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What Are The Healthiest Pastas Available?

I get a lot of questions about the products I buy at the grocery store and personally use on a daily basis because readers know I’ve done the investigative work. One of those questions is always, “What are the healthiest pastas available and which ones do you recommend?”.  There are a lot of options out there and it can be a daunting task trying to navigate the maze of choices and I’m here to help.

First, let’s talk about what you won’t see on my list of staples. I don’t like to buy or make wheat (white, enriched, semolina, or whole wheat) based pastas for a few reasons:

  • Enriched white pasta has been completely stripped of its nutrients and likely chemically bleached.
  • Most wheat or semolina pasta has been hybridized and damaged nutritionally during processing.
  • The consumption of wheat flour increases inflammation in the body and is extremely acidic.
  • Wheat flour can disrupt the good intestinal bacteria in your digestive system.
  • Wheat flour has been shown to cause addiction, making you crave and eat more.

So without wheat flour pastas, what is left? Fortunately, there are a lot!

Pasta2

Here Are My Top Pasta Recommendations:

  • Zucchini Noodles – Wonderful zucchini & squash vegetables can be made into noodles using a tool called a spiralizer (available online here)…Ok, I know this isn’t technically pasta, but boy, does it taste like pasta!  If you are trying to go grain-free or want a less heavy alternative to traditional pasta, this is a fantastic way to get your pasta fix. You can eat the noodles raw or warmed slightly in a skillet with sauce. Also, if you don’t want to use a spiralizer, you can cut the zucchini or squash into thin slices like lasagne and bake them. Remember to choose non-GMO and organic zucchini and squash, as the majority of them grown in this country are made with genetically modified seeds.
  • Spaghetti Squash Noodles – Spaghetti Squash is not something I knew about for a while and I found out most people don’t either. After discovering it, I told everyone about it and they were like “Eh! what? when you cook it, it comes out like real spaghetti?” I responded “DUH! That’s why they call it spaghetti squash!” This is one of the most versatile pasta substitutes available. It has 1/4 of the calories of traditional pasta per cup, meaning you can eat and eat and eat some more. One of my favorite ways to eat this squash is straight up with homemade spicy tomato sauce and raw goat’s milk hard cheese. Heavenly. Also, check out my recipe for spaghetti squash casserole with quinoa – it’s really good!
  • Bean Pastas – A company by the name of Explore Asian makes the most delicious pasta using 100% mung beans. This pasta is extremely high in protein and fiber and gets you super full really quick. The noodles are a bit more chewy than traditional pasta. The recipe for fettuchini on the back of the package works like a charm and is my favorite way to make these. They are available online here. Also check out Tolerant brand that makes lentil based pastas here. 
  • Soba Buckwheat Noodles – I love buckwheat! It’s actually not a grain but a fruit seed and is suitable for people on a gluten-free diet. They are high in protein and fiber and extremely satisfying. Remember to look for 100% buckwheat – there are a lot of impostors out there that use a blend of wheat and buckwheat that I don’t recommend. Eden makes 100% buckwheat noodles and is available online here. Orgran makes 90% buckwheat, 10% rice spirals and is available online here. 
  • Ancient Grain Pastas – Ancient grains are grains that haven’t been hybridized over time and are more nutrient dense than the wheat that is produced today. I’ve loved the recent innovations in this category, including the quinoa, amaranth, and brown rice combination Tru Roots came up with. They have several different varieties – elbows, penne and spaghetti available online and in most natural health stores. The elbows have been a staple in my house for homemade mac & cheese (recipe coming soon!). Also, other ancient grain pastas I recommend include Vita Spelt pasta, Jovial Einkorn Pasta, Quinoa Pasta and this Eden Kamut Quinoa Blend.
  • Sprouted Grain Pastas – This pasta is hearty and definitely more dense than most pastas available, but I love the nutritional profile. Most sprouted grain pastas have wheat, but it’s not wheat flour – it’s the whole wheat kernel sprouted before processing, which increases the fiber and protein available and removes the phytic acid that makes wheat more digestible. The sprouting process also increases the beneficial enzymes, vitamin and mineral content. People who are gluten intolerant can sometimes enjoy this type of wheat without any issues because the increased enzymes metabolize the starch (gluten) in the wheat. My favorite brand is Ezekiel Food for Life, which is available in most natural foods stores and online. I like the combination of ingredients that also include other beneficial whole grains and beans: organic sprouted whole grain wheat, organic sprouted whole grain barley, organic sprouted whole grain millet, organic sprouted whole lentils, organic sprouted whole soybeans, organic sprouted whole grain spelt.

