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Four Alternatives to White Pasta
Pasta rocks, but it rocks even more when you select a more nutrient-rich one than those made with refined white flour. Try one of these healthier alternatives:
Quinoa
Native to the Andes, quinoa is the seed of a leafy plant related to beets. When ground up and mixed with corn or wheat flour, quinoa produces mild-tasting, high-protein pasta. Gluten-free eaters should choose brands that contain only quinoa and corn flours.
Whole Wheat
Typically made of 100 percent durum wheat, a hard, high-quality grain. This dense pasta is higher in fiber, protein, B vitamins, and minerals than semolina varieties, which use only part of the grain. Whole-wheat pasta’s hearty flavor and grainy texture make it a good base for pesto and vegetable sauces.
Buckwheat
Related to rhubarb, buckwheat has been used for centuries to make noodles in Asia. Japanese soba is the most common type in the U.S., with a nutty flavor and high amounts of protein and dietary fiber. Traditionally, soba is served hot in soup or cold with a soy-based dipping sauce.
Tofu Shirataki
Made from a blend of soy protein and yam flour, these Japanese noodles are packaged in water and readily absorb other flavors. A low glycemic-index food, tofu shirataki is particularly high in soluble fiber. Toss the heated noodles with a sweet teriyaki and serve with stir-fried veggies. Note: Noodles must be refrigerated.
Delicious Living is the go-to resource for the natural and organic lifestyle, helping readers eat well, live green, and stay healthy. Visit deliciouslivingmag.com for more articles and free recipes.
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12 comments
add your comment »if you take yellow(summer) squash and shred it and add tomatoe sauce to it it tastes just like spagetti
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What about brown rice pasta? I eat that. Love it.
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Thanks Mel!
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I really enjoy Spaghetti Squash as an alternative to pasta. Bake 350 for an hour (double check) slight crunch to the noodle like squash healthy and easy serves 4-5 depending on size of squash
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All these foods are great. Thank you. But just to shed some light on the truth, QUINOA is originally from the Andes, yes, but it specifically comes form BOLIVIAn Andes, where there are more than 20 varieties of it, most of which are organically grown, and Bolivia is honored to offer this tasteful grain to the world.
Bolivian growers have even intended to have the quinoa grain be inscribed into an international office (don't know about the name very well), because people in California were getting a trade mark on it!
The original name is QUINUA, but I guess they changed the U into an O for it to be easier to pronounce in English.
Natural foods should not become the 'legal property' of any country, or person, or firm. Bolivians love mother earth and believe that its blessings must be shared throughout the world without having to pay for the usage to a trade mark.
It would also be very nice if the world recognized the Bolivian origin of this incredible grain. If you write me, I can give you some original recipes with quinua.
Blessings to all.
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You can usually find bean or soy pastas at Asian markets,
particularly Chinese grocers (plain & seasoned varieties)
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Re: bean pasta. I can't even find it at Whole Foods. The only store I've seen it was The Gluten Free Trading Company. Unfortunately the brand I bought is produced in a facility that also handles soy beans, and I did get an allergic reaction once. I don't usually react to trace amounts of soy, so I'm wondering if one little squished soy bean stuck to the tray and was pressed into one piece of pasta, which I ate. I had several batches of it without a reaction, so I'm guessing it was a fluke occurrance.
I remember one other brand of pasta we loved before going gluten-free: Barilla Plus. Good protein, fiber, and texture.
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We eat our spaghetti squash with butter and parmesan and love it! One day I'll have to experiment with it a little more.
What I really wanted to say though was that we switched to the new Catelli "Smart" pasta as soon as it came out. It has as much fibre as whole wheat pasta, but tastes/feels completely like regular white pasta. I did buy the ww, multigrain, flax-enriched pastas for years, but have now been thrilled to eat "regular" pasta with the fibre and nutrients of the 'healthier' stuff. I loved the other pastas until it came to eating spaghetti with sauce... then it just was never 'right' for me.
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Miss Info - thanks! Maybe I will give it another go.
Pasta made with navy bean flour sounds pretty interesting! But you're right, it's even a little bit elusive online. The Heartland's Finest website is not operational, but for anyone else who can't find it locally, I did find 5 varieties of their navy-bean-flour pasta at www.thefreemrkt.com (or 877-FRE-MRKT). I'm going to try my supermarket first though -- their natural foods selection is pretty darn impressive.
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Michelle - you probably overcooked the buckwheat pasta. It does go from good to disgusting in a very short amount of time. Before we went gluten-free we ate soba a lot and loved it, as long as I watched the cook-pot! Now I can't find buckwheat pasta that doesn't have wheat flour mixed in.
Also, be careful when cooking quinoa pasta - if the package says 3 minutes, at 4 minutes you'll have mush!
I have had pasta made from navy bean flour, which is high in protein and fiber. Unfortunately, I can hardly find it anywhere, and most store keepers say they've never heard of it.
In my gluten-free pasta experience, the brand names that cook in 3-7 minutes are the best, and the ones that cook for 15 minutes just don't cut it.
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