My wife and I had stopped eating pasta for the most part in our at home diet in an attempt to curb overall carb consumption. I missed pasta and I longed for its sweet and usually sauce covered embrace. I first came across Banza in the aisles at Sprouts and figured i'd give it a try. I'm now taking time out of my day to write a review to support this new product. It's a great substitute for pasta, especially for those looking to keep a higher protein diet and to reduce carbohydrate intake. It prepares the same and tastes great. Prepare it however you love your pasta, you won't be disappointed. Personally, I like to make mine as follows:
- 1-2 grilled chicken breasts diced into bite sized pieces
- toss into the cooked strained pasta, add small amount of olive oil
- add italian salad dressing (i prefer Wishbone)
- add parmesan cheese
- (optional) add red pepper flakes and/or hot chile oil (i use mongolian fire oil)
- stir to mix and serve up hot
Trust me, it's delicious.
If you are looking for a lower carb option to traditional pasta, this works. Has higher protein content... and a lower carb count compared to regular pasta. The texture is something like "al dente" ... they taste almost exactly like pasta... slightly.. vegetabley?? I couldn't really pick out a "chick pea" flavor - everyone is different though... It's hard to describe.. but definitely tasty. I like that this was a "variety" case so you get to try different shapes... depending on what you using it for... sauce, casserole, etc... Honestly, I would buy it again. I also think if you haven't tried it, its worth trying.
Banza is the real deal. I had been on the hunt for a healthier pasta that didn't leave me feeling as sluggish as normal pasta, but after trying every brand out there I was losing hope of finding a worthy replacement. They all had earthy tastes, odd textures, or couldn't hold their own in traditional pasta dishes. Then a friend of mine recommended Banza, and I haven't looked back since. With a great taste & stacked nutrition facts, Banza pairs nicely with traditional pasta dish ingredients without sentencing me to the hours-long food coma that I had grown accustomed to from regular pasta. It's great for post-workout, too, packing an extra punch of protein without having to overload on carbs in the process. Would recommend!
Oh, my! This is the gluten-free linguine pasta I have been dreaming of! As other reviewers have stated, this Banza pasta tastes better than any other gluten-free pasta I have eaten. And being celiac, and the only celiac in my household, my family and I have tasted them all. This Banza Chickpea Pasta tastes just like "real" pasta, and cooks up nice and firm, like real pasta. Other gluten-free pastas dissolve in the cooking water within in a very few minutes. This pasta behaves like regular pasta, and allows you to cook it to "al dente" if you desire, or further, without falling apart. I cook it for 10 minutes in salted boiling water as per the cooking instructions on the box. My family loves it, and could not tell the difference the first time I served it. It also has more protein than many other pastas. So far I have served it with my spaghetti meat sauce and also used it as a side dish to roasted chicken in my "pasta cappellini with lemon, garlic and parsley" recipe. It's perfect! My family loves it. Altogether, it's a winner!
The Banza brand is the best tasting wheat pasta substitute I've tried. The taste and texture are close to the real thing. Two things I would also point out. First, the cooking time required is very short. Secondly, this pasta does have a higher net carbohydrate count than some other bean based pastas, but it's still much lower in carbs than any wheat pasta I've found. I wouldn't use it for a very low carbohydrate diet, but it's probably fine if you are trying to moderate or reduce the carbs in a normal diet.
Feature Product
- Banza chickpea pasta is a high protein, lower carb, gluten free alternative to traditional pasta. Each serving has 2x the protein, 3x the fiber, and 1/2 the net carbs of traditional pasta. Try substituting Banza for an easy and healthy family meal.
- Picky eaters? No problem! Banza chickpea pasta tastes, looks and cooks more like traditional pasta than other alternative pastas, including lentil pasta, quinoa pasta, black bean pasta, edamame pasta, brown rice pasta, and whole wheat pasta.
- Chickpeas make delicious pasta and are great for an easy vegetarian or vegan meal. Banza chickpea pasta is also low glycemic and high fiber. If you're searching for an easy family meal, Banza's non-GMO chickpea pasta is the pasta for you!
- A favorite among Kristen Bell and Robin Roberts, Banza has been featured in TIME Magazine's 25 Best Inventions of 2015, the New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine, the Today Show, Huffington Post, Good Morning America, and Generation Startup.
- You can't miss Banza's bright orange box! Find our chickpea pasta at retailers like Whole Foods, Target, Sprouts, and Kroger. Banza comes in a variety of fun shapes like Rotini, Penne, Spaghetti, Linguine, Shells, Angel Hair, Rigatoni, and Ziti.
Description
Chickpeas make delicious pasta, that's why we used them to create Banza. We took a household favorite and make it even better, turning the pasta you love into the pasta that loves you back, with 2x the protein, 4x the fiber and nearly half the net carbs, you can make every night pasta night. "My kids loved it. No one noticed the difference!" - Natalie Morales, Today Show Anchor/Host.
This product is amazing!!! A friend of ours told us about Banza and so we decided to order some. Three days after it arrived, we served the angel hair at a large dinner party and EVERYONE had a second helping. Then we told them it was a chickpea pasta. Lots of amazed looks and comments. It's both yummy and healthy. We plan to try the other Banza products next.
