real life test kitchen: do you like whole wheat pasta?
Whole wheat pasta seems to be all the rage right now, but at my local grocery stores there’s not a lot of choice on the shelves. The other night I picked up a pound of the only brand I could find (DeCecco) and decided try it in my favorite comfort pasta dish: sauteed with lots of garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and a hefty spoonful of fresh parmesan. The results were good, but dry– the pasta seemed to just soak up the oil. I wonder if all traditional pasta recipes may need to be adjusted a bit to accomodate the whole wheat variety. It would be wonderful to make healthier pasta, but the Italian cook in me just isn’t pleased. What do you think? You can click here to read some taste tests done in the Washington Post and Splendid Table. But I’d rather hear from you. Are some brands better than others? Is there a way to cook this stuff so it’s not so… chalky? Let me know! — Angela M.
June 8th, 2006 at 5:19 am
My favorite I’ve tried so far is Whole Foods 365 whole wheat pasta. I’ve found the “thinner”, quicker cooking pastas (poor terminology – like rotini versus penne) I tend to like better in whole wheat form.
June 8th, 2006 at 5:45 am
I’ve found that the ww pastas tend to do better with sauces, especially ones with a lot of water, such as tomato sauce, or slightly watered alfredo.
June 8th, 2006 at 5:45 am
If there is I haven’t found it.
My question is what makes it so much healthier?
June 8th, 2006 at 6:34 am
Try the Barilla brand called Barilla Plus
http://www.barillaus.com/PLUS_information.aspx
It has a good amount of fiber and protein and it tastes much better than the whole wheat pastas. I find it cooks like regular pasta and tastes great with all your sauces.
June 8th, 2006 at 9:02 am
I concur with c.e. Whole Foods whole-wheat pasta is terrific. The other supermarket brands I tried tasted like cardboard, theirs has a great, hearty flavor that I enjoy with sauces and (shockingly) even on its own, tossed just with pepper and fresh Parmesan.
June 8th, 2006 at 9:39 am
i really like bionaturae 100% stone-ground whole wheat spaghetti. it is truly whole wheat, but the closest to regular pasta in texture and flavor. you can buy it at whole foods. i used to always buy de cecco whole wheat spaghetti but was never satisfied with it.
June 8th, 2006 at 9:42 am
i guess i should have read the reviews you posted, because they both mention the bionaturae. oopsie! so, i third their recommendation.
June 8th, 2006 at 9:59 am
I’m a huge fan! Laura — Fiber is the key. It fills you up and is much more nutritionally sound than enriched white flour, which is what most regular pastas are made of. I like Trader Joe’s 100% whole wheat pastas, including their rotini. Hodgson Mills also makes some good edible stuff. It’s a developed taste for sure, but once it grows on you, you’ll never go back. The flavor is much earthier and heartier, and it actually tastes like something, instead of boring, bland old white pasta. Good luck in your quest! Don’t give up!
June 8th, 2006 at 10:12 am
I have to second the Barilla Plus recommendation. My husband has been working in Italian resturants since he was 13 and could just not get over the dryness of other whole wheat pastas – it just wasn’t worth the benefit to him. However, he does think Barilla Plus is a good compremise. It isn’t as dense or dry and cooks up to about the same color as regular pasta.
June 8th, 2006 at 10:21 am
Kristyn got to it before me, but I completely and wholeheartedly second her nod to Barilla Plus. Love it!
June 8th, 2006 at 10:40 am
We love bionaturae organic whole wheat pasta (http://www.bionaturae.com/pasta.html). It has a great, nutty flavor and personally, I prefer it to regular pasta. Plus our two-year old loves it, too. It’s carried at most health food stores I’ve been to.
June 8th, 2006 at 10:56 am
I also use Barilla. Their pasta is pretty much foolproof and the tastiest boxed pasta around.
June 8th, 2006 at 11:52 am
I mix in regular pasta in with the whole wheat…Some say it may defeat the point a bit, but it’s better than nothing!
I’ve slowly increased the whole wheat in the ratio, going for 60/40 as I get used to the kind of grainy texture.
June 8th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
Trader Joe’s has very good whole wheat pasta–their own brand–and I have used it to make carbonara with great results. If you are looking for low-carb pasta, try Dreamfields–it tastes just like regular pasta…
June 8th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
I also LOVE Barilla Plus. It’s very tasty, much more than regular whole wheat and very good for you.
June 8th, 2006 at 4:13 pm
Well, I seem to be a little behind. Though, I still wanted to lend my opinion of Barilla Plus. It’s used in my house constantly now, and I really like it. There has been no need for recipe adjustments, and I hardly taste a difference.
June 8th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
My vote goes for the barilla stuff…it’s doesn’t taste like the other whole wheat pastas at all.
June 9th, 2006 at 7:23 am
I second Devon with the preference for Trader Joe’s whole wheat pasta. I saute minced garlic, pine nuts, and some mashed anchovie paste for a moment in very green, unfiltered olive oil, than toss in a big handful of finely minced parsely. Toss the pasta in this. It’s a lusty sauce, and the whole-wheatness of the pasta does well in it…..
June 9th, 2006 at 10:26 pm
Another whole-grain pasta option is Tinkyada brown rice pasta. I have celiac disease, so I can’t have any wheat-based pasta. It took some searching to find a good rice pasta, but the Tinkyada is delicious! I can usually find it at Whole Foods.
March 1st, 2007 at 3:38 pm
seconding the tinkyada brown rice pasta. personally, i like the shells the best; i find the wholegrain (rice) spaghetti hard to cook al dente – it’s either crunchy, or mushy. something with a bit more substance to the pasta shape works better. stay away from corn pastas, they’re flavorless paste.
and a random sidenote to anyone looking for kiddie comfort food instead of the delicious dishes people have already posted: you can buy annie’s white cheddar powder from the company website; i do this so i can make annie’s with brown rice pasta without throwing away a perfectly good box of plain pasta.