I have a confession: Pasta Week is killing me. For medical reasons, I am not eating wheat for 30 days, and unfortunately this is only the third week of the new diet, so mac and cheese, fall vegetable orzo, and — my favorite — pappardelle topped with a rich, meaty tomato sauce are all off-limits. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the same long-simmered sauces I would normally eat over noodles.
Here are six alternative ways to eat pasta sauce, some noodle-like and some not.
1 On a potato: Pour pasta sauce over a split-open baked potato, or a boiled and mashed potato, for a sort shepherd's pie. This also works with a sweet potato.
2 Over polenta: A bowl of creamy polenta with a spoonful of ragù could give a plate of pasta a run for its money. Or cool the cooked polenta and cut it into cakes that can be grilled or baked and eaten with pasta sauce.
3 With cooked whole grains: Whole grains like quinoa, kasha and rice are the perfect vehicle for flavorful sauces.
4 Over roasted vegetables: Although any type of cooked vegetable could work, the toasty flavor of roasted vegetables is especially satisfying.
5 Over squash: Cook a spaghetti squash and shred the flesh into miraculously noodle-like strands, or use a mandoline or sharp knife to shred zucchini into thin strips. Salt the zucchini strands and let them sit in a colander for about 30 minutes, then squeeze out any excess moisture before briefly sauteing them or using them raw. These "noodles" are especially good with pesto.
6 With a gluten-free pancake: Make a pile of crispy potato pancakes, savory cornmeal pancakes, or a chickpea flour socca, and top with sauce. If you like savory food in the morning, this could even be breakfast.
Do you have any suggestions for gluten-free accompaniments to pasta sauce?
Related: Recipe: Borlotti Beans in Tomato Sauce with Creamy Polenta
(Images: Faith Durand; Martha Stewart)
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I tried the spaghetti squash method once and utterly failed at it, is the final product supposed to retain its separate noodly integrity or does it sort of mush together if spun with a fork?
I recently made lasagna with zucchini "noodles" too. Just cut them into strips with a veggie peeler or mandoline.
@mimee25 - spaghetti squash is supposed to be sort of noodly, but the "noodles" break pretty easily and are not uniform thickness or length. How did you cook it? I nuked mine in the microwave and it took forever (it was a very large squash) but eventually I cut it in half and it worked after that. You also have to scrape at it with a fork to get the "noodles." If you got mush, I think perhaps you overcooked it or there was something wrong with the squash.
I made spaghetti squash spaghetti last night with a homemade meat sauce (ground beef, san marzano crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, onion, shallot, dried basil, s&p, pinch of sugar) with a little grated pecorino on top and it was amazing. I'm looking forward to leftovers for lunch today. :D
I am not personally a fan of tomatoes and potatoes together. Don't know why, but I think it's weird (unless it's in beef barley veg soup with tomatoes in it).
as long as it is a rich homemade tomato sauce, I can eat it on anything. My favorite thing is to eat meat sauce, with cannellini beans! so yummy and simple.
Bleh. Spaghetti squash still tastes like blandish bitterish squash. Even with terrific sauce. Check out other options, there are quinoa noodles, brown rice pasta, corn pasta... skip the squash 'noodles' (please).
If you do spaghetti squash (which I *LOVE* and I find is great with all sorts of sauces), it is especially good to let it sit in a colander after you scrape out the strands for several minutes, and then press it to get out as much liquid as possible. Sauteeing the strands can also help give them a little more flavor and dry them out a bit more - my boyfriend is very impatient when it comes to preparing dinner and doesn't drain/sautee the squash strands long enough, so we usually have extra watery sauce. It really is a great vehicle for sauce, and sometimes I almost prefer it to regular pasta.
For a replacement noodle, there's a type of soybean pasta carried at Whole Foods (and other places with more gluten-free options) that is pretty good. The yellow one (made from toasted soybeans) has a better flavor than the green one (made from untoasted soybeans). It's also packed full of protein.
Mandolined long strips of zucchini then lightly steamed is still my favorite. Yum.
These are fantastic ideas...but you left off my favorite, Quinoa pasta!! That stuff is AMAZING. I don't have a problem with gluten and I would choose it over regular pasta anytime.
My husband has celiac:( it was a real challenge at first but the corn and rice based gf pasta are great! We tried alot of different kinds but this blend tastes the most "real"
Pasta-loving celiac here :)
You don't have to give up pasta! There are fewer shapes available, but there is definitely good GF pasta.
The best gluten-free pasta in my opinion is called Jovial - it's organic brown rice, made in Italy, & the texture is amazing...the angel-hair pasta is indistinguishable from the "normal" kind. It's also, unfortunately, really really expensive.
A close second is, surprisingly, Trader Joe's brown rice pasta, & it's only $2 for a 1-pound bag. I use the spirals and penne for all sorts of casseroles, mac&cheese, etc., and the spaghetti with sauce or even just with oil & vegetables. You have to be more careful not to overcook it, but as long as you keep it al dente, it's just fine.
P.S. Both of these brands have been declared perfectly acceptable by my non-celiac, gluten-consuming boyfriend.
I've been gluten free for almost a year now. Risotto is my pasta replacement. I made the fall vegetable orzo as a risotto last night and it was delish. I also love polenta with a bolognese sauce or other thick sauce. I'll fry up any extra polenta in the morning and top with a egg over easy.
Don't dispair. I've been gluten free due to a wheat allergy since 2006. There ARE some decent gluten free pastas. My favorite is Bionature. Try it with Emeril's Vodka sauce. Yum. Also add salt to the boiling pasta, and don't believe that "9 minutes" bull. It takes at least 15 to soften up, just keep trying it and pulling it apart and tasting it until it's a nice consistency.
"Despair". Apparently I cannot spell tonight. ;)
OH, and you're going to love me for this: Gluten Free Cafe's fettucini alfredo. Freaking yummy. Sometimes I add my own alfredo sauce because theirs is a bit weak. Amy's mac and chees is not too bad either.
I stopped eating pasta a few years ago before I discovered much of the alternative types of pastas. I now treat myself to those every once in a great while, but I am mostly pasta free. Most of the time I have my pasta sauce over quinoa, and leftover sauce for lunch over chickpeas.
We eat brown rice pasta all the time. And spaghetti squash is amazing -- try roasting at 425 instead of 350 (like some recipes suggest).
I'm actually not a fan of the Jovial pasta. My boyfriend (whom I live with, this is NYC after all) has celiac and giving up his beloved pasta was not an option. I mostly use TINKYADA pasta. It's the best - their lasagna is fantastic. If you drain your pasta right before its the perfect al dente it turns out perfect. Don't use the estimated cook times on the package - they lie!
I love gluten-free gnocchi - those little potato dumplings are like little clouds of delicious. I like mine with pesto and chicken meatballs. Check it out here: http://www.freshnessgf.com/chicken-meatballs-gnocch/
I also agree with 2Lorah - TINKYADA is the best gluten free pasta and lasagna. I have a sweet recipe for Gwenyth Paltrow's fried zucchini pasta that's modified GF here:
http://www.freshnessgf.com/fried-zucchini-spaghetti/