I will leave you with this tip from Dr. Andrew Weil – Remember to cook your pasta al dente (when it has “tooth” to it) because it has a lower glycemic index than fully-cooked pasta. Low-glycemic-load carbohydrates should be the bulk of your carbohydrate intake to help minimize spikes in blood glucose levels.

What Are Your Favorite Pastas? Share with me and others in the comments below… 

If you know someone who loves pasta, please share this post with them. Who knows maybe they’ll invite you over for some yummy delicious & nutritious noodles!

Buon Appetito,

Food Babe

P.S. Remember to check out our Meal Plans for Health Program which has a bunch of yummy healthy recipes using the best ingredients and foods on the planet! You get a monthly calendar with weigh-loss recipes, exactly what to eat and which groceries to buy. Signing up for this program helps to support all the Food Babe investigations – so thank you!

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316 responses to “What Are The Healthiest Pastas Available?

    1. Trader Joe’s Brown Rice pasta is the ONLY pasta I’ve found that doesn’t taste like cardboard OR make me drowsy w/in 15 mins of eating it! I highly reccomend giving it a try.

  1. Quinoa pasta is high in protein and gluten free. The taste is neutral so it takes on flavor nicely with added sause.

    1. I am no expert in raw/gluten free/organic lifestyles, although I eat a healthy, well-balanced diet (also being 50% Italian). After perusing health food sections at my local grocery stores, I have come up with the following concerns regarding pasta that is labeled “healthier” than regular pasta:

      Although Quinoa pasta sounds like it should be healthier, the carb count in quinoa pastas (and actually, in quinoa itself) is sometimes twice that of regular pasta. This is important to note if there is anyone in your family with Type I or Type II diabetes or hypoglycemia; quinoa pasta would not be a good option to give them.

      I’m a little hesitant about anything labeled as gluten free pasta because although it may say “all natural,” most likely the carbs will be much higher than regular pasta. Also, some gluten free pastas are made from potato starch, and at that point, you might as well just stick with normal, regular, non-organic pasta. 🙂

  2. This couldnt have come to my attention at a more perfect time. My wife and I are really trying to eat non processed foods (entirely) and pasta has been a topic of discussion between us….which is good and which is bad? THANK YOU, Food Babe for always doing the heavy lifting for us.

  3. What about Quinoa pasta? I’ve tried this before and enjoyed it about as much as regular pasta.

  4. My favorite pasta, is the one I made by hand with my 3 year old grandson yesterday. We made ravioli, with tipo 00 Italian unbleached no additive flour and semolina flour from India. There were 4 large eggs in it, and a little sea salt. I think this high protein pasta, is not a junk food, and I try to limit carbs. It was dressed simply with a sage butter sauce with lemon, and traditionally made Parmagiano Reggiano cheese and stuffed with chicken. (not organic chicken, still looking for an affordable source) and home grown swiss chard in the stuffing too. It was very good, and lots of fun!

    1. It’s probably not the BEST source (i.e., not a local, small organic farm) but I bought organic chicken from Costco $6/lb for boneless skinless chicken breasts and $1.80/lb for drumsticks. That’s about the price of most non-organic chicken in the grocery stores (little less than my usual fav, Bell & Evans). Hope the prices of organic continue to come down as demand increases. Right now, the organic price is double the non-organic price in Costco. A bit painful in the wallet. Good luck in finding a suitable source.

      p.s. Your pasta dish sounds yummy and nutritious! I’m giving it a thumbs-up!

