[Closed] Pea protein/legume based pastas

Didn't know these existed, are they at places other than Sainsbury's (none remotely close to us)?

We too got fed up with courgetti, tbh I never liked it, but Mrs thought it was a good idea, briefly. We've still got the spiralizer thing somewhere I think 🙄

.

Didn’t know these existed, are they at places other than Sainsbury’s (none remotely close to us)?

Possibly, the product I was considering is Zenb which is mail order anyway if a little pricey (£3 for a 340g box).

I think Napolina do a green pea pasta which I imagine would be available in bigger supermarkets, haven't checked.

Cheers. Will have a look next time I'm house elfing.

I've got some cornflour and rice flour fusilli turning up this week. Good knows what it be like.

The reviews of the pea protein pastas often state they don't have the unpleasant texture of other gluten free alternatives. I don't know if that includes rice flour though, so good luck! 😎

I've tried a few but just can't get a tolerable consistency from any of them. Perhaps there is some goldilocks time/temperature for boiling them that I've yet to discover.

Sounds awful.

Better IMO to eat Italian main course food which usually doesn't come with pasta (that'll be in a separate course), it's just meat, veg and sauces. For quick DIY, being a non-chef, I like chicken breasts covered in pasta sauce and baked in the oven, then served with some roasted veggies or steamed broccoli. Or if you like pulses you can have puy lentils or something.

I find it better to cook foods in ways that suit that food, rather than trying to get a food to impersonate another - it rarely works as well.

e.g. gram flour flatbreads with curry - nauseating; onion bahjis - delicious

My question is whether the extra protein is needed? I know it's supposed to be good for sports recovery but eating a yogurt or 'protein' bar straight after exercise can sort that. For added fibre is whole wheat pasta or brown rice a more suitable alternative? I'm not knocking it per se as I've been advised to move to whole wheat carbs does to potential sugar balance issues and am sort of stumped by what is better to eat as I've told I eat too much carbs but I know that I don't need more protein and too much fat no good either. Significant weight loss not needed either. Is all food just essentially poison?

Actually despite the thread title I wasn't especially concerned about the protein content, more the fibre and lack of gluten. Protein only interests me in as much as you should feel full for longer (unlike e.g. courgetti spaghetti where I would inevitably cave and have a bowl of cereal at 9pm because I felt so hungry).

For quick DIY, being a non-chef, I like chicken breasts covered in pasta sauce and baked in the oven, then served with some roasted veggies or steamed broccoli.

I sort of see your point but substituting a simple starch like pasta with more meat like chicken is a step in the wrong direction for me personally (I do eat chicken/meat but would like to reduce my intake not increase).

Brown rice is a relative staple in our household, or at least it is if we remember to start boiling it that morning 🙄 Just doesn't always go with our choice of sauce.

The puy lentils are a good shout though, will look in to those...

Timely thread (STW chub club dropout - slowly crawling back 😳)

I most weeks make flatbread simply from (soaked and blended) red lentils and it’s good. I’ll look for red lentil pasta now as it would make a great low-fat/low GI option and online customer reviews from Waitrose and Tesco seem mostly enthusiastic.

+1 green lentils addition makes a great vege ragu/bolognese sauce. Don’t forget porcini!

Jamie Oliver’s vegetarian bolognese is v good brw

I'd agree with the fake things and foods trying to be something they're not. Substitute your pasta for a side of lentils, beans (not baked obvs) or chickpeas. Fill you up but also have some protein in. Plus fibre so keeps you regular.

I love a lentil dahl with a side of green veg. Yummy.

Lentil flatbread / pancake sounds good. Any recipe links welcome.

Definitely recommend puy lentils. Cook them with some onions and a bit of veg stock, possibly add tomatoes or other veg. Ironically I like them served with either a big lump of bread (wholemeal goes best IMO) or sausages (pork / beef/ veggie / whatever suits).

The reason I'm trying the fusilli is that I've just been diagnosed with IBS so things like black & kidney beans, lentils, and wheat pasta are out as I know they are things that upset me. So basically everything I use to love to eat is out. I am really going to miss garlic and onions as those two do cripple me😢

I sort of see your point but substituting a simple starch like pasta with more meat like chicken is a step in the wrong direction for me personally

No, I have the same amount of meat (one breast in this case), but more vegetables and beans. My point is to cook things in ways that suit that food, not ways that suit other foods and try to pretend they're other foods.

