Product Review: DeBoles Gluten-Free Pasta

After finding out that my son was autistic, my husband and I decided that we should gradually move toward a gluten-free casein-free diet for him. To learn more about what a gluten-free casein-free diet is, check out my article on the subject.

I went to our local Wild Oats supermarket thinking that would be the only place I could buy gluten-free products. I was almost in tears as I saw the astronomical cost of gluten-free foods. So, I set out to find out if my local supermarket had any of the gluten-free products I had seen in Wild Oats. My hopes were to find less expensive options.

I checked out Kroger and found that their prices were comparable to Wild Oats. So, I decided to buy one product at a time to see what my kids liked before investing a large amount of money in gluten-free foods.

Soon after this, my friend and I were shopping in Wal-Mart. My friend called me over to the shelf where the pasta was at and pointed out a pasta brand called DeBoles. I had never heard of DeBoles pasta before, but it said on the package that these noodles were gluten-free. Since my children are big spaghetti fans, I decided that I would give DeBoles pasta a try.

According to their website, DeBoles pasta was started in 1925 by Anthony Alphonse DeBole. In the 1990's DeBoles began producing organic pasta and rice pasta (which is gluten-free). It was also during this time that DeBoles came under the ownership of The Hain Celestial Group.

But, how does DeBoles rice pasta measure up to regular pasta? I tried the thin spaghetti noodles and rotini pasta. The pasta cooked well. It wasn't mushy or coarse. However, the first thing I noted was that it cooked up to be a lot less pasta than regular spaghetti noodles. I had to use two packages of the DeBoles rice pasta to get the same volume as regular noodles.

How did DeBoles rice pasta taste? Delicious! I was really pleasantly surprised by the taste. DeBoles rice pasta tasted just as good as other pastas I have tasted. I actually preferred the taste of Deboles rice pasta to whole grain pasta.

And the price? Not too bad. I can get a 16 ounce package of regular pasta for about sixty cents. The DeBoles rice pasta was $1.48 for a 16 ounce package at Wal-Mart. When I checked this price with the price at Wild Oats, I found Wild Oats was selling the same exact DeBoles rice pasta for $2.99 for a 16 ounce package.

Overall, I'd say that DeBoles rice pasta is a great buy for anyone looking to eliminate gluten from their diet. It has a great taste and a decent price (at Wal-Mart). I would definitely recommend DeBoles rice pasta.