When I first got diagnosed, I turned to my friend Oliver, who’s had celiac disease since high school, for advice on gluten-free beer, bread, and pasta. Whereas 5 years ago I’d have to stock pile pad thai flat rice noodles for curries and stir-fries alike, now I always have one of Lotus’ whole grain ramen varieties on hand. Lotus Foods has allowed me to enjoy this all over again. There’s nothing like the magic of a quick noodle fix coupled with the nostalgia of Cup-o-Noodle. Ramen: Lotus Foods Millet & Brown Rice Ramen I used to buy a lot of Tinkyada and Ancient Harvest, but the former gets too starchy and gummy, while Ancient Harvest uses corn and the strands tend to get a little porous and stick together, then fall apart when you try to toss them in sauce. Andean Dream is by far my favorite, with a close second going to Jovial organic brown rice spaghetti, which tastes texturally closer to a whole wheat noodle. Spaghetti is probably the shape that I eat most often, and I’ve tried many many varieties. Spaghetti: Andean Dream Spaghetti (with honorable mention to Jovial) If you’re new to this world of gluten-free pasta, make sure to check out this PSA about all the most common mistakes people make while cooking wheat-free noodles! Below is the updated anthology of the varieties I buy most often and great gluten-free recipes to give you inspiration for what to do with your noodles. I created this original list almost 4 years ago, and so much has changed since then. Not every shape is created equal, so for example, while I like Ancient Harvest’s spaghetti, their penne is not my fave. I try to find blends that don’t rely too heavily on corn or soy, and that are organic.
It’s been a long search for the best gluten-free pasta brands, but I’ve finally honed in on my favorites. And some of the new gluten-free pasta brands are so good, I’ll often inflict them on unsuspecting dinner guests without them realizing (the true sign of gluten-free gold). But it’s turned out to be one of the easiest things to substitute at home. So when I had to revamp my diet, in addition to my beloved thin crust pizza, chicken fingers, and chocolate chip cookies, one of the things I was most terrified to give up was pasta. The culprit was a meatball-sized brick of gluten lodged in my intestines, courtesy of all those spaghetti dinners. This might have explained why every time I tried to go for a run, my stomach would start spasming within half a block. Before I went gluten-free almost 6 years ago to manage my Hashimoto’s, I pretty much subsisted solely on pasta.