Andean Dream Quinoa/Rice Pasta Review
You may know by now that I'm into pasta. I've done several reviews now, including Ener-G White Rice Spaghetti, Tinkyada White Rice Spaghetti, Tinkyada Brown Rice Fetucini, and a round-up of the Best and Worst of Gluten-free Pasta, in which I declare my favorite gluten-free pasta to be Ancient Harvest Quinoa and Corn pasta. This is still my favorite. However, I was glad to find a new quinoa pasta to try because I was pretty sure I'd like it.
I did. This is a very good pasta option, and perhaps the only quinoa pasta available for people who can't tolerate corn.
The look, feel, and flavor of the Andean Dream quinoa pasta are all very neutral - even more natural than the Ancient Harvest, which tends to look a little yellow. The Andean Dream is almost semolina colored, but it may have a touch of gray to the color which I don't find overly noticeable. The flavor is surprisingly neutral without being bland.
The texture is the stand-out feature of this quinoa pasta. It is extremely flexible and firm, even a bit chewy. It has some bite to it. It wasn't at all sticky or excessively starchy, and the sauce of my Pasta Carbonara coated it easily.
(The pasta looks a little yellower in this dish because of the egg in the sauce.)As a bonus, I found the cooking instructions to be fairly accurate. It cooks for about 13 minutes.
This pasta is a little expensive, even by gluten-free pasta standards. Then again, it's imported from Bolivia. I found it at Whole Foods. You can order it online at www.adreamshopping.com I think it's worth a try, especially if you can't eat corn and have never tried a quinoa pasta. Let me know what you think, or if you've tried it!
This is a post for What's for Dinner? Wednesday. See Linda at the Gluten-free Homemaker for more gluten-free ideas.
Comments
Now I'm on a mission.
Jessie
I had forgotten to link to the Andean Dreams site! I corrected this in the post, but here is the link for ordering online: http://www.adreamshopping.com/
Amy/Simply Sugar & Gluten Free
Gluten-free pasta doesn't save well, so I always cook a fresh batch and use it right away. I haven't tried it yet, but this Andean Dream Spaghetti might be a good candidate to save as left-overs (re-chauffee in my house). Ancient Harvest is made with corn, which dries out quickly.
If you're saving pasta for left-overs, or if you're just wanting to use the pasta after it cools for a pasta salad or a casserole, I'd suggest tossing it with some olive oil after you rinse it with cold water to keep it from sticking and drying out.
Thanks for reading! I loved your tortilla soup recipe!
For another quinoa option, DeBoles makes a Quinoa, Amaranth, Rice Spaghetti that is really good. http://www.deboles.com/products/product.php?prod_id=2015&cat_name=gluten_free
Jen - Quinoa is not scary! Especially not in a pasta. It's really nutritious too.
Diane - Yep, Andean Dream has rice. You can stick with the Ancient Harvest, though. That's still my favorite.
Thanks for this though .... it definitely gives me another option for pasta for my son! He doesn't seem to like the Tinkyada brown rice pastas as well
I haven't tried the Andean Dreams Elbow macaroni yet. I think I've seen it in one store at least - I'll have to check it out. I'll take quinoa pasta over brown rice pasta any day!
Bathmate
Bathmate