Pasta Imposter

[darkerhorse]

For a health condition, I have a new diet to follow. Basically, if it tastes good, I can't have it.

I confess that I use packaged pasta and sauce in a jar, having given up making my own years ago. Even though I'm only half-Italian, I suppose it's still a sin.

For packaged pasta, has anyone found a brand they can recommend made from whole wheat, lentils, garbanzo beans, etc., rather than from semolina or durum wheat? I recall trying one of those substitutes for spaghetti years ago and I was disappointed with the consistency. I think the macaroni version was a bit better.

I think I'm okay with sauce. By the way, I've read that Rao sauce was highly rated, so I tried it for the first time recently and I thought it was very good (but expensive) though I've had better store-bought (not to mention home-made).

[pdchenderson13]

I've heard of people using chickpea or coconut flour as alternatives to wheat, but never tried it myself?

I was personally trying to limit carbohydrate for a while and used a spiraliser to make strings of parsnip, or other veg as an alternative. Limited success from a texture point of view, but tasted ok.

Good luck.

[darkerhorse]

Thanks for replying.

I bought rotini made from chickpea flour, but I haven't tried it yet.

I was told the best option was spaghetti squash but that won't do.

[sofia65]

There would be no Italian forum without a topic about pasta!
Pasta can be made from various ingredients, primarily: Wheat flour:
Semolina flour (from durum wheat) is the most common type used for traditional pasta. All-purpose flour or whole wheat flour can also be used.

Other Flours:
Rice flour or corn flour for gluten-free options.
Chickpea flour (used in some gluten-free varieties like chickpea pasta).
Buckwheat flour for certain traditional pasta like soba noodles.

I'm glad that I found this post to encourage me to try new types of pasta not only by shapes of it but also ingredients.