you want to add. If you don’t already know this about me I love making substitutions, and so the beauty of this recipe is that it’s extremely easy to change based on what you’re feeling that day. If you’re feeling like making a Mexican dish you can try using salsa instead of sauce. For an Asian dish, substitute teriyaki sauce instead. Or, just stick with Italian and change up the sauce to an alfredo, cream, or pesto!

In my experience preparing vegetable-based “pasta” Slawghetti is one of the easiest, if not the easiest veggie pasta options out there. The preparation is simple and straight forward; all you need to do is put all of your ingredients into a slow cooker, set it to “high,” and let it cook for 3-5 hours.

The end result is a vegetable pasta that has a great texture and consistency. Unlike spaghetti squash which keeps some of its crunch, the broccoli slaw in Slawghetti becomes soft like pasta noodles, but stays firm enough so that it doesn’t fall apart. Of all of the pasta alternatives I’ve tried, this one has come the closest to the real thing.

By using broccoli slaw instead of actual pasta, there are several added health benefits of broccoli that can be enjoyed, specifically from the compound sulforaphane. This compound has been found to help preserve cartilage which may delay or prevent arthritis, as well as fight cancer by killing cancer stem cells. Broccoli is a significant source of calcium, potassium, and vitamin C, and may also help with allergies, anti-aging, blood pressure, blood sugar, digestion, heart health, immune system preservation, inflammation, kidney health, and skin damage.

Can “regular” pasta do that?

Here’s what you’ll need to try Slawghetti for yourself:

Slow Cooker Slawghetti (Recipe serves 4)

Equipment

• Slow cooker

• Knife

• Cutting board

• Measuring spoons

Want to make this recipe? Here's a starter kit:

Ingredients

• 1 bag of broccoli slaw

• 1 jar of sauce (any kind)

• Onions, Peppers, Spinach (I used frozen for all of these and didn’t even bother measuring any of it out, but you can if you'd like)

• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• Fresh parsley

• Scallions

Directions

1. Place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and mix.

2. Turn slow cooker to high and leave it for 3-5 hours (if you are adding meat, let it cook for 4-6 hours).

3. Sprinkle scallions on top of the finished product.

Additional Ingredients (optional)

• Cubed chicken breast

• Shrimp (cook separately and add once the slawghetti is done)

• Ground meat

• Diced tomatoes (with or without green chilis)

• Cheese

• Red pepper flakes

© Whatismyhealth

Special thanks to our sources:

• http://fitslowcookerqueen.com/slow-cooker-slawghetti/

• http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/5-health-benefits-of-broccoli/

Updated 1/3/2023