Use your noodle: Gluten-free pasta

Gluten-free doesn’t mean you have to subject yourself to never eating pasta again. If this were so, our household would be pretty dang depressed. We all love pasta and usually eat some form of noodles at least once a week.

Fortunately, as more folks begin to change over to a gluten-free or low-gluten diet, there are more and more alternatives to replace this glorious staple of so many wonderful dishes.

I mean, who could live without mac and cheese? Or spaghetti and meatballs? Or lasagna??

Editors from Food & Wine recently did a taste test comparing some of the top brands, and the line up is a pretty good one. You can read their results here.

Although their findings produced a fine list of top choices, there were still quite a few (unlisted) that were not up to snuff.

The problem with gluten-free pasta is the consistency factor, and with some, one extra minute of boil time can mean you’ve got a big ol’ pot of mush.

Without the gluten, pasta becomes an entirely different beast.

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When we started into this lifestyle, so many friends sent helpful suggestions that I avoided some potential disasters, but still taste-tested many of the ones currently in our pantry.

From corn to quinoa to rice, each one has its own texture, taste and consistency.

Personally, I’m a fan of Schar, but Trader Joe’s corn fusilli is also a winner, as is
Ancient Grains quinoa and brown rice lasagna noodles.

Schar was the closest comparison by far, almost indistinguishable from wheat pasta. It can be bought in bulk on Amazon or from their site which really can cut your costs down considerably.

The bottom line is to actively find the one you like best, read reviews and taste test before you commit to a bulk buy. You sure don’t want to have a case full of something you don’t really like eating!

Of course, if you can’t find something you like, you can always make your very own from scratch!

Check back for Twinkle’s recipe soon!

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Twinkle VanWinkle was born in a small town in Mississippi. A life-long lover of music, media and food, she grew up following those three things along her path. She has almost 20 years of professional cooking under her apron strings, feeding thousands of friends, family and other folks while working in restaurants and bakeries in Oxford, Miss. She baked apple pies for the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and appeared on Food Network's “The Best Of...” in the same year. Along with producing dynamic lifestyle content for LIN Media, she is a mother, musician and social media fanatic.

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