Gluten free 101: gluten free pasta

Living gluten free does not mean one has to live pasta free.  There is a large variety of gluten free pastas on the market, even some from well-known wheat-based pasta makers

• Deboles - With the wide variety of styles and grains, this brand is quickly becoming a favorite.
• Dr. Schar - Their collection contains unique shapes of corn and rice based pasta and they also make a variety of other gluten free products.
• Ener-G Foods - These pastas are made literally with just white rice flour and water, so they accommodate a variety of allergy needs.
• Mrs. Leeper's - In addition to their corn and rice based pastas, Mrs. Leeper's also makes boxed dinners.
• Orgran - All their products are Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg free, Yeast Free, GMO Free and Vegan.
• Quinoa - This brand sets itself apart by using the naturally gluten free and nutritious quinoa grain.
• Tinkyada - One of the most well known and well liked gluten free pastas, this past is rice based and comes in a variety of styles.
• Trader Joes - They may skimp on the price, but never on the flavor!
• Another source for gluten free, economical pastas are Asian markets.  They have many white rice and mung bean based noodles that are naturally gluten free.  Often, there are also buckwheat noodles, however, check carefully as many brands mix wheat flour in with the buckwheat, be sure to choose a brand that is 100% buckwheat.  Furthermore, a word of caution to those with Celiac or who are highly sensitive - noodles found in the Asian market are not certified gluten free and are often not produced here in the United States so there is always potential for contamination. 

Cooking gluten free pasta is quite different from cooking wheat pasta.  For tips on how to cook it well, please see this article.