There is something about pasta that makes it the true test to being acceptable to someone who eats gluten-free. Pasta is a staple in most households, so when we must go gluten-free, that is one of the first items on people’s minds when they think of the foods they need to cut from their lives. Fortunately, there is no shortage of gluten-free pasta, however there is a wide range of tastes and textures of those pastas. They can range from mushy and sticky to almost indistinguishable from gluten-filled pastas. Gluten-free pastas can be created with number of different gluten-free grains including rice, corn, quinoa, buckwheat and bean flours.
I have come to appreciate a few different brands for different occasions, and I seem to lean towards the Italian corn pastas by Farmo and Le Veneziane as my favorites, but recently I came across another Italian pasta, Jovial, which is made with brown rice instead of corn. And because I love the Italian pastas, I knew I had to give this a try.
I was a bit skeptical, because while I like some brown rice pastas, I just find them pretty average. They are typically the pastas I would use for something with a lot of sauce, rather than a light dish which would highlight the pasta. Sometimes rice pastas can also get mushy and are just kind of blah. But, I kept going back to the fact that they are Italian and Italians knows their pasta, so I gave it a go.
I made the rigate pasta for dinner with roasted broccoli, red onion and zucchini. I then added some kalamata olives and feta cheese on top before serving. I was really quite surprised. After boiling the pasta in salted water, I simply drained and added my veggies and toppings. The pasta noodle, itself, really held its shape, it was firm and had a nice taste. My husband was disappointed when I first told him we were not having our typical corn pasta for dinner and trying something new, but after eating his meal, he was quick to say Jovial was now one of his favorites. Our family of three quickly ate our meal and went for seconds. I would say Jovial is even better than the gluten-filled wheat pastas I remember.
Not only did I absolutely love the taste and texture of the pasta, the more I read about the company, it made me like it even more.
Jovial is a fairly new company that is dedicated to healthy living and was launched in 2010. Jovial produces non-gluten-free pasta as well, but their gluten-free pasta is all organic in addition to being sustainably packaged. Their pasta is made in a dedicated gluten-, casein-, egg-, tree nut-, and peanut-free facility and certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group. Jovial pasta is also kosher, GMO-free and suitable for vegans.
Jovial pasta is found at many Whole Foods and speciality stores. For specific locations, you can use their store locator. They also have some great recipes found on their website and blog.