I’m in a sophisticated situationship with gluten. I eat it, unremorsefully and sometimes, however about 46 % of the time, it makes me really feel like a dejected bag of rubbish on a New York Metropolis sidewalk.
I’ve spent years attempting to establish precisely which dishes, kinds, and portions tip me over into diminishing returns, however solutions stay elusive. I can raid the sourdough bread basket at Musso & Frank and really feel completely high-quality, but when I eat a sandwich on focaccia I’m in peril of falling asleep standing up for the subsequent six hours. Bagels are fully out of the query (they make me really feel abjectly horrible, even once they’re free within the workplace), however cookies aren’t (the final chunk I took earlier than scripting this sentence was of Final Crumb’s phenomenal Donkey Kong cookie). I like pasta wholeheartedly, nevertheless it’s all the time been a bet; a heaping pile of spaghetti will go down simply high-quality sooner or later and degree me one other.
I really feel lucky that once I eat wheat I’m in no identifiable medical hazard aside from feeling reasonably crummy, however I’ve turn into more and more “gluten-free curious.” Simply as I nonetheless get pleasure from plenty of vegan meals regardless of rejoining meat-eating society over 13 years in the past, I’m all the time intrigued by gluten-free substitutions and facsimiles — however provided that they style good. And from what I can see, simply as with vegan meals, gluten-free meals is getting higher and higher; look no additional than my Eater colleague Nicole Adlman’s rundown of one of the best gluten-free pastas to see simply how far we’ve come.
So once I came upon, as a meals author, that Banza was dropping a brand new line of brown-rice-based pastas this week, I used to be curious as to whether or not they may proceed to raise the realm of wheat-free cooking.
Why are individuals so obsessive about Banza?
So far as gluten-free pasta goes, the favored model Banza has singlehandedly raised our normal of what a bowl of wheat-free rotini can style like: just like the comforting, basic, non-gluten-free pasta you probably grew up consuming and loving. That’s all non-gluten-eaters ask for; nothing loopy, man, simply pasta that’s simply pretty much as good because the stuff made with wheat. Banza will get high marks from discerning gluten-averse diners due to its al dente texture, nutritious composition, and ease of cooking (in our gluten-free pasta gauntlet, Nicole particularly loves the model’s bucatini). Recognized for its high-protein, high-fiber, chickpea-based dried pastas, Banza can be presently the most important gluten-free “higher for you” pasta model within the business (and, remarkably, the fifth-largest pasta model in America total).
Why would a brown rice pasta drop a giant deal? Doesn’t sound very… horny, let’s be sincere. However lots of people want the feel of brown rice pasta to chickpea pasta as a result of (typically talking) it’s much less chewy, much less gummy, and extra akin to wheat-based pasta. Plus, it has a extra delicate, impartial taste than chickpeas, making it a better dupe for conventional noodles. Banza’s brown rice pasta is made in Italy (elegante!); is non-GMO, vegan, and kosher; and has one thing referred to as “CleanScan certification from The Detox Challenge” which mainly means it’s been examined for 400 nasty chemical compounds and pesticides and got here out with an ideal report card. In different phrases, this can be a clear and “wholesome” noodle, which could alleviate sure considerations that include consuming standard wheat pasta — and so it would enchantment to a wider viewers for a broad vary of causes.
OK, so how does the brown rice pasta style?
I made a decision to start out with the penne; I’ve been experiencing a serious hankering for penne alla vodka lately (as a result of when am I ever not?) and it appeared like a chance to see whether or not the brown rice pasta is actually an enchancment upon Banza’s signature chickpea product — and the way it compares to good outdated wheat pasta.
A brief rant about placing cottage cheese in pasta sauce
At first I tried to make the penne alla vodka on Banza’s website; it sounded fairly stable, however my one concern was the use of blended cottage cheese within the sauce. On not one however two earlier events, I’ve tried to make “high-protein” penne alla vodka or another bastardization of the Italian basic that included blended cottage cheese, and each occasions, the sauces broke and curdled. I approached this recipe optimistically however skeptically, questioning if the cursed final result might be averted.
