Barilla Chickpea Rotini

 

I like chickpeas. I like pasta. I liked this chickpea pasta. It wasn't amazing but it certainly wasn't horrible. I like the consistency but there wasn't any taste to it that I could tell. 

 

I also liked that this wasn't sticky at all, in fact I was shocked that it wasn't sticky. I almost assume gluten free pasta will be sticky and just clump as leftovers. This did not and that is a pleasant surprise. 

 

I definitely recommend you try this pasta and if you do let me know your thoughts on it.

 

Rummo spaghetti

Tastes like pasta of my gluten filled days. 

I have seen several of my gluten free people I follow online mention this pasta. I had not been able to find it in my stores until just recently. It was on sale, thankfully, so I bought it.

It was delicious and easy to make. It didn’t stick except for the leftovers somewhat. But the leftovers did reheat nicely in the microwave which did surprise me and they unstuck there too. 

It was definitely more expensive than the gluten filled variety ($3.99 on sale at Giant Food Stores) but I will gladly pay that as it really reminded me of pasta from my past. The right consistency and texture. Not gummy and no aftertaste. I recommend trying it out to see if you like it too. Next up the Rummo Penne as I just saw that Giant started carrying it in addition to the spaghetti.

Stouffer’s Gluten Free Macaroni & Cheese

Many of my online gluten free “friends” were very excited for this new offering in the gluten free world.

I am not a huge macaroni & cheese fan but since going gluten free, I have actually eaten more of it than when I was still eating gluten. So when I found this at Wegmans I decided to pick it up and try it.

Well it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great as I was hoping it would be. I would say the number one thing I didn’t like was its gritty texture. I was surprised too since most gluten free foods have figured out how to not be gritty but this felt that way to me. I did do the microwave method to make it so perhaps the oven method would turn out differently.

I know that photos on the boxes for food are never what the food will look like when you make it at home and this was true here too. There was sooooo much cheese. I feel like I shouldn’t complain about that :) but a little more pasta would be nice so it was a little more filling. Mind you we did divide the supposed single serving into two. I guarantee I could never eat one of these on my own and not just because that would be 450 calories but it would just be too much cheese.

I am curious if anyone else has tried this and how they liked it or not. 

Wegmans Gluten Free Cheese Tortellini

Yum yum yum

So good. The pasta is a good amount and the cheesy inside is delicious and savory. I really enjoyed these. It also make a lot!! Like two meals worth for two people. I was surprised. In the package it looked like one meal for two people but when I went to dish it out that way, it was way too much. 

$4.99 for two meals for two! I am on board with this. 

Follow the instructions exactly and you will be happy. Overcooking is definitely not good for the pasta but the inside stays tasty. The second servings I had, I left in the pot because we were ready to eat and I didn’t have time to pull the rest out. Well, they were no longer perfect and the pasta was pretty mushy but again the insides tasted good and it didn’t stop me from eating the leftovers 🙂

 

Cappello’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi

I have tried a few gluten free gnocchi, although it is something I had never eaten when I ate gluten. So I honestly don’t know what gnocchi should be like but I really like this one.

I followed the instructions exactly including the sautéing in oil in a pan after boiling and that probably helped me like them.

They were substantial and I enjoyed the sweet potato flavor. I did have some tomato sauce on the side and I liked these both with sauce and plain. 

I don’t know if I would spend $6.99 for two servings again but I might. Overall I’m impressed with the  Cappello’s items I’ve had recently. What have you found, tried and liked? 

Mama Melrose's Walt Disney World

I really wanted to eat at Mama Melrose's in Hollywood Studios but for some reason the day we chose to go, we could not do a walk in. The place looked empty but the girl swore there was no room. She advised us to try for a reservation same day as something might open up. So we stepped outside and after fighting with the app, we had a reservation for an hour later. We were starving so we went and got popcorn to hold us over.

It was worth the aggravation to eat here though and I would eat here again in a second! Excellent service, lots of options, great setting and wonderful food.

I got the strawberry lemonade and we had gluten free rolls to start, along with the Margherita Flatbread. We tried not to stuff ourselves but it was all so delicious.

Then we split the Wood-grilled Chicken and Penne Pasta with four cheese sauce. Soooo delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it now. It was a huge serving which I think they did because we were splitting it but if you were one person eating the serving we got you would be stuffed! Just the right amount of chicken and the cheese sauce was gooey and warm and cheeeeesy.

I have to say though the place never filled up, so I was still stumped as to why there were no walk ins being taken but it worked out for us and I was so happy and stuffed.

We didn't get dessert here because we were headed to Epcot for something special.

Annie’s - Rice Pasta & Cheddar

My sister also gave me this package a little while ago and I have to wonder: It was so delicious past it’s expiration date that I wonder how it could be even better if it were fresher. I mean this was absolutely delicious. More cheesy goodness and a great meal in itself.

I used rice milk again but this time it worked just fine following the directions. I did mix it awhile but I have no idea how long I should have mixed it as it just stated to stir until mixed together. I loved how quick this was and will probably pick up some of these packs to have on hand when I just want something easy and quick for dinner. Another item I highly recommend.

The Henry in Cosmopolitan Las Vegas - dinner

The Henry in The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas has an extensive Gluten Free menu.

I was very excited to try everything but I only had two chances.

So my first chance I went with the pasta speciality with grilled chicken. The best praise I can give it... I was scared it wasn’t gluten free. Incredibly delicious and made to perfection. The pasta was the perfect chew (for lack of a better term) and the peas, pancetta and chicken were just the right amount as was the sauce. It truly was one of the best gluten free pasta meals I have had out.

I felt it was easily worth the $22 and I was sufficiently full but not over stuffed after eating the whole container. We did do take out for this meal and I was not disappointed by the amount of food in the container. I also ordered $5 gluten free bread which was just two pieces of sandwich bread, which while good was not worth it and did not add to my meal. But that was my choice and I would not make it again for this meal.

I highly recommend The Henry. I ate there again on this trip and when we return in December I plan to try all the other gluten free potions.

Ollie’s Kitchen - Potato Gnocchi

A inexpensive find at TJ Maxx a little bit ago and I finally got to make them. At only $3.99 it was a snack and meal for my hubby and I.

I am never really sure what you put with gnocchi, sauce? Meat? what? If you have any input please let me know in the comments.

We ate them plain for the snack and they were ok. Nothing spectacular but they weren’t bad either.

The meal version I added some tomato sauce and it helped a little but not completely.

I love how quick they are to make and clean up.

I would buy them again but they won’t become a staple in our meals and at $3.99 you can’t really beat two meals coming from the package.

Celentano Cheese Ravioli

I LOVE ravioli. LOVE it!

I did not love this ravioli unfortunately.

It was too thin, watery and no great cheese taste. It was missing something, a spice, a flavor, I am not sure but it just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t a hearty meal at all. 

I was most sad that it didn’t taste great because the cost is much lower for these than my favorite Conte’s. I followed the directions as stated but it just didn’t work for me. 

If you have a favorite gluten free ravioli, please let me know so I can try it.