It’s especially desirable for those with Celiac disease, who must avoid gluten entirely. The big difference, of course, is the lack of gluten.Īlthough the variance in terms of nutrition seems to be relatively minor between regular and cauliflower pasta, the latter definitely offers a great option for anyone following a gluten-free diet. Whether you purchase cauliflower pasta in-store or you make your own, chances are it will be mixed with some kind of gluten-free flour to ensure taste, texture, and cooking instructions similar to regular pasta.Īs you can see, this also amounts to a fairly similar calorie count and comparable amounts of carbs, fiber, and so on, although there’s definitely an improvement in calories and carbs when cauliflower is the first ingredient. It also has less than 10% RDI vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium. This particular brand of pasta lists rice flour as the main ingredient, followed by dried cauliflower powder, fava flour, and mono and diglycerides.īy comparison, the gluten-free cauliflower linguini from Taste Republic (found online or at some Costco locations) lists cauliflower powder as the first ingredient, followed by water, potato starch, tapioca starch, whole egg, egg white, and xanthan gum.

It also has less than 10% RDI of potassium and iron. How does cauliflower pasta stack up? In one cup of cooked cauliflower pasta from Ronzoni, you’ll find: It also offers 10-12% RDI each of copper, phosphorus, magnesium, and thiamin, and less than 10% RDI each of folate, niacin, riboflavin, and iron. You’ll also find small amounts of copper, phosphorus, and magnesium (less than 10% RDI each), as well as 12% RDI niacin and 11% RDI riboflavin.īy comparison, one cup of cooked whole-wheat spaghetti contains: 23% RDI (recommended daily intake) manganese.With one cup of cooked, refined/enriched wheat pasta, like spaghetti, you can expect: Using vegetables instead of wheat for pasta will eliminate gluten, but before you assume it’s an overall healthier option, it’s a good idea to understand what you’ll get when you eat different kinds of pasta: Let’s take a closer look at how the two types of pastas stack up. However, whether you purchase this pasta in-store or you make your own at home, you’ll find that proper draining to remove moisture is the key to achieving a product comparable to regular pasta. When it comes to cauliflower pasta vs regular pasta, consumers might expect a mushy noodle after cooking, as with some other veggie pastas. This pasta is made with dried cauliflower powder, typically paired with gluten-free flour, to ensure a firm end product similar to regular noodles. Cauliflower PastaĪs you may have guessed, cauliflower pasta is made not from wheat, but from the cruciferous vegetable for which it’s named. If you choose whole grain wheat pasta, you’ll enjoy more fiber and nutrients. That said, studies have shown that it can be included as part of a healthy diet, as long as consumers limit portion size and consider the fat and sugar content of added sauces.

The Nutritional Pitfalls of Wheat Pastaīecause the pasta you find in the grocery store is generally made with white flour, it tends to be high in carbs and low in fiber, which means it’s not considered particularly healthy. However, you can find products that have been enriched to add some nutrients back in, as well as whole grain versions. Often, this flour is refined, which means the bran and germ are removed, along with a lot of nutrients. Typically, pasta is made with durum wheat, which is ground into a coarse flour called semolina.

Are rice noodles healthier than pasta