      1. Just because it’s organic chicken doesn’t mean it’s great. If humane treatment of the animal is a driver of your decision to buy organic, look local. The big processors can cut beaks, confine, and otherwise mistreat and still earn an “organic” seal. I found a local farmer selling free range chickens, who are rotated to different pastures and allowed to eat what they want (old school organic), whole chickens for $3.99/lb. Sure I have to break the thing down but WOW the chicken is amazing! I never want to eat any other kind of chicken. I’m not willing to pay extra for the USDA (who can be less than scrupulous with their rules & regs) seal and get an inferior product.

      2. Congrats on such a great find! All those bones also make great stock.

    2. It is still wheat, hybridized with chemicals by people in a laboratory. It causes great fluctuations in blood sugar and is addictive. The sensitivity that people have to modern wheat is to the new protein which is not gluten. For instance, one third of Italian children are allergic to wheat.

  5. Jovial is the best gluten free pasta out there. We LOVE it and it doesn’t get gummy like other GF pastas.

      1. I agree, Jovial Einkorn Pasta is sooo good. I been eating it for about 8 months. I cannot find it in any stores near me including Whole Foods. I buy online at Lucky Vitamin.

  6. Hi Vani!
    First off, I just LOVE what you are doing and the easy-going and conspiratorial air you have. Also, you write well and as English teacher with an environmental focus, I feel like we’d be buddies if we didn’t live on opposite sides of the country. That said, I have a question: what about Dreamfields low carb pasta…ok? We try to keep it healthy and local and allllll that, but man, sometimes a girl needs PASTA. What are your thoughts?
    Keep up the wonderful work that you are doing. It is very inspired, and thus, inspiring! 🙂

  7. My favourite pasta, and my 2 1/2 year old daughter’s too, is Ma vie sans Gluten, organic 100% buckwheat tortiglioni. I sautée a ton of kale with garlic and olive oil. Add chopped cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives (all organic) at the end so they warm but the tomatoe peels don’t get tough. Mix in the cooked pasta and finish it with organic goats milk ricotta. Insane!! No salt added in the water or veggies as the olives and cheese are enough. My daughter loves it. Dairy and wheat are not her friends so we skip the cheese for her and she devours it!

  8. This is one of the toughest areas for me, being Italian and loving to cook. I have gotten about 50% of my diet to raw, but when it comes to making a tray of lasagna or spaghetti for the family (a once a month treat) I get organic, but regular pasta. I have tried all the others, and while I can certainly enjoy it the other family members cannot. I tried cooking two pots of pasta for a while, but it was always tricky since my stove was being used up at the time. Are the organic regular pastas still void of nutrients, just organic?

  9. Hi, I love your posts…extremely informative and i have already made alot of changes based on them…. I was eating the whole wheat pasta but am now surprised to hear that it also is not so healthy. A friend of mine had suggested the spaghetti squash, said it is phenomenal so for now i will switch to that….also helps that it’s less calories 🙂 My question is about “farro” pasta, the brand i use is imported from Italy….i have also used this in the past, quite hearty and delicious…I do believe it is also one of the “ancient” grains….do you have any information on this type of pasta?

  10. Great article! Just some further questions about Ancient Grains. Would it be safe to assume that any product labelled Ancient Grains is GMO free? How can I know more about the refining process for Ancient Grains & would this be standard for all products using these grains?
    Thanks
    Jackie :))

  11. Great and timely advice. I’m just finishing reading Wheat Belly by William Davis. If you ever want the huge low down on how destructive wheat is on our health and culture, this might convince you. Thank you for the ideas and suggestions to substitute. Very helpful.

  12. I’d really love to see links to your research that says whole wheat pasta is not nutritious!!!

    1. Are you kidding? I don’t mean to be disparaging…however if you follow Vani even slightly or have insight or done ANY reasearch into “whole wheat” production and products…then I believe you would have your answer…just as a start…marksdailyapple.com offers some interesting counterpoints to grain consumption as a whole…insightful guidance on what our bodies need vs what we “emotionally and culturally think we should eat.” Also, wheat (even if it is “whole”) is no longer truly what nature intended…due to mass growth…there are other “whole grains” that are much healthier (as Vani mentioned) that are better for our health.

