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10 best gluten-free pastas

Gluten-free products have gone from an obscurity to normality on supermarket shelves – we've tested which pastas really stay true to taste

Tuesday 23 October 2018 17:37 BST

Delicious pasta dishes don't have to be limited on a free-from diet

(Garofalo)

Gone are the days where there was only one brand of decent gluten-free pasta, which would inevitably stick to the bottom of the pan in one big non-gluten chunk of sludge. Now the shelves are absolutely bursting with gluten-free pasta options – the colours, shapes and sizes on offer are quite frankly, overwhelming.

Red lentil flour, quinoa flour, green pea, brown rice and buckwheat options are all on offer in every shape under the sun. Not to mention the many products coming straight from Italy.

So where to start and which ones won’t break the bank, without compromising taste? After days of testing every shape, taste and price, we’ve rounded up the best gluten-free dried pastas.

FREEE Rice and Maize Spaghetti: £2.13 for 500g, Doves Farm

Vegan

This tastes like ‘real’ pasta, which essentially, is the biggest compliment of them all. Spaghetti is a weekday staple and this rice and maize spaghetti from FREEE is easy to cook and tastes deliciously light.

A combination of maize and rice flour means it is free from gluten, milk, soya and egg. It is also vegan, kosher and organic friendly. Impressively, it is most delicious simply with butter, black pepper and a pinch of garlic. Perhaps the secret is that it’s made in Italy.

Mamma Flora Mezzi Paccheri: £5 for 400g, Mamma Flora

Vegan

An all-natural, gluten-free pasta made in Italy, the Mezzi Paccheri is quite simply delicious. Mamma Flora Mezzi Paccheri pasta is handmade with only three ingredients; corn flour, rice flour and water.

The brilliance of this product, which our taster loved, is its ability to remain al dente. Al dente that is, and definitely not chewy. It takes a little longer to boil than the other types of pasta on this list, but is most definitely worth the wait.

Napolina Green Pea Fusilli: £1.75 for 250g, Sainsburys

The choice of pastas made of green pea flour is huge, but this was our tester’s favourite. Using green pea flour adds an element of sweetness, which isn’t present in many other types of pasta, and is really unique. The 100 per cent organic green pea flour is considered a great source of fibre too.

Morrisons Red Lentil Fusilli: £1.36 for 250g, Morrisons

Red lentil flour is another big trend on the free-from pasta scene, and this fusilli from Morrison’s is a brilliant option. Ready in just eight minutes, the red lentil flour adds a slightly saltier lentil taste with a twist of sweet at the end. It also happens to be delicious cold, in a pasta salad.

Free From Italy Lensi La Buona Vita Penne Rigate: £1.79 for 400g, Ocado

Another organic Italian pasta, which is guaranteed to succeed in simplicity and flavour. Penne is one of the most popular pasta types eaten across the UK and this is an appetizing gluten-free alternative.

Garofalo Casarecce: £2.99 for 400g, Ocado

Vegan

Low and behold a shape that isn’t penne or fusilli! Casarecce originates in Siciliy and is a long, thin-twisted tube. Garofalo is produced in Italy and is one of the most authentic tasting pastas, which is everything you want in a gluten-free product.

Seggianos Rice & Quinoa Tagliatelle: £4.90 for 250g, Planet Organic

Vegan

A gluten-free pasta made the traditional way, this is lot more rustic than the other pastas on the list. The pasta is bronze drawn which is why the texture is rougher than usual – this essentially means it hasn’t been given that shiny finish.

This product is pricier, but tastes like delicious hand-made pasta you would get in Italy.

Riso Gallo Wholemeal Fusulli: £1.99 for 250g, Ocado

Italian company Riso Gallo are traditionally known for their fabulous risotto products, which means they have done a great job at producing a rice-based, gluten-free pasta. No fuss flavour, just really good fusilli.

Waitrose LoveLife Gluten-Free Spaghetti: £1.89 for 500g, Waitrose

Vegan

This simple corn and rice-based spaghetti, which is easily accessible across the country at £1.89, it is extremely affordable. The only ingredients are cornflour and rice flour, which means there are no nasty additives.

Sainsburys Free-From Macaroni: £1.30 for 500g, Sainsburys

Vegan

This is one of the only gluten-free macaroni options out there and at a very reasonable price to top it off. Perfect for a comforting mac and cheese, as well as perhaps a traditional Italian pasta soup. A mix of rice, maize and quinoa flours and cooks quickly in just four minutes, this is a great weekday cupboard staple.

Verdict: Best gluten free pastas

With so many choices on the market, for our gluten-free testers it really came down to price, accessibility and taste. That’s why the FREEE Rice and Maize Spaghetti by Doves Farm gets our vote. Garofalo and Mamma Flora also had something very special about them, if you want to spend a little more money.