Jovial’s brown rice penne is tasty gluten-free pasta perfection

Product: Jovial Brown Rice Penne – $4.99+

The problem I have had since going gluten-free is finding a brown rice pasta that doesn’t turn to mush when it’s cooked.  I love Tinkyáda because the texture is just like real thing.  Seriously!  But it seems that every time I see awards handed out for gluten-free pastas, Jovial takes the top prize.

I have seen Jovial around at the natural food stores that I shop at, but never quite picked it up.  Mostly because it is a bit pricier and harder to find when others are right there at my usual grocery shopping watering holes.

But then…I went to a rather large gluten-free expo in Birmingham, Alabama and walked away with more samples of gluten-free products than I knew what to do with.  Among them was a sample package of Jovial Brown Rice Penne pasta.  As I was currently working my way through an open package of pasta, this sat in the pantry.

Then, this past weekend I had to travel to St. Louis, Missouri, for a concert.  My roommate and I were staying with her aunt, who is currently hard at work on another degree.  I put out the offer to bring food and prepare it so she didn’t have to feel the need to entertain and could focus on her studies.  I figured everyone liked pasta, so I packed up the two sample packs of Jovial Brown Rice Penne along with some gluten-free pasta sauce that I got in my “Don’t Be A Gluten” gift basket my roommate bought for me.  It was perfect, safe, and hopefully it would be delicious.

Cooking Jovial pasta was so easy.  Boil the water, add pasta, allow to cook for about nine minutes until al dente.  It’s that easy.  All you do after that is drain, add sauce, and toss.  No rinsing with cold water to improve texture or any of that.  You cook and it’s ready to roll.

We all really enjoyed this pasta.  It was cooked to the perfect level.  In fact, my roommate’s aunt (they share a name, so I can’t refer to them as such or it would be Cathy and Cathy…LOL!) complimented me on how perfectly I cooked up the pasta.  This was her first time having brown rice pasta and she said it tasted just like the real stuff that she’s used to having.  It held up with the tomato sauce I added to it, and the addition of asparagus to bulk it up.  It was a delicious, yummy treat for sure.  One that we just gobbled up until it was gone.  Even the dog had a little helping when we were all stuffed and only a small amount remained.

Jovial’s Brown Rice Penne is definitely one of the sturdier versions of brown rice pasta that I have tried.  I didn’t have the opportunity to refrigerate and then attempt a reheat to see if the noodles were soggy the following day, but for a fresh-from-the-stovetop perspective…this brand is awesome!

And it’s no wonder.  According to Jovial’s Web site, the brown rice pasta recipe they use was developed by Master artisans in Tuscany, Italy, who wanted to develop the most authentic gluten-free pasta out there.  The company didn’t want those who had to eat gluten-free to feel like they were sacrificing texture and flavor to keep themselves healthy.  And they did a bang-up job.  Honestly.  Bite after bite the pasta stayed perfectly al dente and equally yummy.

If you have to eat gluten-free, or if you are just looking for a healthy alternative to pasta, I highly recommend using Jovial’s brown rice pasta.  I can’t speak (yet) for the other brown rice varieties in their lineup, but they won me over with the Brown Rice Penne.

Come on…have pasta night and do it gluten-free.  It’s May.  It’s Celiac Awareness Month.  Treat yourself to some gluten-free goodness this month.  You’ve earned it.