  13. After watching Forks over Knives, which says you can reverse heart disease with a plant based diet (a problem my husband has), we’ve been trying to eat a mostly vegetarian diet. This means we are eating a bit more pasta than usual. I’ve tried a few organic whole wheat pastas that I thought tasted a lot like earth (yuck). So I’ve been afraid to try other alternatives. So thank you for the suggestion. But for now we have been eating Barilla Plus pasta, which contains semolina but also a grain and legume flour blend of lentils, chickpeas, flax seeds, barley, oats, and spelt as the second ingredient. I know this is far from whole grain, but is it terrible?
    I love the pasta alternatives, by the way!! Spaghetti squash is great!!!

    1. It is only terrible in that nobody can eat only one half cup of pasta which is the serving size. All real pastas are too high in carbohydrates which are a type of sugar which feed cancer cells. When you quit eating wheat, you don’t crave sugars so much. See Wheat Belly, he backs up his writing with studies.

  14. Hi Vani, Thank you so much for these great Pasta suggestions. I was using 100% whole wheat pasta but didn’t know that i could do better! Learned so much from your website!!

  15. Homemade sourdough pasta is soaking as I type this. I already had it started for dinner tonight because my gluten sensitive kid tolerates it well and gets to enjoy one of his favorite foods…and I get peace of mind knowing exactly what is in the food I’m serving my family!

  16. We love Jovial as well, but haven’t tried the Einkorn yet, only the Brown Rice. What are your thoughts on that?
    Thank you!

  17. we’re looking for your input on supplements any info u can share,,,cuz we trust you

  18. Thank you! This is a VERY complete list and is much appreciated!! Just heard about mung bean pasta a few weeks ago and want to give it a try soon. For those who have asked, she mentions quinoa pasta under ancient grains pasta, It is gluten free and high protein (-:

  19. It’s not great for making a hot dish but I buy Brown Rice Pasta for things like pasta salad. Brown rice is great for you and I like the taste!

  20. I mostly just use spaghetti squash or zuchini noodles (zoodles).
    But I do on occasion buy Shirataki noodles from an Asian grocery store. They are made from yam and a very low carb and gluten free…

  21. Vani,
    First of all, I want to thank you for working so hard to give us wonderful information about nutrition. I give your web site to everybody that I talk with!
    I have a question: Since Italy is a GMO free country, it would be safe just buying the pasta imported straight from Italy?

    Thanks!

    1. I don’t think it is entirely GMO free… however if you are concerned about hybridized wheat, you could get einkorn from Italy. Good Luck!

  22. Just made Goldbaum’s All Natural GF Brown Rice Spaghetti last night. My husband and old school pasta style mom really liked it. Just follow the instructions to cool properly.

  23. Hi – thank you for all your wonderful posts – just bought a juicer to get started on a green juice a day!
    My favorite health food store (since closed) used to carry a sesame seed linguini – I have never been able to find it since – has anyone heard of such a thing?

    1. Mmmm… that sounds interesting, never see “seed” based pastas before other than buckwheat.

  24. Hi Vani,

    I too would like your opinion of Dreamfields Pasta. It says it is twice the fiber and 65% lower on the glycemic index. It is the only pasta my diabetic brother can have.
    (I feel we should all be on a diabetic diet) We think it is much better than whole wheat.

    Would love your opinion.

    Thanks, Mary

      1. Dreamfields Pasta ingred: (linguine) Enriched semolina, iron (ferrous sulfate)and B vitamins(niacin,thiamin,mononitrate,riboflavin,folic acid),inulin(vegetable fiber)wheat gluten (plant protein)xanthan gum (food fiber), pectin(fruit fiber)potassium chloride

  25. We love Sam Mills gluten free/non GMO corn pasta. It holds up like a traditional noodle…even in soup! 🙂

  26. Jovial is good, but my favorite so far is the Tinkyada Organic Brown Rice pasta: spaghettli, lasagna, rotini, fusilli…… My Hubby who is “I am not eating gluten free” has accepted it as it tastes so much like the wheat pasta.
    I have been purchasing Organic Gluten Free/NonGMO Sprouted flours form a place ran by a family! Small business is where your support should go!!
    Visit : http://organicsproutedflour.net/

    They are running a special for FREE SHIPPING the 1st week in Sept., so sign up for the newsletter! THE BEST FLOUR!!

