Gluten Free Pasta: Tinkyada Organic Brown Rice Pasta

PRODUCT NAME:                    Organic Brown Rice Lasagna

BRAND:                                   Tinkyada       

COST:                                      $4.39

SIZE:                                       10 oz              

COST PER OZ:                         $0.44/oz  

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:       NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        NA

ORGANIC:                                YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        OCA

VEGAN:                                    YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:         YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:          Ontario, Canada

SHELF LIFE:                              2 Year +

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.      

REVIEW:

Tinkyada has been my go-to brand for great tasting gluten free pastas. In the past, I have tried their brown rice spirals and brown rice spaghetti, which are similar, if not better than the wheat versions.  Across the board, cooking times for rice pastas are longer than conventional wheat varieties however, most people enjoy the texture of rice pastas over their glutinous counterparts. Tinkyada’s factory is 100% dedicated to making only rice-based pastas, so there is no risk of cross-contamination. Their products are completely organic and kosher. In addition they only have one ingredient, organic rice! They provide many different shapes and styles of brown rice pastas to serve all your noodle needs, and all consistently cook al dente.

I am rarely disappointed in Tinkyada’s line of gluten free all-rice pastas.  They taste great and have great texture.  However, one thing about rice noodles is that they are a little tricky to cook because they tend to be sticky.  This lasagna was especially tricky because they stuck together before I had a chance to layer the lasagna.  I tried to prevent this by using olive oil during the cooking process, but with no success.  This minor inconvenience aside, it did not affect the taste and texture of the final prepared lasagna or my excitement that I was able to eat lasagna for the first time in a while.

This noodle was delicious as prepared by the vegetarian recipe for roasted pepper, eggplant and zucchini lasagna on the box.  I prepared the recipe for a group of friends and no one would have guessed that the dish was gluten-free. This lasagna recipe was hearty and classic with mozzarella, ricotta and lots of tomato sauce, pairing well with a light salad (I made a kale salad). If you choose to make lasagna it is a definite time commitment; I spent several hours cooking but all the hard work paid off when I was able to enjoy gluten free lasagna with my close friends. Even though we all ate until we were full there were a lot of leftovers, which reheated nicely for my lunches for the rest of the week. 

Taste:  The recipe on the box was slightly bland. I would recommend adding more cheese, more garlic, more herbs (like extra fresh oregano and basil), and more salt.

Labeling:  There is a lot of information on the box including their organic and kosher certification statuses and wheat free/gluten free specialization.

Packaging:  The lasagna is sealed in plastic inside of a cardboard box with a plastic window for viewing.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:                 4             

Taste:                     3.5         

Value:                    3

OVERALL:              3.5

Reviewed 5/17/11 by: Jennie