I've tried a lot of the alternatives to pasta and this by far the best! I love the different varieties there are - it really does replace regular pasta for me. Unlike some of the other pasta alternatives I've tried, Banza holds up well in the fridge in case you make more than you meant to or are trying to keep it for leftovers. I'm not gluten-free like some of the other reviewers, but I wanted to try it because it has the half the carbs and double the protein which is amazing. I don't think I'll go back to regular pasta after this...it's amazing!
Lower in carbs and higher in protein, a 3 1/2 oz serving can rival 4 oz of cooked lean beef for protein and even surpass it a little. Easy to cook up, do not overcook and do not let it sit without draining though. It tastes a little beany plain. Add spices, sauces, etc, and you can't taste that. Trust me, this is a great thing if you are celiac, (no gluten), vegan (and need protein in your diet) or both. A great way to add protein without noticing it.
Product has a good mouth feel and made properly, you can't tell it from durum semolina pasta. It is slightly less yellowish than wheat pasta but not noticeable in general. It is also lower in carbs for a given serving versus wheat pasta (43 to 71 grams I think) which can help if you are trying to cut carbs and are counting them. Price can fluctuate at times which I hate (it can nearly double in price at times) depending on who's supplying it.
Overall, I do depend on this product to help add protein to my diet. In a way you really can't notice. And in the world of 'replacement foods' I've met over the last several years this one really does deliver. Boxes are 8 ounces so you get just over two servings for the protein that beats lean ground beef... whole box is 52 g protein.
Additions: if you are used to durum semolina (wheat pasta) this is NOT going to taste or chew like wheat pasta. Period. It will take a bit of experimentation to get it to come out well. Tricks I have learned after about 12 CASES of shells (the most glue/cardboard of all the shape):
Put in water at just boiling. If a few pasta dumped in cases minor boilup, then chills, you're adding them at the right time. I add before vigorous boil and have learned with the same 2.5 quart stainless steel pot on a gas stove burner, how long it takes that amount of water to get to 'low boil' and actually set a timer.
Scum abatement: these will form a 'scum' that can resemble beaten eggwhites. These will resemble merengue.. I dump my box of pasta shells, stir once, set timer (midrange of how long to cook, then spend 1-2 minutes scooping scum off. Stir once more and I lower heat slightly and get ready to drain and sauce/spice. I tend to put timer at mid time of the, tastetest then adjust time. For me I know the exact time using that pot, that much water and those setting of burner. Then I skim the stuff one more time quickly, 10-15 seconds, then turn heat off and drain. Drain fast. If you are going to use it later, dump in baggie, burp air and refrigerate. Heat your sauce to piping hot at serving time, add the pasta from baggie, and it will reconstitute well. Else add your sauce or other at the time you finish draining and serve immediately.
If you are still using durum semolina pasta as a part of your diet, this will fall short. If it's your only pasta (as in celiac diet) it will be excellent. Just remember it is NOT durum semolina, and you will be fine. (durum for wheat means a certain high protein level which can be 'worked' for such heavily worked items as bread and pasta, to develop the proteins into tender light and somewhat chewy items such as bread and "normal" pasta. One that translates better to the Semolina palate is the Rotini. It cooks fairly well except the very core of the spiral. For the shell, this is about the worst to get to taste well. The shells have come up lately as the cheapest of the Banza chickpea pastas, and I eat these for protein addition to diet. I admit I buy 'cheapest today'. Any of the Banza Chickpea pastas are great for adding protein to a diet. Please, take notes and don't be scared to change things to make the pasta come out better. One major issue is drain immediately. The other is flavoring it to be acceptable. Stick to a heavy fat, chunky sauce that is already at serving temperature and add these last and servie immediately. This sort of pasta will absorb water like nobody's business and turn soggy in nothing flat. It's best served hot and fresh.
I have been trying to reduce the amount of wheat-based highly processed carbs in my diet so I wanted a good alternative to standard pasta. I've heard both good and bad about bean-based pasta but after hearing about Banza from my sister-in-law and my mom I thought I'd give the angel hair a try. I'm glad I did! Some tips that they gave me and that seemed to work: 1) don't overcook! Initially go for the lowest range in the recommended 'cook for' instructions and adjust as needed for you, and 2) rinse the pasta right after straining. It seems to help keep it from clumping together as much. I have really liked this pasta, better than the whole grain wheat pasta I've tried, and just as much as regular pasta.
I love veggie pastas, even if I can't digest them as easily as traditional pasta. (Meaning that without probiotics, I get gassy. So I just take probiotics before and after eating veggie pastas and I am just fine.) I don't have any pasta related allergies, so I don't *need* to seek alternatives, I just enjoy having options.
The box is surprisingly empty, the pasta is filled to barely reach the top of the window on the front of the box. The height of the cardboard could be cut in half...it's kind of a waste of box, but it's not a big deal in the end. I boiled salted water, and added the chickpea penne like ordinary pasta. I cooked it until it was my preferred texture, and strained away the cooking water. I dressed it with a chunky sauce and a drizzle of green chili infused oil. It was delicious! The penne was a little chewier than traditional pasta, but I like that. Also, my leftovers the next day weren't soggy, this pasta doesn't absorb liquids over night.
I am very pleased with this pasta, and will happily buy it again! 🍝
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