The Makers Behind My Favorite Gluten-Free Pasta Just Launched Its Most Versatile Variety Yet
There are few things I love more than a good bowl of pasta. I mean, I am Italian, after all! The biggest hindrance to my obsession with rigatoni, penne, and fusilli? I am a celiac — I can’t tolerate gluten at all. And let’s be honest, lots of the GF pasta options out there are sub-par, especially if you grew up eating homemade noodles. When I stumbled across ZENB a few months back, I was skeptical, to say the least. But when I gave it a try, I was pleasantly shocked! The single-ingredient pasta (it’s made solely from yellow peas) absolutely blew apart my pasta preconceptions.
The GF geniuses at ZENB originally came out with three equally scrumptious cuts — Penne, Rotini, and Elbows — each of which I use for different dishes. Wild mushroom ragu, cauliflower mac n’ cheese, herbaceous pasta salad… you name it. Then, in April, ZENB came out with a new cut: Agile, which looks like a mini-elbow noodle cut in half — so cute! And so, with a pantry stocked with four cuts of springy, silky, pea-based pasta, I’ll admit, I didn’t think it could get much better. But thanks to ZENB’s newest launch, my noodle dreams have been realized even further.
The new shape, Spaghetti, is a classic. While you may be likely to use this long cut in classic dishes like spaghetti and meatballs (I mean, there’s nothing better than that, I get it), what I love a little extra about this shape is its versatility. You can use it as a replacement for wheat-based noodles in any dish, like cold sesame noodle salad, chicken yakisoba, and other types of cuisine.
Like all other ZENB varieties, these long, sumptuous bits of yumminess offer the same high protein content as the other cuts (17 grams per three ounces) and loads of fiber. It’s like eating your veggies, just in totally delicious disguise! Besides being the perfect way to get in the kids’ pea quota, is a pretty awesome excuse for the grownups to dive into a bowl of cacio e pepe… just sayin’.
What I love most about this pasta (well, besides the unparalleled texture and taste) is how quickly it cooks. The Spaghetti takes four minutes total, which is a game changer for busy, last-minute weeknight dinners or rushed WFH lunches. The entire process, from the minute I put on my pot of water to when I sit down to absolutely inhale the pile of goodness in front of me, usually takes 12 minutes, especially if I’m using ZENB’s line of scrumptious, ready-made sauces.
Whether or not you eat gluten, the team over at ZENB is making some serious pasta that you don’t want to miss. Go ahead, ask my gluten-eating family, and they’ll tell you: This stuff is just as good as what we import from Italy. While I’ve got a soft spot for each of the cuts, Spaghetti is now my go-to. Delicious, versatile, and quick? I don’t think I could’ve dreamed up a better GF noodle.
Buy: Spaghetti, $14.99
This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it here: The Brand Behind My Favorite Gluten-Free Pasta Just Launched Its Most Versatile Variety Yet