  27. I’m about to use the Einkorn pasta for the first time tonight. I bought the penne a couple months back, after reading the Wheat Belly book.

  28. Re, sprouted grain pasta… “metabolizes the starch (gluten)….” I just want to say that gluten is a protein, not a starch, or, perhaps you were saying sprouting metabolizes the starches (I agree) AND the gluten…?
    In any event, thanks for your terrific posts.

  29. I have used notta pasta , I tried to contact several companies and get a status on GMO and Organic but found that most are non-gmo but are not listed as organic . The question will be weather the farmers can grow organic or even non-gmo. Our government has set laws to protect the GMO corporations to the point of the very GMO corporations can sue a farmer if the GMO contaminate his grain by a few % . The organic farmer cannot do a thing to the MONSANTO or DUPONT corporations . We are in need of a protest of labeling but it won’t mean a thing if the farmers aren’t protected from the government laws and the MONSANTOs . I might not be making myself clear . Our fight should be with the protection laws that Monsanto is using . If this law doesn’t change we won’t have to worry about he GMO labeling !!!

  30. My body can’t tolerate the wheat and semolina pastas (probably because of all the reasons mentioned)… But I love this brown rice pasta … http://www.tinkyada.com/ I get the organic options and it comes out perfect every time whether it’s a hot meal or cold meal! I make an awesome carbonara with egg parsley Parmesan cheese and just a tad bit of local bacon…add sauted onions, peas, greens, whatever…comes out delicious (and a family fav) everytime! Another great quick and easy meal is sauté up some chicken and veggies (of course all from my local CSA) and add the pasta tossed with a little vinaigrette just some olive oil and a little grated parm…fast easy and delicious!

  31. Hi Vani,

    Love the mung bean pasta and I also order black bean pasta from the Asian company. My favorite used to be the Eden 100 buckwheat pasta, but the black bean pasta is amazing and has so much protein and iron without a ton of carbs.

    You are one smart shopper!

    Sandy

  32. I just bought the truroots ancient grains pasta at Costco!! It was more than $1 cheaper per serving than at the health food store I’ve been buying it at. Love their pasta and excited I found a deal on it. Thanks for the article.

  33. Has anyone tried enuf of them to know which tastes like regular ol’ white pasta? I eat my pasta with veggies and olive oil, and i dont like the pasta itself to have a lot of taste.

    Thanks!

    1. Vita Spelt pasta d’abruzzi is wonderful. My whole family eats it. This is NOT a gluten free pasta, however…spelt actually has a higher gluten content than wheat, but my kid is allergic to wheat, not gluten, and we all enjoy it. They also make a whole wheat pasta, but the d’abruzzi is most like semolina pasta, and it comes in all typical extrusions: spaghetti, macaroni, spiral, fusilli, etc.

  34. Explore Asian also has Black Bean pasta that is high in protein and fiber as well with no weird flavor! Just made it for my family this week with fresh veggies and pesto and they loved it!

  35. Food Babe…I’m interested in knowing what you can tell me about popcorn. I had read that since it wasn’t a big money crop, they didn’t genetically modify it…someone posted recently with March Against Monsanto, that it is…do you know?

  36. We just had dinner…shirataki noodles with my homemade tomato sauce. They take a little getting used to, but we love them. Almost no calories, and you can get them in several sizes–angel hair, fettuccine, etc. They’re made from the root of a certain yam in Asia. We avoid wheat and glutan since my husband has rheumatoid arthritis and are really grateful we found this form of pasta.

  37. I saw the one comment on spelt pasta we also enjoy it and I was curious of your opinion of it. Thank you for your valuable information!

  38. What about Asian rice noodles? I actually like them as well as regular pasta.
    Are they gluten free?

  39. Tinkyada brown Rice pasta is my favorite when I’m doing real pasta(instead of Zucchini or spaghetti squash).Gluten free and that is all they make so no cross contamination! And many different types.

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