TYPES OF PASTA
Whole wheat pasta is made from grinding up the
whole grain, and whole wheat flour tends to be a bit heavier than traditional flour. The pasta made from it is a darker brown and has a bold, nutty taste. Take care in cooking whole wheat pastas so that the pasta remains al dente. There are 172 calories and 7.5 grams of protein in 1 cup of whole wheat pasta.
Kamut is an ancient wheat, a long grain with a brown cover.
Kamut pasta is made with whole wheat and does contain gluten. It has a very soft flavor. One cup of kamut pasta has about 210 calories and 10 grams of protein.
Barley pasta is heart healthy—an excellent source of fiber and antioxidants. Made from the grain that is known for crafting flavorful beers, its rich flavor is great for almost any sauce. The outer coat of the barley is removed before milling for flour. One cup of barley pasta is about 193 calories and contains 3.5 grams of protein.
Flaxseed pasta is made of milled flaxseed and has a nutty, rich flavor. In the grinding of the seed, usually the germ, bran, and natural oils are fully preserved, providing many health benefits. Often, ground flaxseed is mixed into the flour of whole wheat pasta or buckwheat pasta. One cup of flaxseed pasta has about 215 calories and 8 grams of protein.
Spelt pasta is loaded with niacin, often associated with lowering cholesterol, and is therefore a heart-healthy choice. Spelt pasta, made from the flour of a grain used since ancient times, is rich in color and taste. It is high in protein and gluten. One cup of spelt pasta is about 190 calories and 8 grams of protein.
Jerusalem artichoke flour pasta naturally contains inulin, which
causes a beneficial bacteria to grow in the digestive track, possibly lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. This
pasta has a unique nutty flavor and aids digestion. Jerusalem artichoke flour alone would be gluten free; however, the pasta is almost always made with a blend of flour that includes durum wheat flour, which is not gluten free. A one-cup serving of Jerusalem artichoke pasta is about 200 calories and 7 grams of protein.
Brown rice pasta is made from ground whole brown rice. It has a very soft flavor and a smoother texture than whole wheat pasta, and it needs to be cooked a bit longer. One cup of brown rice pasta has about 210 calories and 4 grams of protein.
Quinoa, a grass plant from South America, is incredibly popular these days. It is not really a grain, but it is just as nutritionally rich. The small quinoa bead, resembling couscous, is ground into flour and then used to make pasta. Vegetarians are partial to quinoa because it is a complete protein. A complete protein contains an adequate amount of all the essential amino acids. One cup of quinoa is about 205 calories and 4 grams of protein.
Corn pasta is a whole grain pasta made of ground corn flour. It tends to cook a bit softer than other types of pasta, so watch it closely in the cooking process. One cup of corn pasta is about 203 calories and 4 grams of protein.
Buckwheat pasta has a much softer texture than many pastas. Buckwheat, a complete protein like quinoa, is really a grass, not a grain, and the seeds are ground into flour that produces a dark brown pasta noodle that has a nutty flavor. Buckwheat noodles are also known as soba noodles in Japanese cuisine. One cup of buckwheat pasta is about 200 calories and contains 6 grams of protein.
Amaranth is a tall plant with broad leaves, and it produces many seeds.
Amaranth pasta is very high in protein, about 14 percent. The color is a bit lighter brown than whole wheat pasta. It has about 250 calories per cup and 9 grams of protein.
Lentil pasta is made from ground-up lentils, which are the seeds of
a legume species. Lentils are higher in protein than beef, very low in fat, and high in fiber, potassium, and iron. It is more difficult to give a straightforward count for calories or protein because lentil flour is usually mixed with durum flour to make the pasta dough, and the calories and protein would really depend on the percentage of each flour used.
Chickpea flour works best when used to make fresh pasta, although often a bit of durum flour is needed to make the dough come together. Dried chickpea pasta that is completely gluten free is also available. The pasta is rich and a bit sweet in flavor. Chickpea pasta has about 280 calories per cup and 12 grams of protein.
Of course, there are also other millet flours, nut flours, grain flours, and legume flours that can be used individually or blended together to make pasta. Much of the process involves finding the right flour to provide the proper dough consistency without being too dry or too wet, or falling apart during the cooking process.