Product: Andea Dream Quinoa Spaghetti – $4.99+
Twas the night of my Monday fun run…and instead of doing my usual go-to meals…a Tasty Bite Indian meal or a grilled cheese sandwich…I went off the beaten path. I decided…pasta would be good. Mmmm…pasta.
I love pasta, and being gluten-free sometimes means I don’t get as good pasta as I used to be able to eat. Rice pasta gets mushy and gummy. Corn pasta is fine…but doesn’t always go with what I’m making.
And then…Andean Dream created the solution to my problem. Quinoa pasta. Yes…pasta made from quinoa. I figured…why not give it a try? So, I purchased a box of the spaghetti and took it home with me. I have an overabundance of gluten-free pasta…because I love pasta…like…love, love, love…devour…mmmmm…good…carbs…pasta…kind of love…so this one sat in my pantry until it was it’s turn.
Well, on Monday…for some reason…I decided it would be pasta night. Even though it was a hectic, busy, rushed night. Traffic going to Louisville is bad. I mean…BAD…every Monday and it’s only gotten worse with some of the construction going on…lane closures on the bridge…etc. Why I thought pasta might be a good idea, who knows? Things work out better in my head. Timing works out better in my head. But…that’s how life goes.
Live. Learn. Eat pasta anyway.
I made it home from work and immediately turned on the pot of water I left on the stove all day. It was covered, so I hoped that would bring the water up to a boil faster. I opened up the Andean Dream Quinoa Spaghetti and pulled out 4 ounces…or two servings. The box says that it serves 4, so this was half of the box. But you know me…I weighed it out.
The color and texture of the dried noodles remind me a lot of when I ate spelt pasta. That was a good sign. I loved my spelt pasta…until I could no longer eat it. While waiting on the water to boil, I did busy work…like get changed, put together lunch and snack for the following day, and chop up some grape tomatoes and get them sauteing in a pan with some olive oil. The water did boil and in went the Quinoa Spaghetti. The box said it would take about 13-15 minutes to cook, so I let it go…stirring occasionally…and hoped that it wasn’t one of those pastas that really took about 20-25 to reach that perfect al dente. It wasn’t. It took all but 13 minutes. I swear to the quinoa gods (which must exist for this to be a reality!).
Time to plate up. I had my tomatoes in a pan, so I drained the pasta, threw it in the pan with the tomatoes, added my chopped fresh basil, and just gave it a toss, warming it all up all the way through, coating everything in the remnants of the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Viola. Dinner was served. And…appropriately devoured…with a little slice of the gluten-free pull-apart bread I made and baked up over the weekend when my sister was in town.
So…how did the pasta stack up in flavor?
I only want to buy quinoa pasta from now on. It is fantastic. It didn’t get gummy or mushy. It held up through the additional cooking with the tomatoes and basil…in the sauce. It didn’t crumble or fall apart. It was so good. The texture reminded me not just of spelt pasta, but when I could eat whole wheat pasta. It just…was wow. Wonderful. Not chewy, not mushy, not disappointing at all. I was thrilled to cook it up again and have it perform equally as well on the second go-round.
Yes…Andean Dream has converted me. Quinoa pasta…FOREVER!
A serving size of Andean Dream Quinoa Spaghetti is 2 ounces, which dishes up a delightfully tasty 207 calories. Which is about right for a pasta. Just slightly under most other pastas out there. The Quinoa spaghetti has only 1 gram of fat. In addition to all that, not only is this pasta wheat-free and corn-free, but it is also sodium-free. That’s right!! A serving also provides you with a meager 3 grams of sugar and fiber. But, due to this pasta being made from quinoa and rice flour…a serving contains 6 grams of protein. Love that quinoa!!
Looking for a change or just want to step away from the strictly rice and corn based gluten-free pasta out on the market? I highly recommend Andean Dream pasta noodles. The spaghetti worked perfectly with my dinner and I can’t wait to try the other pastas that Andean Dream makes. So happy with this…and wish I had dug it out sooner!!
The Celiathlete 
would like to purchase 3-5 boxes of Andean dream spaghetti What is the cost, T