For the Love of Pasta

For a wheat allergic pasta lover in the Kingston Metropolitan Region (KMR), shopping for pasta no longer needs to be an online import-it-yourself affair. Over the past few months, several KMR based supermarkets have been expanding their pasta selection to include pastas from corn, tapioca, rice and other non-wheat sources.

We have been able to find brands like Glutino and Felicia on the shelves at Lee's Food Fair, Hi-Lo Supermarket, Mega Mart, CPJ and Sovereign Supermarket. Shell types, variety of shell types and prices vary by store. These pasta brands are easy to cook and, just like the common wheat based pasta, to cook it, you just add water, salt (optional) and boil it for a few minutes.

Glutino Penne 226g

 

Felicia Corn Pasta 500g

 

A few wheat free and gluten free pasta brands:

Felicia (visit gluten free product catalog page)

Udi's Gluten Free Frozen Entree

• Rich & Creamy Penne & Cheese with Uncured Bacon (visit product page)
• Rich & Creamy Penne & Cheese (visit product page)

Glutino

• Pasta (visit page)
• Frozen Meals (visit page)

Pasta Sauces

Always check the labels. While one brand may be safe, another might not to be. Sometimes wheat derived ingredients are present or the item was made on dirty machines a.k.a machines used to process other foods and which contain the remnants of those other foods. The good news is there are many safe brands available on grocery store shelves throughout Jamaica.

A few wheat free/gluten free pasta sauces and salsas...

Prego®: According to the Campbell's Gluten Free List (dated June 2014) the following Pasta Sauces are Gluten Free:

Prego® Italian Sauce 

Chunky Garden Combo

Chunky Garden Mushroom & Green Pepper

Chunky Garden Mushroom Supreme with Baby Portobello

Chunky Garden Tomato Onion & Garlic

Flavored with Meat

Fontina & Asiago Cheese Sauce

Fresh Mushroom

Italian Sausage & Garlic

Marinara

Meat Sauce

Pesto Marinara

Roasted Garlic & Herb

Roasted Garlic Parmesan

Spicy Red Pepper

Three Cheese

Tomato Basil Garlic

Traditional

Prego® Heart Smart Italian Sauce

Mushroom 

Ricotta Parmesan 

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic 

Traditional 

Also, according to product information pages as at July 2014, the following pasta sauces in the 645 ml size, were gluten free:

Original

Fresh Mushrooms

Mushroom & Green Pepper

Tomato Onion & Garlic

Pace: According to the Campbell's Gluten Free List (dated June 2014) the following Salsas and Picante Sauces are Gluten Free:

Pace® Salsas

Chunky Salsa – mild, medium and hot

Fire Roasted Tomato and Corn Restaurant Style

Garden Pepper Restaurant Style Salsa 

Garlic & Lime Verde Restaurant Style Salsa 

Restaurant Style Salsa Dip – mild and medium

Southwest Chipotle Restaurant Style Salsa 

Texas-Style White Bean Restaurant Style Salsa

Pace® Sauces

Picante Sauce – extra mild, mild, medium  and hot

You may also opt to make your own pasta sauce (recipe search).

Pasta is very flexible as it may be the main dish or a side dish. There are many pasta recipes for you to try (recipe search).  

Glutino Penne with broccoli and chicken in alfredo sauce