Gluten Free Pasta
I was skeptical of how the texture would be, but I was surprised how great it was!
I can remember over a year ago I came across a box of gluten free pasta! I was so excited that I quickly bought a set of 3 boxes and tomatoes to make sauce.
After spending half of the day making a huge batch of the sauce I was going to jar and eat with my pasta, my mouth was water just thinking about it. By the time dinner time came I was more than ready to enjoy a big bowl of warm and cheesy pasta. I had not had pasta in over a year! This gluten free pasta was to be my savior and my welcome back into the world of Italian cooking.
I boiled it, drained it and finally poured sauce over. The first bite was going to be amazing! And…MUSH! The texture was so horrible. And for those of you who have been reading, you already know how much texture is important to me. I threw it away disappointed and resigned to the fact that gluten free pasta was not ever going to be on par and so I would boycott it.
Fast forward to Thursday night of last week. I was in Whole Foods talking to a stock persona about gluten free foods and he said, I needed to try the pasta. Gluten Free PASTA?!? I had already sworn it off. But he promised me that if I did not like it, I should return it and return to speak with him directly. So I gave it a shot.
It was so amazingly good! Comfort food at its best (but without the bleached flours! even better).
A friend of mine, Brad, came over to chat on Friday morning and I asked if he would be staying for lunch. When he replied “sure”, I pulled some chicken out of the refrigerator and glanced at the cupboard where I keep quinoa. That green box of gluten free pasta caught my eye and I saw the perfect opportunity to make Brett a guinea pig in my pasta experiment.
I made the chicken as I boiled the water for the pasta and opened a jar of “cheater” sauce. (Some of those pre made sauces are not too bad, I must admit!) I boiled if for almost exactly as long as the box indicated. Only touching one of the noodles with my finger to make sure it was cooked enough to eat.
I served Brad & NOTHING! It was great. He just kept eating as I grated Parmesan over his pasta. He’s not gluten free & couldn’t tell the difference! His lack of reaction made me think it was safe to eat.
As fast as I could I stabbed my fork into the colander to pick up a pasta and then dipped it into the sauce (still on the stove). This pasta is amazing! It tastes even better and has a better texture than the whole wheat pasta (from what I can remember). I happily served myself a hearty portion and enjoyed every last bite. The people at De Boles know how to make great gluten free pasta. If you ever have the opportunity to try it, I highly recommend this gluten free pasta.
Let me know what you think in the comments section. -Chelsea
I tried the spaghetti the other night, and thought it was okay. The kids didn’t like it, compared to the Tinkyada pasta I’ve bought in the past. I was just trying to minimize the “rice” factor that’s found in SO many GF products, but the family didn’t care for it. Oh well.
I think since the pastas do not have gluten (which helps pasta’s shape and texture) the thinner the pasta the more difficult it is to make it resemble regular wheat pasta. I tried the penne and it was good. However, I agree with you on the “rice factor”. I do not think that it is a good idea to eat a lot of rice in an attempt to remove the gluten.
I have also heard a lot about the pastas by Tinkyada. Have you tried those yet? It is next on my list to try, as a few different people have raved about it.
Thanks for your comments Lara.
Cheers, Chelsea
I really enjoyed reading your blog. It was well authored and easy to undertand. Unlike additional blogs I have read. I also found it very interesting. In fact after reading, I had to go show the better half and she ejoyed it also!
Thanks so much for the support!
I am glad you have found it to be easy to understand and interesting. I just hope it helps you with your gluten free diet.
Cheers,
Chelsea
VRy interesting to read it
This is just what I needed to see, many thanks for posting it.
There are so many brands of gluten free pasta available now. I still
like Tinkyada, but there are some others I would like to give a try.
I haven’t tried this brand but have heard good things about it.
Hi Kathy,
Tinkyada is a great brand of pasta as well. I find that the brown rice pastas are the best, the ones made from corn and quinoa are a bit more difficult to cook.
Thanks for reading. Hope to hear from you again soon!
Cheers,
Chelsea