Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice & Quinoa Spaghetti Pasta

We're up to Day 5 of Gluten-Free Week on the blog: 



I thought this looked interesting when I saw it in the store, though not interesting enough that I cooked it up right away. It actually sat in my cupboard for several months before I got around to it.

I didn't think it was great, but it was perfectly acceptable. When eaten with pasta sauce, I was not consciously aware that it was significantly different from ordinary pasta. Maybe a little stickier and gloppier.

Most of the gluten-free substitutes for wheat-based products that I have tried have been pretty bad, such that if I were forced for health reasons to change to them, I would feel severely put upon. Not so with this one. I would deem it only a small diminishment in my enjoyment of spaghetti.

Will I buy it again? 

I doubt it. But if you have a problem with gluten, by all means give it a try.

Nina's View

When Bob told me that this was on the menu, I'm afraid my first reaction was "Oh dear." This was my polite way of saying what the inside of my head was screaming, which was "AW HELL NAWS!!!!!"

To be fair, it wasn't as bad as I expected. If you are truly gluten-sensitive or have celiac disease, I think this is worth trying. For the majority of us lucky enough to have no problem digesting gluten or wheat, there's no reason to inflict this on ourselves. I found the texture and taste pretty leaden. I think you need to pick your sauce for this carefully, as it will definitely clash with some flavors. I have no interest in experimenting to find which ones work best.