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Dismiss all your previous delusions about gluten-free pasta.

We've all had mixed experiences with gluten-free products. I, personally, don't foray into the GF world very much because so many products use almond or legume-based flours (that I am allergic to) in place of wheat. I have tried rice pasta and corn pasta, and both experiences were just so-so. They did the job but didn't really contribute much, and were subsequently fired without notice. It's not that I don't like them, but since I don't have Celiac disease there was nothing really compelling me towards them. So you can imagine my surprise and delight to discover a gluten-free pasta that has such a pleasing taste and texture, and is made in Italy by Italpasta, a Canadian company. This is one brand I'll be sticking with. 

What we like about this pasta. @forpastalovers
The noodle is very flavorful, likely because it's made from multiple grains. Quinoa has an earthy, nutty flavor and is a complete protein. So as an added bonus to the flavor there's 6g of protein per serving. It also has a nice texture that has the right amount of chewiness and holds onto the sauce. 

Product ingredients: corn flour, rice flour, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, quinoa flour, emulsifier

What is the emulsifier, you ask? According to the company, "The emulsifier that we use is vegetable  origin, namely they are mono and diglycerides of fatty acids derived from the oil palm. The product we use is certified RSPO MB." Head over to Italpasta's website for their very thorough allergy statement (which people like us totally love and appreciate). 

Follow @forpastalovers on social and use #forGFpastalovers to share your creations! Here's how we used our GF pasta...

Spaghetti with Shaved fennel and arugula

Ingredients
1/2 pack of Italpasta Gluten-Free Spaghetti
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
the juice of one lemon
2 handfuls of fresh basil
freshly ground black pepper
2 big handfuls of baby arugula
1/4 of a head of fennel, shaved

This recipe is best done by eye, no measuring required. Boil the pasta and prep all the other ingredients while it's cooking. Make sure your pasta water is well salted. First, blend the oil, garlic, basil, and lemon until it looks like pesto. 

Drain the cooked pasta, allowing a bit of the cooking water to remain. Return the pasta to the pot. Toss in the pesto, shaved fennel, and arugula and toss until well combined. Keep tossing until the greens have wilted and cling to the noodles. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

Penne with Roasted Summer Veggies

Ingredients
1/2 pack of Italpasta Gluten-Free Penne
1 tbsp + 2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 can of San Marzano whole plum tomatoes
1 summer squash, sliced
about 15 Brussel sprouts, peeled and cut in half
fresh basil leaves

Begin by prepping the sauce. In a sauce pan sautee the garlic and 1 tbsp olive oil until it becomes fragrant. Add salt and pepper, and one large can of tomatoes. Let it come to a boil, then turn down and simmer on low, uncovered, for 45 minutes - an hour.

While the sauce is cooking, roast the veggies. Toss them in about 2 tbsp of olive oil and then roast at 375F on a lined baking sheet for 35 minutes. 

Prepare the penne right before the sauce and veggies are ready, then toss it all together at the last minute. Serve nice and hot with a sprinkle of fresh basil leaves.