This mega healthy pasta contains only quinoa, flax seeds, and water. Next time you have a pasta craving, add your favorite pasta sauce and enjoy these guilt free, nutritious homemade noodles.
Quinoa Pasta
In this post, we transform a wholesome anient grain, quinoa, into a delectable pasta. This recipe shows how to create quinoa pasta from scratch, using only quinoa and flax seed (and water).
Quinoa is a protein-packed grain with incredible health benefits. Flax seeds are tiny nutritional powerhouses packed with omega 3’s, fiber, and other beneficial compounds. Together they combine to create an ultra healthy pasta you can make from scratch.
Is Quinoa Gluten Free
Yes, quinoa is gluten-free, making it an excellent alternative for individuals with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease. Unlike traditional grains like wheat, barley, and rye that contain gluten proteins, quinoa is a seed that does not contain gluten naturally. Its gluten-free nature has contributed to its popularity as a nutritious and versatile ingredient in gluten-free diets.
Gluten Free Quinoa Pasta
This quinoa pasta is gluten free, since it only contains quinoa and flax seeds – both of which are gluten free. So as long as no other gluten containing ingredients are added to the recipe, the recipe is gluten free.
Quinoa Flour
Quinoa flour is a versatile and nutritious alternative to traditional wheat-based flours. Made from finely ground quinoa seeds, this flour offers a range of health benefits and culinary possibilities. Packed with protein, fiber, and essential amino acids, quinoa flour provides a nutrient-rich option for those looking to enhance the nutritional profile of their baked goods or other recipes. Its subtly nutty flavor adds a unique twist to various dishes, from bread and pancakes to cookies and muffins.
Ancient Grain Pasta
Ancient grains have been cultivated for centuries and offer a range of benefits. With their unique flavors, higher protein content, and abundance of vitamins and minerals, ancient grains provide a delicious and nutritious alternative to modern grains, adding variety and depth to a well-balanced diet.
Also note that this ancient gain pasta is primarily quinoa, along with a much smaller amount of flax. Besides water, quinoa and flax are the only two ingredients. Many quinoa pastas sold at the store will have rice flour as their primary ingredient (rice is not an ancient grain). However, they are marketed as quinoa pasta instead of rice pasta. This ancient grain quinoa pasta is actually quinoa pasta.
How to Make Quinoa Pasta
This quinoa pasta recipe uses a traditional method for making wheat pasta, but instead substitutes quinoa flour and a flax for wheat flour and eggs, respectively.
Quinoa Pasta Ingredients
There are only a few ingredients in this recipe:
- Quinoa Flour
- Flax Seeds
- Water
Quinoa Pasta Recipe
The first thing is to get your quinoa flour. There are two ways to do this:
- Buy quinoa flour
- Buy quinoa and mill at home (see here for an example of milling millet at home).
If you mill at home, you will need a mill. Here is a review post about the mill that I use at home (and at work) – Nutrimill Harvest Grain.
First blend flax seeds and water. If using flax seed powder, just mix the powder with water.
Form a well with the quinoa flour, and pour the flax water in the well. Begin to mix in the quinoa flour from the sides of the well into the flax water. Mix thoroughly and knead gently until combined in a dough. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.
On a clean work surface, dust plentfifully with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out your quinoa dough in the shape of a rectangle and a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch. Cut noodles using a pizza cutter to desired width.
Making Quinoa Pasta
Boil quinoa pasta in salted water for about three minutes (exact cooking time will depend on size of your noodle and how much they have dried). The best way to determine doneness is by tasting a piece of a noodle. Be careful not to overcook; without gluten, this pasta will fall apart easily if overcooked.
Enjoy this ancient grain pasta with any sauce of your choosing, or simply coat with some good olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Quinoa Pasta
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 stove top
- 1 large pot to boil pasta water
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups quinoa flour
- 2 tbsp flax seed powder
- 0.5 cup water
Instructions
- Mix flax powder thoroughly into water to form flax egg. If using whole flax seeds, blend flax seeds with water in blender.
- Make sure work surface is clean. Put the quinoa flour in a mound and make a hole in middle to form a well. Put the flax egg in the well.
- With a fork, little by little incorporate the quinoa flour in the mound into the flax egg. When the flax egg starts to get too thick, stop using the fork and use your hands. Work the quinoa flour and the flax egg into a dough. Add more water if necessary. Lightly kneed the dough to make sure that the flax egg, water, and quinoa flour are completely incorporated. Let dough rest 15 minutes
- Clean your work surface and make sure it is sufficiently floured. Roll out dough in rectangle approximately 8" in length and about 1/8" thick. Use a long knife or a pizza cutter to cut noodles from your pasta sheet. Make the noodles about 5" wide.
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water for about three minutes. Exact cooking time will depend on the size of noodles and how long they have dried. Taste a bite of a noodle to make sure it is cooked properly. Be careful not to overcook; there is no gluten in this pasta, so the quinoa pasta will fall apart if overcooked.
- Drain and serve immediately. Serve with any sauce you prefer, or as simple as olive oil, salt, and pepper.
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