Taste-Off: The best gluten-free penne pasta — and the worst

Pasta salad, carbonara, lasagna, mac and cheese — whatever the shape, pasta is the base of so many comforting, delicious meals that it’s always in season. But what about pasta for those who can’t eat gluten?

Thanks to food scientists who refuse to give up, store shelves are packed with more non-wheat, gluten-free pastas than ever before. These gluten-free options — made with brown rice, lentils, amaranth, quinoa, corn or various combinations of gluten-free flours — come in myriad forms, including that pasta salad workhorse, penne.

Despite the generous options, the struggle to find gluten-free penne worth eating is real. Many versions are simply horrendous — dense, slimy, crumbly, dry or mushy. Adding to the confusion is the sad fact that companies rarely excel at all pasta shapes; their spaghetti may be terrific, for example, but the penne is inedible.

The best gluten-free penne boils cleanly, leaving little residue in the water. The flavor is fresh, and the texture is every bit as elastic, bouncy and al dente as penne made with wheat. After cooking through nearly a dozen options found at local markets, it was clear that penne made with corn, rice and other grains is superior in both texture and flavor.

Versions that use only rice can be good as well, but some brands dry out quickly after cooking, becoming unappetizingly hard and crunchy. Penne made with legumes is apparently the trickiest category, as most versions not only turn slimy in water, they’re also overwhelmingly bean-y in flavor and crumbly in texture rather than tender.

Here’s the scoop on gluten-free penne that’s good enough to fool even the pickiest pasta-eaters, and the unappealing food science experiments to avoid. Nutrition info refers to 2 ounces, about ¾ cup dry pasta.

Barilla Gluten Free Penne

The toothsome texture and fresh flavor of this light colored pasta made with corn and rice make it one of the best alternative pastas we could find. It’s as delicious and pleasant as its gluten-packed shelf mates. 190 calories, 1 g fat, no sodium, 4 g protein. $3.99 for 12 ounces at Smart & Final. (4 stars)

365 Whole Foods Corn & Rice Gluten Free Penne Rigate

This hearty pasta made with corn and rice looks and tastes like whole wheat pasta. It keeps its shape and delivers a perfectly bouncy, al dente texture. 200 calories, 1.5 g fat, 4 g protein. $3.29 for 12 ounces at Whole Foods. (4 stars)

Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Rice Penne Pasta

Straight out of the water, this fresh-tasting, rice-based pasta is slightly slimy, but it has a pleasant chew. The tubes are notably short, and the pasta turns a bit tough when it sits for a few hours, so this may not be the best choice for pasta salad. 200 calories, 1 g fat, no sodium, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein. $2.29 for 16 ounces at Trader Joe’s. (3½ stars)

Andean Dream Organic Penne Pasta with Turmeric

This light but chewy pasta made from rice, quinoa and amaranth is pleasant, and the hit of turmeric is unusual but tasty. This is a great choice for Asian dishes or pasta salad. 210 calories, 1.5 g fat, no sodium, 5 g protein. $5.69 for 8 ounces at Whole Foods. (3 stars)

Ancient Harvest Organic & Gluten Free Penne

Authentic texture and a hit of wheatlike flavor make this corn-rice-quinoa pasta a tasty choice. The quinoa gives it a bitter note, but the penne is entirely edible. 200 calories, 2 g fat, no sodium, 3 g fiber, 4 g protein. $4.79 for 9.6 ounces at Whole Foods. (2½ stars)

Tinkyada Pasta Joy Brown Rice Pasta Penne

This decidedly chewy pasta has toasty flavor, and it would work in a saucy mac and cheese. But it dries out fast, becoming almost crunchy, which is problematic in some dishes. 210 calories, 2 g fat, no sodium, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein. $4.99 for 16 ounces at Smart & Final. (2 stars)

Jovial Organic Brown Rice Gluten Free Penne

These tubes of pasta taste like freshly steamed brown rice, but they’re unpleasantly thick and gluey. 210 calories, 2 g fat, no sodium, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein. $4.99 for 12 ounces at Whole Foods. (1½ stars)

Trader Joe’s Red Lentil Sedanini

As pretty as these small tubes look in the bag, the color boils out when cooked, leaving behind chalky, flavorless bites that are so dense and dry, you’ll need to drown them in a heavy, flavorful sauce — and lots of it. 210 calories, 1 g fat, no sodium, 6 g fiber, 15 g protein. $2.99 for 12 ounces at Trader Joe’s. (1 star)

365 Whole Foods Penne Rigate Vegetable Pasta

These dense, thick tubes are packed with protein, but they’re tough to choke down, as they’re mushy and suffer from the sulfurous aroma of over-cooked cauliflower. 200 calories, 1 g fat, 5 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 14 g protein. $4.29 for 8.8 ounces. (½ a star)