Can you say comfort eating? I knew you could! If you’re anything like me, all of this extra time spent at home means indulging in a few extra favorite meals. And when I think of the ultimate comfort food, I definitely think of pasta! A bowl of steaming hot pasta as you snuggle up on the sofa is the very definition of comfort.
Why Barilla is the Best Gluten Free Pasta
I’ve tried many brands of gluten free pasta over the 13 or so years I’ve eaten gluten free. At the beginning, it could feel downright disheartening when the cooked spaghetti, penne or fettucine came out in a gluey lump! Some pasta brands – years ago – were edible, but certainly not delicious! (Sometimes, they were barely edible, to be perfectly honest.) But, as is often the case for those of us who are Celiac or have a gluten intolerance, we were just thankful to be able to eat pasta at all!
But then, about a year ago – I discovered Barilla gluten free pasta! A co-worker had mentioned to me that since she’d gone gluten free (for health reasons; suggested by her doctor) she would only use Barilla pasta. This particular co-worker of mine is an amazing cook! So, I figured it would be worth a try. The next time I headed out to the supermarket, I picked up Barilla gluten free spaghetti. This would be the ultimate test, as I’d found that good gluten free spaghetti in particular was hard to find. (Many of the brands of GF spaghetti, when cooked, would fall apart and not stay in those lovely long strands of noodles. They just broke down into little bits.)
Barilla is the most like regular pasta – Why it’s the best gluten free pasta
I whipped up a batch of my favorite homemade spaghetti sauce. (So easy! Cook up a pound of ground beef or chicken, along with some chopped onions, peppers and mushrooms. Of course, add plenty of fresh chopped garlic! Add a jar of Classico Spicy pasta sauce, and one large can of unsalted diced tomatoes, with the juices. Add tons of herbs, and a few dashes of hot sauce and let simmer. If you like spinach – I do!! – add handfuls of it to the sauce only a few minutes before you’re ready to eat, so it doesn’t overcook. Ta dah!) I cooked the Barilla spaghetti according to the package directions for al dente.
The result? I topped the drained, cooked noodles with plenty of the lovely pasta sauce, gave it all a hearty toss and then liberally grated Parmesan cheese over top it all. The Barilla spaghetti was absolutely the MOST like regular pasta I had ever eaten since going gluten free! The pasta wasn’t sticky or gluey, the strands all stayed apart and yet still allowed the pasta sauce to cling on to its surface. There was a delicious al dente bite to the pasta. And – wonderfully! – the pasta stayed in long strands, and did not fall apart into smaller lengths of noodles.
Now this was a pasta brand I could enjoy! My gluten-eating husband agreed that it was delicious. So now, Barilla is our favorite! (I’ve tried other varieties of their gluten free line, too – such as gluten free penne – and been just as happy with the results.)
So, if you’re feeling frustrated with terrible gluten free pasta, I give Barilla a very enthusiastic thumbs-up! (And no…this is not a sponsored post. Just my honest opinion of a product made very well.) I hope you give it a try, and enjoy curling up with a bowl of truly good pasta for your next comfort meal.
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