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In recent years, whole wheat and whole grain pastas have garnered much attention away from traditional pastas. The healthy benefits of these pastas are undeniable: more fiber, added protein, and, in some cases, added nutrients. While healthy-minded foodies swear that these varieties taste just as good in your Bolognese, others note that these pastas can throw off the taste and texture of pasta recipes. At best, these pastas can be described as nutty in flavor and toothsome in texture. At worst, they have been described as denser, chewier, gummy, mealy, grainy, and-dare we say-cardboard-flavored. So, just how do you make a delicious pasta recipe that takes advantage of this nutritionally-rich noodle?
The first key to solving this dilemma is selecting the right brand of whole grain pasta. Now that there are a multitude of whole grain and whole wheat pastas on the market it can be difficult to determine which brand or variety is best for your pasta recipe. Chow recently did a nice test of tasty whole wheat alternatives and the information-packed Cooks Illustrated did an entire section on the subject (though it will cost you to see the results).
Cooking the pasta properly is perhaps more important for whole wheat pastas than your run-of-the-mill varieties. If undercooked, the chewy, grainy texture can become even more pronounced. Overcook and your pasta recipe will turn gummy. Cook the pasta just past al dente. It should be firm, but cooked evenly throughout the piece of pasta. Also remember to liberally salt your cooking water before adding the pasta.
The final key to substituting whole wheat varieties is to find a pasta recipe that is actually suited to the stronger, nuttier flavor and denser texture of whole grain pasta. In fact, in Cooks Illustrated's look at these pastas, they claimed that tomato, pesto and cream-based sauces are best left for traditional pastas. A slightly pungent Puttanesca may be a better choice. Whole wheat pasta tends to soak up more liquid. Watery sauces can result in the dreaded mushy dinner dilemma. At the same time, it can dry out quickly without some sort of moisture. The solution? A drizzle of olive oil or a thicker sauce.
We scoured the internet for some of the most delectable sounding whole wheat pasta recipes. Make one tonight and see if it can turn your whole wheat skeptic around:
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Hazelnuts and Asparagus from Real Simple
Whole-Wheat Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper from Gourmet
Whole-Wheat Linguine with Cauliflower, Pancetta, and Parmesan from Gourmet
Pasta Puttanesca from The Food Network
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Italian Sausage and Fennel from Cooks Illustrated
Whole Wheat Pasta with Olives and Lemon from Martha Stewart
Whole-Wheat Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Fried Capers and Manchego from The Boston Globe
Email This
In recent years, whole wheat and whole grain pastas have garnered much attention away from traditional pastas. The healthy benefits of these pastas are undeniable: more fiber, added protein, and, in some cases, added nutrients. While healthy-minded foodies swear that these varieties taste just as good in your Bolognese, others note that these pastas can throw off the taste and texture of pasta recipes. At best, these pastas can be described as nutty in flavor and toothsome in texture. At worst, they have been described as denser, chewier, gummy, mealy, grainy, and-dare we say-cardboard-flavored. So, just how do you make a delicious pasta recipe that takes advantage of this nutritionally-rich noodle? The first key to solving this dilemma is selecting the right brand of whole grain pasta. Now that there are a multitude of whole grain and whole wheat pastas on the market it can be difficult to determine which brand or variety is best for your pasta recipe. Chow recently did a nice test of tasty whole wheat alternatives and the information-packed Cooks Illustrated did an entire section on the subject (though it will cost you to see the results).
Cooking the pasta properly is perhaps more important for whole wheat pastas than your run-of-the-mill varieties. If undercooked, the chewy, grainy texture can become even more pronounced. Overcook and your pasta recipe will turn gummy. Cook the pasta just past al dente. It should be firm, but cooked evenly throughout the piece of pasta. Also remember to liberally salt your cooking water before adding the pasta.
The final key to substituting whole wheat varieties is to find a pasta recipe that is actually suited to the stronger, nuttier flavor and denser texture of whole grain pasta. In fact, in Cooks Illustrated's look at these pastas, they claimed that tomato, pesto and cream-based sauces are best left for traditional pastas. A slightly pungent Puttanesca may be a better choice. Whole wheat pasta tends to soak up more liquid. Watery sauces can result in the dreaded mushy dinner dilemma. At the same time, it can dry out quickly without some sort of moisture. The solution? A drizzle of olive oil or a thicker sauce.
We scoured the internet for some of the most delectable sounding whole wheat pasta recipes. Make one tonight and see if it can turn your whole wheat skeptic around:
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Hazelnuts and Asparagus from Real Simple
Whole-Wheat Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper from Gourmet
Whole-Wheat Linguine with Cauliflower, Pancetta, and Parmesan from Gourmet
Pasta Puttanesca from The Food Network
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Italian Sausage and Fennel from Cooks Illustrated
Whole Wheat Pasta with Olives and Lemon from Martha Stewart
Whole-Wheat Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Fried Capers and Manchego from The Boston Globe