So let me be absolutely clear with you about pasta: Most of the time, I don’t miss pasta. What I miss since giving up gluten is bread (delicious, squishy bread!), but pasta, meh. I’m happy to make zucchini or spaghetti squash noodles for sauce. And gluten-free rice pasta is fine, if somewhat nutritionally empty. The only time I miss pasta is when I make macaroni and cheese for the rest of the family. (If you don’t have a homemade recipe, may I suggest Alton Brown’s version? It is perfection.) I can make it with Trader Joe’s rice pasta and GF flour so I can eat it, but then I feel guilty, because it’s not exactly health food.
This weekend at Costco we stumbled across this gluten-free red lentil rotini from Tolerant. Each serving has—I hope you’re sitting down—21 grams of protein, as well as the equivalent vitamins/minerals to a serving of veggies. In a pasta. “I bet this stuff tastes like cardboard,” I said to my husband. “Just try it,” he said. “Maybe it’s good.”
Well, my husband is smart. Not only is this pasta delicious (good body without being dense or sticky), it passed muster with the gluten-eaters in my house, it’s organic and non-GMO, and I don’t have to feel guilty about pasta anymore because this stuff is a lean, guilt-free protein source. We have to drive over an hour to Costco (and typically only go a few times a year) and we are going back this weekend to buy more. Whether you’re gluten-free or not, it’s worth checking out.
Purchasing: This stuff is a lot more expensive than cheapie supermarket pasta, but remember you’re getting a nutritionally dense product to ease the sting. Costco carries a 1.65 pound box for $8.79 (looks like only Costcos in FL, TN, GA, SC and NC so far). Some states carry it at Target. Amazon carries it if you’re desperate, but be prepared for extreme sticker shock. Their best deal looks to be this 6-pack of 12 ounce boxes for $41.94, plus you’ll get $5 off with coupon code PK8DP3ZJ.
Bottom line: Crazy delicious and good for you, too. Expensive for pasta, cheap for protein. Yummy whether you eat gluten or not.
[Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Tolerant Foods. I purchased my own product—with skepticism!—and just feel moved to share because it turned out to be so amazing.]
Thank you! I hope our local Costco carries it!
I’ve seen it at Maryland Costco.
Cool, thanks!!!
if only they made it in a box of mac and cheese like annies,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, sigh
Looking forward to trying it, gorgeous!
I’ll have to watch for this at my Costco, too. We’ve been eating the yellow box Barilla PLUS pasta. Not GF, so you can’t have it, Mir, but I like it because it’s got 17 g of protein per 3.5 oz serving, plus 7g of fiber. It’s made with grains and legumes (wheat, lentils, chickpeas, flaxseed, barley, oats, spelt), so I feel better about choosing it over plain pasta. It is firm and holds up to sauces well. I have a teriyaki spinach-pasta salad I make and I prefer it with these noodles as they stay firmer in the dressing.
Whole Paycheck carries it, too. Fabulous way to get protein into people who eat like toddlers. Like, y’know, toddlers.