The chicken breast, broccoli, green beans and some butter beans is a lovely filing meal and has no compromises. The butter beans go really well with tomatoey sauces in that kind of dish. You could probably do without the meat altogether tbh and just have the beans and sauce with the veggies on the side.

Didn’t know these existed, are they at places other than Sainsbury’s (none remotely close to us)?

What I tend to do is look at the online versions of whatever supermarkets see if they stock a product, and then enquire in the (physical) supermarket when I get there (or pick up the phone). Very often the floor staff /shelf-stackers don’t have a clue.

Another option with out of the ordinary foods is local health food stores.

Lentil flatbread / pancake sounds good. Any recipe links welcome.

lentil/dal flatbreads/pancakes/paruppa dosai/paruppu adai etc are as old as the hills so there are more recipes as there are for wheatflour alternatives. They can be made with all/any kinds of lentils, beans, peas, millet, seeds etc etc either mixed ingredients or with a single ingredient.

Basically make a batter from the blended legume/s and then either cook in non stick pan (like a pancake) or on a baking sheet in the oven. You can easily add seasoning, herbs, spices, oil or whatever into the batter to make it more savoury (or sweet) or just make them very basic ie lentils and water.

simple red lentils + water flatbreads

I sometimes add a little oil, onion powder or garlic granules, and/or something a sweetener or a little honey or some all-purpose seasoning depending on what I’m looking to accompany/fill it with.

The secret is not to have the batter either too wet/sloppy or dry/grainy so while that may practice it’s well worth getting there. I’ve got a really good nonstick pan and it’s easy to cook in that. If you don’t have that it should be fine on parchment paper in the oven.

Also:

Ragi Paruppu Dosai (a more exciting Indian recipe)

Pesarattu/Whole Moong Dal Dosa

@molgrips

My point is to cook things in ways that suit that food, not ways that suit other foods and try to pretend they’re other foods.

(devil’s advocate) OTOH it’s perfectly right/proper/tasty to use different flours/grains etc other than wheatflour and it still be bread/pasta/pancakes/cake etc

(The earliest known pasta was made from rice flour, for instance.)

Variety is the spice of life!

e.g. gram flour flatbreads with curry – nauseating; onion bahjis – delicious

Roti/flatbread is exactly what goes well with curries/dal/chutneys etc. It’s literally used as a ‘carrier’ of the other foodstuffs. You may not favour chickpea bread/besan roti but that doesn’t mean that onion bhajis replace it!

In fact onion bhajis are an appetiser and usually served with dips/yoghurt/salad etc.

I’m not taking away your subjectivity just protesting that it’s in any way objective. An equivalent example might be

e.g. brown bread roll with soup – nauseating; a vegetable frittata – delicious

OTOH it’s perfectly right/proper/tasty to use different flours/grains etc other than wheatflour and it still be bread/pasta/pancakes/cake etc

Yeah, I do appreciate the point about not trying to fit other foodstuffs into a pasta shaped hole, but it keeps things simple and I'm not sure it's so 'forced' to replace wheat flour with a.n.other flour, especially if texture, flavour and prep are otherwise similar.

To be honest I would have ordered some Zenb by now but their PayPal checkout is being a pest.

More options: ‘ancient grains’ are used to make pasta/noodles etc eg amaranth, buckwheat, spelt, einkorn, kamut etc. Brown rice pasta is also an option.

OTOH it’s perfectly right/proper/tasty to use different flours/grains etc other than wheatflour and it still be bread/pasta/pancakes/cake etc

Yea, but not, imo, legumes.

I’m not taking away your subjectivity just protesting that it’s in any way objective.

Of course not, as with all food it's entirely subjective.

Our toddler has both the pea and red lentil pastas from Waitrose because her mother insists that them being so much healthier is worth the horrendous expenditure.

I like neither the flavour nor the texture but the little one loves them. About 1/3 of the carbs of normal pasta, low in fat, high in protein, gluten free, apparently counts as 1 portion of veg. She doesn't care about any of that though, she likes it because it's normally covered in Bolognese

We regularly have this brown rice pasta, tastes really good, no weird texture and less of that bloated feeling of normal pasta.
It's San remo so guess it'll be available in UK too.
Only issue is the box is deceptive, it only contains two portions so is a bit more expensive than normal pasta.

These are fantastic

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chickpea_flatbreads_78711

Aldi do lentil, pea and other pasta round here