I did a search but the topics I found were 2-3+ years old and closed. What's on the market these days in whole wheat pasta that tastes good?

My biggest diet downfall is white flour. I love risotto and pasta - all kinds - so if I could find a good-tasting high quality whole wheat pasta I'd give it a try.

I'm doing the same thing myself. Everytime we run out of a certain pasta now we are replacing it with a whole wheat or multi-grain one. I have found I like the multi-grain ones best. I live in Canada and more and more the store brands are adding whole grain products. If you want an italian import, I would suggest you look in the organic section - there are several brands that might suit you. The only thing I am still not able to change over to now is Rice....Basmati for my everyday and then of course a good Italian for risotto. But I limit the rice to once a week so I figure thats not bad. Of course the other alternatives are asian noodles like soba or buckwheat noodles for meals that would be suitable for that style pasta. I find that every few weeks there is something new at the grocery store that supports the new way I am "trying" to eat!

I can't remember specific brands, but one thing I've discovered about whole wheat pasta is that it's better if you cook it for a shorter time than the package says - like 3 minutes or so less. That really improves the texture and makes it taste more similar to regular pasta.

Pasta is my downfall, too. And I just can't find a whole wheat that I like. For me, the objection is the texture. I'll be keeping a close eye on this thread for suggestions.

I really like the Whole Foods house brand, 365, for whole wheat pastas.

I've also been buying brown basmati and brown jasmine rice. The basmati is good but the brown jasmine just doesn't taste like jasmine rice to me.

I second the vote for Whole Foods 365. I also like DeCecco when I can find it. Don't buy the Ronzoni whole wheat blend, it's awful. I started eating whole wheat pasta several years ago, and now regular pasta just tastes too plain and mushy for me.

Thanks guys. I'll pick up some of the 365 brand next time I'm at "Whole Paycheck" and report back.

I like the 365 linguine more than I do the thicker pastas like penne. I don't notice the grainy texture so much with the thin noodles.

My Whole Paycheck also stocks a fresh whole grain linguine that is really good, good enough that I'm sure it must be bad for me.

You might be interested in this article and taste test that was done by the Washington Post not too long ago, in which a local Italian-born chef participated. If you look in the side box that says "Pasta Articles" you will find a couple of related links, including recipes for sauces and toppings that work well with ww pasta.

I love pasta and have done lots of fun (eating) research. IMHO, DeCecco is the best. It's more expensive, but worth it. It doesn't get mushy like some of the other brands and has a great taste.

quote:

Originally posted by auntyk:
You might be interested in this article and taste test that was done by the Washington Post not too long ago, in which a local Italian-born chef participated. If you look in the side box that says "Pasta Articles" you will find a couple of related links, including recipes for sauces and toppings that work well with ww pasta.

Interesting article, thanks for posting the link! Hope I like it better than the judges seemed to.

I buy whole wheat pastry flour and make my own whole wheat pasta. I use it for dishes that call for rich sauce.

I eat a lot of wild rice: it has a wonderful nutty flavour and is very whole grain. I buy at least one small container of it every week at my local Italian deli. The salad contains wild rice, red peppers, sweet white onions, and lots of slivered almonds. Yummy!

Note, however, that wild rice (which is native to Canada -- and maybe also the USA?) is very expensive, but a small amount goes a long, long way. It takes forever to cook it, but it is very, very filling.

I have a small portion of wild rice with some type of mixed bean salad as one of my meatless meals for lunch several times a week.

quote:

Originally posted by m/s:
I buy whole wheat pastry flour and make my own whole wheat pasta. I use it for dishes that call for rich sauce.

I have never attempted to make pasta. Is it difficult and do you need a special machine? Can you share your recipe?

Ginger

We really like the Barilla Plus pasta. Low in fat, high in fiber and doesn't have that "fibery" taste.

I make pasta sometimes from from milled whole wheat from our farm. But wheat as a grain does not agree with everyone.

Try instead using buckwheat flour. Pizzocheri is a really popular dish here in northern Italy. The noodles are made from buckwheat flour and water. Ginger, you can roll them out without using a machine, and cut them with a knife.

(The rest of the dish includes boiling the noodles with savoy cabbage, draining and adding butter and fontina cheese).

Also, try using spelt. Spelt (farro in Italian) is a distant cousin of wheat, and many people find it much more tolerable than wheat. Farro flour can be a bit tough to work with, it takes some time to get used to.

Ginger, I use the standard 100g (pastry) flour and one egg ratio but I don't always use all of the flour, depending on the size of the egg. I live like a poor college student so no pasta machine for me. Actually, I don't even own a rolling pin. I use an empty wine bottle instead but I have read that wooden rolling pin and wooden board combination is supposed to produce the best result.

Diana, buckwheat flour pasta? That's...soba!

We use Pasta Riscossa most of the time and love it. Sometimes I grab another brand, I think it's cassa anna.

You're right!! It is soba, isn't it!! I forgot that (too long dawdling around in the Italian countryside!!!!)

How much is 100 grams of flour in cups? And would you use 100 grams of whole wheat or half & half?

Ginger

I used this converter and the result says 100 grams of cake flour is about .73 cup. I use all whole wheat but I think going half and half is a good idea to get used to the texture.

BTW, this thread about pasta dough was very helpful.

Diana, I had no idea that Italians too made noodles with buckwheat flour. I should bring a bottle of soba dipping sauce for cold noodles (add ginger, green onions, and shrimp tempura = my favorite lunch for hot summer day).

I like the Dreamfields pasta. It's not a whole wheat pasta, but claims to be low in carbs (due to part of the carbs being non-digestible), and high in fiber. Their website here has more information. Based on the other recommendations posted, it sounds like I need to try the DeCecco and Barilla Plus brands, too.

Okay, I read the other thread entirely and everyone seems to recommend using a pasta machine. Which one is a good one?

Ginger

Ginger, there are several brands but two come to mind, Atlas and Imperia. And there are motorized versions too. I think ours is an Atlas hand crank - it's a little dusty.

Except for dishes calling for wider noodles, like lasagna and pappardelle, where the fresh pasta makes all the difference, I simply use a good brand of boxed pasta. But if you are serious about converting to a whole grain lifestyle, you may indeed want to make your own. I haven't met a boxed whole wheat pasta that I like.

A friend has a Kitchen Aid attachment for her stand mixer and I have considered it, though I certainly don't need it.

I was taught to make pasta without a machine - it's easy. I suggest giving it a try a few times before buying a machine. You don't really need special equipment, though plenty of space comes in handy. And it can be a really good workout.

quote:

Originally posted by Bags packed:

A friend has a Kitchen Aid attachment for her stand mixer and I have considered it, though I certainly don't need it.



And it can be a really good workout.

I think I might have that attachment, I need to go dig around in all my junk.

And I'm for anything that burns calories.

Craig & I have a "date" tomorrow and I'm thinking of making fresh pasta as a surprise.

Ginger