While a pile of crunchy bread or buttery mashed potato can be a comforting sight on occasion, too often can the subtle flavours of a dish become lost in a sea of carbohydrate. This collection of low carb recipes aims to demonstrate that pasta, rice and all those other stodgy stalwarts are not entirely essential components of a meal. From healthy dinners to light lunches and starters, there are plenty of recipe ideas here fit for a low carb diet.

Substituting traditional carbohydrates for low carb alternatives has become an increasingly popular trick in recent years, with courgetti, cauliflower rice and sweet potato noodles among the most well known swaps. For a fantastic low carb take on a seafood pasta recipe try Mauro Uliassi's Tagliatelle of cuttlefish with nori pesto, or Francesco Sposito's Squid tagliatelle – by cutting the seafood itself into pasta-like ribbons the dish carries all the flavour of seafood pasta without any of the calorific carbohydrate.

Whether or not you've cut starchy carbohydrates from your diet completely a low carb starter can be a great way to begin your dinner party as it won't overfill your guests before the main course arrives. The Costardi Brothers' striking 'Essential aubergine' is a fantastic vegetarian starter idea, while Giorgio and Gian Pietro's Tomato, mozzarella and beef recipe lets the quality of the ingredients shine through without the need for any bread on the side. Andrea Migliaccio's Rabbit stew recipe makes a wonderfully flavourful Italian main course, while the Cerea Brothers' clever 'Fake mozzarella' is an impressive option for a low carb dessert.