Ready for edamame spaghetti? Or lentil penne?
Why America is embracing nonwheat pastas
“If it’s not made out of wheat, it’s not pasta.” That was fresh-pasta specialist Peter Robertson’s response when the patrons at his farmers market stand began requesting gluten-free options in the mid-2000s. Today, he can’t help laughing as he acknowledges that most of his business, RP’s Pasta Company and a spinoff, Taste Republic, is now gluten-free.
Robertson was one of the first operators in a product category now worth more than $250 million annually in the United States to offer “better-for-you” pasta alternatives. The GlutenFree Mall’s online store has more than 50 sans-wheat pasta options, Trader Joe’s has nine alt-pastas under its private label, and Whole Foods sells more than a dozen brands in its dry, frozen and refrigerated sections. The offerings range from simple $2 gluten-free spaghetti and spiralized raw zucchini “noodles” to Capello’s paleo-friendly almond flour fettuccine that rings in at $11 per box. The array of innovative noodles features various flavors, textures, ingredients and nutritional profiles, and it sends a clear message that Americans are embracing the reinvention of pasta.
Robertson honed his craft in Italy, where durum wheat and eggs were not optional; they defined pasta. He recalled that sales of traditional dry pasta took a hit around 2003 when the Atkins diet craze demonized carbohydrates, but his sales of fresh pasta escaped the fad relatively unscathed. It wasn’t until a close friend was devastated by her celiac disease diagnosis that Robertson decided to experiment with gluten-free pastas. The farmers market crowd raved about the final product, and Robertson couldn’t even tell the difference between his original pastas and the new al dente brown rice creation.
“That’s when the switch went off in my head,” Robertson said. “If there’s no compromise, then what’s the issue? If it’s going to eat like pasta, then I can call it pasta.”
As more brown rice, beans, quinoa and lentils are transformed into cavatappi, spaghetti and farfalle, pasta’s reputation seems to be evolving from “empty carb” to “superfood.” This trend is certainly exciting for shoppers with dietary restrictions, like Robertson’s friend, but the leading brands are not targeting just the expected demographic of glutenavoiding consumers.
Banza, Explore Cuisine, Tolerant and several other brands specializing in pulse pastas are shifting the focus of pasta alternatives away from carbs, instead highlighting high-protein content on the front of their packages. Banza’s chickpea pasta boxes boast 25 grams of protein, while the box for Explore Cuisine’s edamame-and-mung-bean fettuccine showcases front and center that it delivers 24 grams of protein.
Banza founder and CEO Brian Rudolph recognizes that in addition to being attractive to those who can’t eat gluten, his chickpea pasta appeals to protein-seeking vegans and vegetarians, as well as parents of picky eaters who want nutritious options for their children. Protein is a major selling point, but he ultimately describes his target customer as a “healthy realist.” He knows that consumers are becoming more health-conscious, but he also recognizes that they don’t want to “totally abandon the foods they love.”
This shift on alternative pasta isn’t isolated to the pasta aisles of Whole Foods and natural markets; it is permeating the shelves of grocery chains around the country. Banza is the fastest-selling pasta brand at Target stores, and even the 142-year-old pasta giant Barilla launched a legume noodle line in 2018, surging pulse pasta into the mainstream market. The Italian brand now offers earthy brown boxes packed with nutrient-dense, singleingredient choices: chickpea and red lentil penne pastas.
“It is undoubtedly a big step for an Italian brand to create a legume-based pasta, but we think this is a natural product for our portfolio,” Jean-Pierre Comte, president of Barilla Americas, said in an email. “All our products are inspired by Italian lifestyle and the Mediterranean way of eating, and legumes are a central part this philosophy.”
As the market becomes more saturated and big brands move into the space, the pioneers don’t feel threatened by the growing competition in their onceniche product category. Instead, they see the influx of newcomers as validation of their mission to revolutionize pasta.
So, what does all this innovation and expansion mean for the pasta aisle? If bean pasta does become the standard, will the traditional carb-heavy, wheatbased pastas be pushed off the shelves to make room for nutritionally dense noodles?
Probably not. Even the pasta innovators predict that alternative and traditional pastas will simply coexist in grocery store aisles. Better-for-you pasta may be growing, but traditional pasta is not going anywhere.