Guess what? Not all gluten free
pasta is created equal. And, just because something says, “gluten
free” does not mean it’s necessarily any good for you. Pasta can be made
from a variety of foods free of gluten: beans, grains, vegetables, and more,
and each one offers something unique in providing your DV of needed
nutrients. In fact, the most popular go-to gluten free pasta made of quinoa
and-or brown rice is just a fraction more nutritious than the traditional
pastas made with semolina or wheat flour.

What happens with most gluten free diets is that people run to the
first substitute they can find that looks and tastes as close to the real
gluten filled product as possible. Take gluten free bread for example. How
many gluten free breads are really that great tasting? Not many, from my
experience. But, when you forget about the old product altogether, and give
yourself a chance to explore an entirely new context of enjoying pasta and
other gluten free alternatives, that is when a whole new world of superior
nutrition and great flavor comes to life. So, here are some of my favorite
pastas that take a complete departure from traditional
pasta.

Gluten Free Pasta Alternatives That Pack A Lot of
Nutrition

Mung Bean Fettuccine: 
Mung bean pasta is high in protein with a whopping 24g per
serving, while being fairly low in carbohydrates. It’s also packed with
fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C. The texture may take a
little getting used to, but it has many applications. I have used it like a
traditional pasta with tomato sauce, and I frequently use it in Asian style
vegetable stir fries. But my favorite way to eat this pasta is warm, right
out of the pot, with some hempseed, nutritional yeast, fresh tomato,
basil, garlic, and some healthy fat like extra virgin olive oil or coconut butter…yum!
Explore
Cuisine makes a good one that is available on Amazon.

Buckwheat Ramen:
Yes, you can enjoy your ramen noodles and not worry about
what you are actually eating! Buckwheat is not actually wheat at all. It is a
super grain of sorts, and it comes from the pod of a flower. I love this
buckwheat ramen from King
Soba! It behaves just like the instant ramen, and frankly, I like
the texture better. It’s high in carbohydrates, provides 10g of
protein per serving, and is also high in iron and calcium. Be sure you always
look for 100% buckwheat as many ramen and soba manufacturers add wheat flour
to supplement the buckwheat. Here is a recipe for buckwheat
ramen soup.

Black Bean Rotini:
So I guess you know something is going kind of
mainstream when they suddenly have it at Trader Joe’s. And, the good news is,
they have this at Trader Joe’s, and it’s good! This pasta, like the others
offers notably high amounts of  protein, fiber, carbohydrates, iron, and
calcium. I am not a big fan of this in hot dishes as it doesn’t hold its
shape very well. But I do love to use it  to make southwestern style
pasta salad with chipotle dressing, roasted corn, tomatoes, red peppers,
nopalitos and fresh
cilantro. Since this is so easy to find at Trader Joe’s, I keep a bag of this
around at all times. Here is a
recipe!

100% Buckwheat & Sweet Potato Soba:
Sweet potatoes are very nutritious and King Soba does
something nice when they blend sweet potatoes and buckwheat for this awesome,
wheat free soba product. Like I said before, most soba noodles that you will
find at the Japanese market contain wheat flour, but not these. Buckwheat is rich in minerals such as magnesium,
and its protein characteristics are considered to help lower
cholesterol. Sweet
potato is not only high in potassium, but it is also a low-fat food, rich
in vitamin A, E, and C. Check out this recipe for Soba Salad
with Eggplant.

Superfood Teff Penne:
This product is offered by skinnypasta (yes they spell it like that,
all one word and no caps). Teff is naturally gluten free and a good
source of protein, fiber, iron, zinc, copper, and manganese. This is the only
product that I have not personally tried, but knowing what I know about teff
and reading their reviews, I would be more than willing to give it a try. The
nutrition facts are outstanding, boasting 170% DV of manganese and other
minerals.

If you enjoyed learning about these highly nutritious gluten free
pasta recommendations, you will love our Pure Plant-Based Community! Check
it out here!