- Dec
- 19
Cooking With Brown Rice Pasta
Posted by Laura Frisk at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
My eating habits have evolved with age. One thing I never thought I would give up is white pasta. Noodles made from plain white flour are easy to cook and always taste great. But let’s face it: The refined white flour used in most pastas is just not good for us. I’ve actually been trying to give up just about everything in my diet that is white–except for tofu–and I now make my pasta dishes with brown rice pasta. I was inspired when a PETA Primer posted a comment on my Brown Rice Salads post. She commented that she lost 7 pounds when she replaced her white rice and pasta with products only made of brown rice.
I’ll admit, brown rice pasta takes a little practice to cook well. If it’s not cooked long enough, it’s chewy, but not appetizing like al dente white pasta. If it’s cooked too long, it gets so mushy that it practically falls apart. And I find that if I don’t stir it frequently during cooking, it sticks together in clumps. Not very attractive, especially for that vegan dinner party you have planned.
My favorite brand is Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Penne. If you can’t find the Trader Joe’s brand, then try any brown rice penne pasta sold at most health food stores. Small-shaped noodles are so much easier to cook than the long linguini-style strands. Penne cooks evenly and doesn’t stick together, at least if you remember to stir it every once in a while. And it’s a hefty enough noodle that it doesn’t get mushy if you cook it that extra minute.
Start with a big pasta pot filled with cold water. Bring it to a boil, add a drizzle of safflower or canola oil (about 1 Tablespoon) and add the pasta. Give it a good stir to distribute the oil. Cook for about 12 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Drain, and you’re done. Once you do it a few times, you’ll easily get the hang of it.
Brown rice pasta tastes great with just about any pasta topping that you would use on regular white pasta. I have made it with red sauce, peanut sauce, white sauce, grilled veggies, baked tofu chunks, etc.
My favorite recipe is using another new product from Trader Joes, Chicken-Less Strips. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the strips in some garlic and olive oil, until heated through and browned a bit. Turn off the flame, add some baby spinach, a cup of garbanzo beans, and some sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Cover the pot so that the spinach can wilt. When the pasta is done, put it into the pan with the Chicken-Less Strips and veggies. Give a good toss, and dinner is done. Top with some pine nuts or pumpkin seeds, sprinkle on some vegan Parmesan, and serve.
And don’t forget to check out VegCooking.com for some other great pasta recipes.
Unfortunately, brown rice pasta is not good as cold leftovers direct from the fridge. When they sit overnight in the fridge, they get hard and dry, unless you have used plenty of sauce in the original dish that the noodles can soak up. But there is a remedy. Spritz with water and heat in the microwave. Or spritz with water, put in covered casserole dish, and warm in an oven on low heat. It will soften.
I have experimented with other types of pasta–corn pasta, artichoke pasta, very veggie pasta–there are lots of them out there. But brown rice pasta is my all time favorite.
What’s your favorite winter pasta sauce?
Posted to Health | Posted to Tags: pasta, recipes, rice, vegan, vegetarian
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Stephanie says...
December 20th, 2008, 8:28 pm
I buy the organic “Garofalo” brand pasta from Costco made from 100 % organic durm wheat semolina. I have not had any problems with it clumping during cooking or being too chewy. I usually cook up the entire contents of one package and drain it, then store it in a tupperware in the fridge where it will last all week. I learned on the Food Network from Mario Batali that if the pasta does not have any sauce on it, then it will last longer (same with brown rice). I take out a portion each night then add my veggies and tomato sauce or whatever sauce I have on hand (already made in jars in the fridge). I cook the pasta about two minutes longer than what the package recommends. That way it is never too chewey. I don’t miss white flour pasta at all! The Costco brand comes in several different shapes and is a great buy!
Robyn says...
December 22nd, 2008, 2:49 pm
I went out and bought the brown rice pasta after reading your post- and I loved it. I will definitely replace my old white flour pasta with this from now on, it tastes great and it’s much healthier. Thanks for the suggestion!
Karen Taggart says...
December 22nd, 2008, 2:52 pm
Robyn,
So did I! I loved it and couldn’t tell the difference. And unlike the other wheat substitutes I have tried this one didn’t clump up or get chewy. I think everyone should follow Laura’s tips here… it’s an easy way to make your meal a lot healthier!
kerry says...
December 22nd, 2008, 7:59 pm
I will tell my sister to buy the Garafalo noodles the next time she goes to Costco and brown rice noodles the next time she goes to the health food store. If they are as good as they sound, I will convert. thanks for the tips.