Alternative to potatoes?

So many recipes (especially soups) call for potatoes as the starch component. Anyone have any suggestions for a lower calorie/lower carb alternative?

Cauliflower, sweet potatoes.  I like to use parsnips too, but I'm not sure how carby they are.

Ah - I never thought of using cauliflower - its the right color and consistency - thanks!!!

There is nothing wrong with potatoes, it is a very nutritious vegetable. Stupid Atkins fad, got people all riled up against this awesome vegetable.

UD

Potatoes are awesome..I love potatoes.   Umney is right, Atikins just ruined potatoes for a lot of people. They are a cheap, delicious, nutritious, very filling, and low calorie food when consumed without the usual mass quantities of butter or margarine, sour cream, cheese etc.

I agree that potatoes are good for you. I also like sweet potato and pumpkin as other similar-ish starches... but I don't eat them in recipes which call for potatoes.

I'm not suggesting I would never eat a potato again - just looking for lower calorie alternatives, as ounce per ounce potatoes have alot more calories than say - cauliflower. Many of the soup recipes seem to use potatoes less for their flavor and more as just a filler or as a method to thicken. I agree one baked potato with a reasonable amount of sour cream and chives is delicious!!

how about lentils?  you can get the red ones, they go mushy and are great as soup thickeners. 

I don't know about their carb content, sorry,  I THINK they're less calorific, but I'm pretty sure they'll have a higher protein content than the ubiquituous spud. 

Good luck.

Another great idea - Thanks!!

Original Post by mcheather71:

Many of the soup recipes seem to use potatoes less for their flavor and more as just a filler or as a method to thicken.

Cauliflower and other potato-substitutes will not thicken the soup though.  The reason that potatoes are used is that they break down and release starch out into the soup which thickens it.  Less starchy vegetables can't do this.  If you're going to puree the whole thing later, it might not be quite such an issue but if there's no puree step, there's no real substitute for potatoes (without throwing in cornstarch or similar - which defeats the purpose of substituting the potatoes in the first place).

I've found that using potatoes in soup isn't to bad as far as calories go, usually they don't contain a huge amount of potato so by the time you work it out with the water/stock/other veg etc. its not that calorific.. the biggest trap can be if you like toast or bread with your soup, thats where I fall down!

Try Pumpkin or Kumara soup as an alternative to potato based soups? Yummy esp. with a bit of curry powder added

mmmmm - SQUASH.... especially loved: Spaghetti Squash & PUMPKIN! delicious!!

Cannellini (or white kidney) beans! Whenever something like a soup/stew calls for potatoes and I don't have them (or don't want to use them) I replace them with white beans, or even chickpeas.  They break down during cooking, have the same type of "mild" flavor, and thickens the soup nicely.

Potatoes are only about 18 cals per ounce so a small potato in a soup isn't adding much to the calorie content.  Beans are a great food but clock in at 22 cals per ounce (cooked variety).  Cooked lentils are about 30 cals per ounce.

So if your concern is calorie content, the potatoes are arguably - ounce for ounce - one of the better choices.

Cornstarch for thickening. Two tbsp at 10g is 38 calories.