Guess what occurred this time? Once I added the blended cottage cheese, the sauce curdled and turned grainy and a bit bitter. Shock! I needed to throw it out and begin over. (I’ll eat Good Tradition cottage cheese out of the container any day of my life however I’m by no means, ever placing blended cottage cheese in a creamy pasta sauce once more. Heavy cream, I shall not forsake thee.)
Anyway, after that fiasco, I did what God supposed: discovered a penne alla vodka recipe with a 45-paragraph intro on a extremely Search engine marketing-optimized recipe weblog and used that, and it turned out excellent.
As I used to be saying, the penne alla vodka…
Now, as for the brown rice pasta itself: The penne cooked to perfection in about 13 minutes, correct to the instructions on the field. Whereas I like Banza’s signature chickpea pasta, there’s little question in my thoughts that I want the extra toothsome, bouncy texture and impartial taste of the brown rice pasta. I like a barely post-al-dente mushy noodle relating to penne, and with chickpea pasta, there’s an inescapable degree of chewiness that some individuals admire however which doesn’t align with my desire.
How concerning the different brown rice pasta shapes?
I additionally made among the macaroni (sorry, elbows), and once more, it was fully akin to basic macaroni; excellent for mac and cheese, mac salad, or, in my case, a base for a spicy mapo tofu sauce that I purchased on the Japanese grocery store.
The rotini was my third and ultimate experiment (for this spherical; I will probably be shopping for these once more, little question), and I ready it with a easy sungold tomato sauce (the farmers market is poppin’ proper now) and a few mozzarella. I shared the ultimate product with two pals and so they repeatedly commented on how they couldn’t even inform it was gluten-free. Additionally they expressed nice shock at how good the feel got here out (once more, that it wasn’t too chewy, as individuals usually anticipate with GF pastas), and the way properly it built-in into and transported the tasty tomato sauce.
Gluten-free pasta and the difficulty of leftovers
One other difficulty with chickpea-based pasta (and gluten-free pasta on the whole) is that it usually reheats poorly, turning right into a form of stiff, gummy texture that makes it arduous to get pleasure from leftovers.
Excellent news: Brown rice pasta doesn’t have this difficulty, so I used to be capable of microwave and revel in next-day servings of each the rotini and the penne alla vodka with out difficulty. Each gleefully sprung again to life as if they hadn’t been sitting in my fridge for 18 hours.
The decision: The brown rice pasta is — I promise — nearly similar in taste and texture to a stable wheat-based dry pasta. Once more, that’s all we ask for as gluten-sensi individuals: one thing simply pretty much as good because the gluten-packed model.
So, brown rice pasta vs. chickpea pasta: Which is best?
That being stated, the brown rice pasta lacks the chickpea pasta’s increase of protein and fiber. (Banza’s chickpea pasta has roughly twice the protein and fiber of standard pasta per serving.) I’m a kind of individuals who tries to eat A Lot of Protein as a result of I’m a little bit of a health club rat, and in that context, high-protein pasta seems like a godsend. A two-ounce serving of the brown rice pasta gives a little bit of protein (six grams per serving) and 4 grams of fiber, however the chickpea pasta gives practically twice as a lot (12 grams per serving), plus practically twice as a lot fiber and iron, and notable quantities of vitamin B6, folate, biotin, and different precious vitamins. I personally admire that Banza’s chickpea pastas aren’t simply wheat-free, however that in addition they supply enhanced dietary worth, in order that’s a consideration for those who’re selecting between a chickpea or brown rice base.
All of it relies on your priorities: When you’re coming from extra of a protein-hunting, nutrition-focused mentality, Banza’s chickpea pasta will certainly proceed to do the trick. However for those who simply desire a rattling good bowl of penne alla vodka or mac and cheese, the brown rice pasta line is right here to show that gluten-free isn’t simply in its “simply pretty much as good” period; it’s coming into its “perhaps higher” second.
Banza’s new line of brown rice pasta is on the market at the moment and onward.
