12 Tips for Cooking Great Gluten Free Pasta - A Little Bit Yummy (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to cooking gluten free pasta? ›

Cook pasta in an extra-large saucepan, for best results use 1lt of salted water per 100g pasta. Allow the pasta to boil uncovered while it cooks. There is no need to add oil to the cooking water. Boil for 5 minutes then carefully taste the pasta every minute until it is 'al dente'

Don't forget to salt the water.

On its own, gluten-free pasta is really pretty tasteless. It needs seasoning, in the form of salt, just like regular pasta. After the water comes to a boil, add enough salt to make the water taste like the ocean (about 1/4 cup for a large pot of water), before adding the pasta.

Gluten free pasta tends to absorb more sauce than normal pasta. This means you might need to add more water to the sauce as you mix it through the pasta. Don't rinse your pasta.

Because of the starch, gluten-free pasta noodles tend to cling together. Add a glug of olive oil to the water and make sure to run a spoon through it to redistribute every 30 seconds during the first few minutes of cooking. Once the pasta has begun to plump you don't have to worry about it as much.

Gluten-free pasta has a tendency to get gummy, mushy, or stick together if it's cooked for too long or too short. It's more finicky than regular pasta that way.

Avoid foods that list gluten-containing ingredients such as ale, barley, beer, bleached flour, bran, bread flour, brewer's yeast, brown flour, brown rice syrup (unless the food is labeled gluten-free), bulgur, couscous, dextrin (unless the source is gluten-free), durum, farina, farro, hydrolyzed vegetable (wheat) ...

Most gluten-free flours will have a unique taste, which can be hard to get used to eating. That's why we recommend adding extra vanilla. Adding more vanilla or other spices/flavorings will help cover these unfamiliar flavors. Besides, who doesn't love the smooth taste of vanilla–we certainly do!

Simply add a tablespoon of olive oil to the boiling water before adding the pasta. In addition, you can also try tossing the cooked pasta with a sauce made with fresh ingredients, such as garlic, olive oil, fresh basil, or crushed tomatoes. This can help to bring out the flavor of the pasta and make it more satisfying.

Save the starchy water.

It acts as a sauce for the pasta recipe. Gluten-Free Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (pictured above) is a great example of this. If your pasta water gets super-starchy, that's okay in this recipe because that's exactly what it calls for!

Is Barilla gluten free pasta actually gluten-free? ›

Your whole family will love our delicious Gluten Free Spaghetti! The pasta is made with corn and rice, is certified gluten free and has the great taste and texture you can feel good about including in your favorite pasta dishes. Barilla Gluten Free pasta is made with non-GMO ingredients.

Unfortunately, it is not advisable to reheat gluten-free pasta because it is made of corn and rice, both of which break down more quickly and easily than wheat. As a result, gluten-free pasta tends to become mushy and tasteless when cooked a second time.

To cook the dried gluten free pasta, place it in boiling water, seasoned with a pinch of salt, for 6 - 10 minutes, depending on how well-cooked you like it.

To halt the cooking process and avoid mushy pasta, give that pasta an ice bath! To make an ice water bath, add ice and water to a medium-sized bowl. I prefer to use Jovial or Tinkyada gluten free pasta brands, but Barilla is also delicious.

Not all gluten-free pastas taste like pasta — the high-protein ones absolutely do not — and many have a mushy or grainy texture, negating the joy of eating pasta. To counteract the texture problems, some brands make their pasta thicker, which gives the noodles a chewy texture (also not great).

Does Gluten-Free Pasta Cook the Same as Regular Pasta? As with regular pasta, gluten-free noodles should be cooked according to package instructions, and the process is very similar no matter which type you choose.

If cooked properly, it turns out perfectly al dente and is even good cold in a pasta salad. Gluten-free pasta in general is tricky and one minute overcooked will produce a mushy pasta that splits and falls apart. The trick? Don't follow the directions on the package!

Use a Large Pot

Gluten free pastas contain more starches in them for binding and structure than traditional pasta. The starches release into the boiling water and can cause the pot to boil over. Using a large pot helps keep boil overs to a minimum.