Schär Naturally Gluten-Free Spaghetti

Schär Naturally Gluten-Free Spaghetti
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

Pasta is available in a number of gluten-free forms and various types of pasta tend to taste better with different toppings. Rice pasta is generally the best pasta for a classic bowl of macaroni and cheese while corn pasta is often going to taste best with some marinara sauce for its topping. While it does come down to individual taste, the nice thing about pasta is that if someone has a gluten or wheat allergy, there are many alternatives and finding the best option for a pasta dish just takes some experimentation.

And for a plate of spaghetti, it is this author's opinion that one of the best options is going to be corn pasta due to the general strength of the pasta after it's been cooked. Any type of pasta might tend to get a little mushy if it's left in a pot too long, but alternative non-gluten based pastas are extremely vulnerable to becoming a mushy mess. This is where corn pasta shines as it has a strength to it that other pastas do not.

Schär Naturally Gluten-Free Spaghetti
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

Of course, it should be noted that corn pasta does taste different than traditional pasta that is made from wheat. For Schär Naturally Gluten-Free Spaghetti, the strength of it is generally within expectations and covering it with a pile of marinara (or any sort of tomato-based sauce) along with some Parmesan (or even mozzarella) is a fine idea as the resulting taste is pleasing.

One of the benefits of this particular brand of pasta is the fact that it's made with words like "natural" on the package, which might be an attractive element for anyone who is interested in eating foods that haven't been through significant processing. Not only is the product gluten, wheat and lactose free, but it's also got zero cholesterol and is not made with preservatives. This is a great pasta to use if you're interested in making your own sauce and having a natural pasta to serve with it.

Schär Naturally Gluten-Free Spaghetti
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

The one area where people who enjoy eating pasta might have to watch out is in the calorie column as just a single package of pasta (which is likely good enough for three people so long as there are sides involved) equals about 1200 calories. This means if you add cheese and sauce to the mix and perhaps some gluten-free bread with a little garlic and butter, you might very well be looking at thousands of calories worth of food for what might be just part of a full meal. 

Schär Naturally Gluten-Free Spaghetti w/Marinara & Parm
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

It's advisable that anyone seeking to eat a healthy amount of calories each day be careful not to toss the entire package into the pot unless they're interested in seeing the number on the scale jump up or they've got some friends over to share the meal.

The nice thing about this pasta is that it's not going to need an extreme amount of babysitting at the stovetop as would rice pasta (which is generally a type of pasta that cooks at a lightning pace). 

Of course, that doesn't mean that it can be left on the stove for a half hour and come out just fine. As with any gluten-free types of pasta, it's always best to cook it just a few minutes less than you might cook pasta that was filled with gluten. But just a hair less when it comes to corn pasta as it does perform well when it's cooked right.

Schär Naturally Gluten-Free Spaghetti Report Card:

Schär Naturally Gluten-Free Spaghetti
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

The Good Things:

Schär does generally make pasta that's tasty and this (mostly) corn pasta is something that should pair well with some traditional Italian toppings such as a type of tomato sauce and any sort of cheese that you might expect to see in an Italian restaurant.

What Could be Better:

There's not a lot that Schär could really change regarding their pasta as it performs well in cooking tests and does produce a tasty pasta experience when fully cooked. For anyone who has had the pleasure of eating regular gluten-filled pasta, the taste difference is certainly noticeable, but anyone who can't eat gluten shouldn't feel too deprived when they're forced to eat an alternative type of pasta such as this corn pasta.

A warning to anyone searching for a gluten-free pasta - as is the case with most gluten-free dishes, you'll likely pay much more for a small package of Schär Naturally Gluten-Free Spaghetti than you would pay for a run-of-the-mill pasta where "gluten-free" wasn't printed somewhere on the package. Expect to pay as much for a small package of Schär pasta as you might for a family size package of the regular wheat stuff.