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When the world first began to realize that gluten was an issue (and when I say world, I mean America—my relatives in Europe and good friends in Latin America think the gluten-free craze is senseless), options were limited for those trying to avoid the problematic ingredient. There were a lot of lengthy and questionable ingredients lists on gluten-free food. It seemed that the food industry had swapped in every genetically modified food imaginable in place of that little evil gluten, making it almost more worth it to just eat the gluten stuff.
Of course, we all know who got hit the hardest by a gluten-free diet: pasta lovers. Well, bread and pasta lovers, to be specific. These are two foods that at first seemed very hard for food manufacturers to get right if they were going to skip the gluten. Everything was either super dense, too chewy, or so fragile it’d fall apart the moment you touched it. And pasta and bread lovers know that consistency is so important with that food. I know that the first few bags of gluten-free pasta I tried about eight years ago or so left me with some digestive issues I’d rather not discuss here (and you’d rather not hear about, I’m sure). But, eating gluten-free isn’t easy.
Now, luckily, there are far more options when it comes to good gluten-free products. In fact, rather than feeling like I’m missing anything by eating gluten-free pasta, I actually think much of the gluten-free stuff brings more to the table. It’s far more nutritionally rich than traditional pasta, and can be pretty diverse in flavor. Companies are getting way more creative when it comes to the ingredients they choose, and it’s lead to some really tasty and interesting spaghetti, fusilli, macaroni, and all the classics. If you don’t know what’s out there, here are gluten-free pastas you should try.
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Brown rice and quinoa
Brown rice and quinoa pasta has a really nice, slightly grainy texture due to the brown rice, but still gets its firmness from the quinoa. Plus, it’s loaded with fiber, protein, and minerals. If you are a vegetarian and looking for more meat-free sources of protein, just add veggies and your favorite sauce to this pasta and you’ll feel plenty satisfied.
