Catelli Gluten-Free Pasta Review

This is NOT a sponsored post. GFF was not paid to write this review nor was any free product(s) received.

Gluten-free pasta gets a really bad rap, as many people consider it mushy, flavourless, and sometimes downright inedible. Well, that may have been true for many gluten-free pasta’s in the past but it isn’t necessarily true for all of them anymore. They’ve come a long way but some still need a little tinkering as you’ll read in our Catelli Gluten-free pasta review.

Unlike the Kinnikinnick gluten-free pancake and waffle mix review, the Catelli gluten-free pasta did not earn the Gluten-Free Foodee Seal of Approval (you can click here to read more about our GFF Seal of Approval criteria). However, this doesn’t mean that this pasta is not worth your consideration when grocery shopping.

Let’s start with a positive, the Catelli gluten-free pasta has a wonderful taste. Unlike some varieties of corn pasta or other alternative pastas, it doesn’t have a distinctive flavour. The flavour very much mimics a traditional gluten pasta, as it has no taste, and allows the sauce you’re putting on it to be the star of the dish. The pasta leaves no aftertaste, and truly is one of the better tasting brands of gluten-free pasta on the market.

In our scorecard for our Catelli Gluten-free pasta review, you’ll see it did lose points for the size of the package, versus the price. While it is not as expensive as other brands of gluten-free pasta, it is more expensive than regular pasta. My main gripe about the value of this product is that the box is much smaller than what comes in a box of traditional pasta. Pasta usually comes in a 1 pound or 454g package. Traditional Catelli pasta comes in a 500 g box, whereas this Catelli Gluten-free pasta comes in a 340g package. This means that depending on the number of people that you’re feeding and the type of pasta you’re making, and if the pasta is a main entree or a side dish, you might need to cook 1 to 3 packages of pasta.

Now on to the negative. The worst part about this pasta, is its inability to stay together in the shape it was when dry. While the texture is fine when eating it, it differs from normal pasta because it falls apart really easily. In my experience, if you cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, it will be overcooked. It simply gets gummy and falls apart. You have to keep checking the pasta, as it nears the end of its cook time because it can cook faster than you might think. And if you’re tossing it into a sauce or a dish where it is going to continue cooking in the sauce, you need to undercook it, or it will completely fall apart.

Some pasta recipes, like my gluten-free Cacio e Pepe recipe, requires that the majority of the cooking take place after the pasta is cooked. It also involves a lot of tossing of the ingredients to form a sauce around the pasta. The first time I made this recipe, I used two packages of Catelli gluten-free spaghetti and they completely broke down during this process. I used spaghetti as it is the traditional pasta for this dish, and I would say each strand of pasta broke down into at least three to four pieces, if not more. Very few strands of pasta were left intact.

You might think it was due to it being spaghetti, which is a thinner pasta, and it’s gluten-free so of course it broke down but that is not the case. I’ve also had this happen with Catelli short pasta shapes, as well. Now, short pasta will hold together better during this initial cooking and tossing; however, upon being reheated it becomes a mess. I have had the Catelli penne break down into shards when reheating, fusilli and rotini completely unscrew and then break up in tiny, gloopy pieces. No matter what, you end up with broken pieces of pasta and the look is unappealing and in some cases, it is quite mushy, as well.

For a very long time, the Catelli Gluten-free pasta was my favourite gluten-free pasta, as it was widely available, and had a great taste. I simply endured the texture problems, because I thought I couldn’t find a better pasta. I have since found a gluten-free pasta, that is sensational. So much so, that when serving it to company, they don’t realize that they are eating gluten-free pasta. I will cover this incredible product, in another review. But if you read any of our pasta recipes, I think you already know what brand it is.

I hope this Catelli Gluten-free pasta review was helpful to you. As it is widely available, you might want to give Catelli a try. Just remember to undercook it if you are going to be reheating it. See full review scorecard below.

Click/tap the button below to read the full review:

Have you tried the Catelli Gluten-free pasta products? How did you find it? Are there any gluten-free products or categories of products that you’d like us to review? Leave us a comment below and let us know what would be of interest to you. We absolutely love hearing from all of our fellow gluten-free Foodees about their gluten-free experiences. Navigating the gluten-free world can be daunting but it’s made so much easier when we share our experiences, with one another!

Buon Appetito, my friends!

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