Oh no! It’s an imPASTA!

Growing up in a family where Mom cooked lots of pasta, the Celiac diagnosis was detrimental.  I couldn’t imagine living without pasta!  Tortellini, lasagna, cheese ravioli, shrimp scampi, macaroni salad-all gone!  That is until I did some research and lots of taste-testing.

Here’s what I’ve found:

Different brands have different flavors.  Just like most food, brands can make a big difference, but as mentioned in last week's post, a better flavor doesn’t always correlate with a higher price.   The best brand I’ve found to make spaghetti, penne, elbow, and rotini is Barilla.  It’s not much more than the regular pasta, and the flavor and texture is almost exactly the same as the real deal.  I also enjoy Wal-Mart’s Great Value Rice Pasta and Cheddar Cheese--or more commonly known as mac and cheese.  I’ve never been a fan of off brand mac and cheese, but this stuff is great!  And Seth loves it too!  He even likes my lasagna!  I use Gluten Free Cafe No Boil Rice Lasagna noodles.  It’s super easy to make and you can’t even tell the difference!

Know your ingredients.  Because gluten-free pasta is not made with wheat flour, a substitute has to be used.  You will see phrases like “made with corn” or “made with rice.”  Some brands even say “made with brown rice.”  Each substitute has a different flavor and texture.  When it comes to any food, I am very particular about texture, so pasta has to be just right.  I like the corn and rice blends more than the brown rice pasta.  The brown rice pasta is a tougher noodle.  I like my pasta al dente, and it seems impossible with the brown rice blends.  I also think the corn and rice blends taste the most like real pasta.

Specialty pasta can be hard to find.  One of the most difficult parts of grocery shopping was walking by the frozen section and having to pass up tortellini and cheese ravioli.  I also had no luck finding large shells to make manicotti.  Then I discovered Conte’s Pasta.  This brand is AMAZING!  Conte’s Pasta has frozen tortellini, cheese ravioli, and large shells already stuffed.  So far, I’ve not found a local store that sells this brand, so I have to buy it online through Gluten Free Mall, and frozen shipping can be pricey.

Keep an eye on the pot when cooking.  I’m not sure what causes gluten-free pasta to cook longer, but they do.  Sometimes it feels like they take forever to make, especially when I’m starving and can’t wait for some yummy mac and cheese.  It is important to keep a close eye on the pasta because once it does finish cooking, it can easily overcook--and mushy noodles are the worst.

So when making a pasta dish for your family or friends that have Celiac Disease, it is great to know the food can still be tasty and gluten-free!

What’s your favorite gluten-free pasta that the whole family can enjoy?  Comment below to share you ideas!

Be sure to check in later this week for my give-away announcement!  

Thanks for reading,

Brittany