I like the rice noodles (that look like fettuccine) and bean noodles that I buy at Japanese markets. The names are in Japanese, and so I cannot read them, but I've used both in salads. These noodles hold up very well, from my experience, but I've never made enough at one time to have leftovers. I'm not a big fan of buckwheat, but then I have never tried to be gluten free.

I think you could make a Mediterranean style salad with cooked brown Basmati rice also, which is what I sometimes do.

Lars, now you've got me thinking that an Asian style salad might be fun. I'll consider that too.

I've found Barilla GF pasta is closest to regular pasta. It's a little more fragile when it's hot so if you stir the sauce through too vigourously it can break up a bit, but it's nicely al dente and doesn't taste weird.

I use this. All last year for my pasta salads. Made a cold Mediterranean salad last week, then an oven bake with the leftovers next day, extra cheese and a couple eggs...

I prefer lentil or bean pasta to GF grain for texture, flavor and nutrition. It's been awhile, but I really liked Tolerant brand.

I'm surprised you like Tolerant brand. It was our least favorite in a blind tasting at work and the most expensive at 8 bucks a pound. We just did salted water, then dressed with avocado oil, (neutral, no flavor) and pepper. We were looking for a pasta for cold salads that covered all diets. For some reason keto at that time included lentil pasta. (Turns out it was just about quantity but now a 1 net carb is available that is really good).

This is excellent, the Italian one. Brass dye extruded. As well as DeCecco second and Barilla third. Much more affordable if organic is not a concern. I think Wallmart has Framore.

We are not GF but DH is such a bread and pasta hound I just mix it up and try new things GF. Mid summer I ordered from Supermarket Italy on-line. He has no idea all our summer/fall pasta lunch/side salads were GF. I stock a few dozen beans/grains/seeds at any given time so having a bean pasta is not really necessary for us. My pasta salads almost always include lentils, chickpeas, etc. olives, feta, cherry toms, greens....

Slightly OT yet still GF. I have these in my pantry from Costco. We have few of the Lotus brand noodles. Great for noodle bowls in our rotation. The Explore brand is good but odd. I like it but DH not so much. I will not buy the spaghetti again. Not at all the right texture for anything but pesto. Really like the other one and the lasagna noodles.

The HealtyNoodles are new, at least to me. Reviews are good for keto, 1 net carb per serving. Sunday is ham, collards, cornbread, probably something potato, sauerkraut, maybe a slaw...following week will be light. I'll try them at that time...veg noodle bowls with side salads, avocado and marinated eggs.

I will look again when I go shopping this afternoon to see if I can find some of the brands mentioned. I know Barilla is fairly common with both the regular GF and the bean GF options. Thanks for your suggestions.

You should find one no problem me thinks. I only posted my favorites for future reference. If not locally available they might be something to stock your pantry in the future.

20-30 yrs ago the whole grain and GF pastas were so horrid, 😂. I bought them on occasion. So grainy/almost gritty. Weird earthy taste. Never worked with most sauces except maybe a mushroom cream sauce.

The first one I posted. No way anyone would know it is GF. And it is a mature shape. (😂) I laugh because we do not like serving elbows or penne or common fusilli. To adults. Not pasta snobbery. Just prefer the bronze extruded that you will get from Italy. A microscopic tooth that holds sauce. Not so microscopic that you can't see it or feel it. A gluten-free celiac friend or gluten avoider like my sister....can enjoy the same pasta salad as the rest of us.

Doggone it. I couldn't find any of the aforementioned GF pastas other than Barilla corn/rice flour fusilli. I did find a brown rice small shell pasta. I also have a red lentil/chickpea orzo shape from Trader Joe's. So, those are my choices. I'm not sure which one would hold up better in a cold/cool salad.

S, as I said, it has been awhile since I regularly ate any kind of pasta at all, let alone bought lentil or bean pasta. I've never seen the ones you posted and I think they weren't available then, at least not here. Good to know that there are better ones for less! A few years back, Tolerant was head and shoulders better than whatever else was being sold.

BTW, with any GF pasta, grain or legume, it's really important to get the "just right" Goldilocks line on the cook. Regular wheat pasta is a little forgiving. GF goes from hard in the middle undercooked to waterlogged and mushy really fast. Keep an eye on it, and a tooth, and drain it really really well, and immediately.

Shambo, I think the orzo would be nice. Even if it gets a little mushy as it sits in dressing, the orzo shape will tolerate it better than the others. And the legume flours are a lot stickier than rice, and white is a lot stickier than whole, as in the stick that keeps them in one piece, so second choice for me would be the one with the corn.

Well, I did a test. I cooked a small portion of all three. Drained, rinsed, and then dressed them with a flavored olive and put the samples in the fridge for a bit. I undercooked the orzo shape but put it back on the stove to cook more. I overcooked the brown rice shells because I followed package directions and didn’t check them in time.

I didn’t care for the lentil/chickpea pasta. Not sure if it’s a texture thing or I could taste the raw bean flavor. The Barilla is fine and has held up to refrigeration very well. The brown rice has gotten chewier upon refrigeration. I think I’ll end up going with the Barilla.

Or maybe forget the whole thing altogether and make a Greek salad. I’ve got Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, red onion, toasted pine nuts, and dairy-free feta. But that doesn’t appeal to me either.

I think the problem is me. I grew up eating Greek salad every day. Kalamata olives were for special occasions because they were expensive at the time. Ditto the feta. But there’s something about the combination of those particular vegetables dressed with olive oil and lemon/vinegar that just doesn’t appeal to me any longer. No matter what, thanks for all your ideas and suggestions.

If you aren't moved by your GF pasta, how about quinoa?

Or you can choose any firm fleshy vegetable to substitute for the pasta. Cauliflower rice is very popular, but you could use grilled eggplant, or a fleshy (rather than with lots of seeds) summer squash in sliced quarters, or even a fruit like persimmon. Then do the rest of the vegetables and dressing the way you usually would.

The thought of not being able to indulge in good quality pasta would make me sad.

There is just no real substitute for good pasta.

I remember that, when the pandemic hit and we all cleaned out the aisles of the store, the only pasta left on the shelves was the kind that was not made from wheat. I did not buy it, even then.

Beware of rice and rice noodles for a cold dressed meal. Rice turns hard and has an unpleasant texture when it is cold. If you were to serve rice noodles while they are still warm, that would present differently.

For myself, (just my opinion), it is preferable to just NOT have certain things if they present a challenge, rather than trying to find something else to directly substitute for it.

I also find the Barilla GF to be pretty close to actual pasta, though I'm not a big fan of pasta anyway so may not be as discerning.

Recently I made a batch of soy based spaghetti and dressed it with a peanut butter/Asian type sauce and it was not bad, although the texture is weird. I have some black beans pasta yet to experiment with and some red lentil pasta.

The brand was Banza, I think they make mostly legume based pasta. It doesn't taste like pasta and the texture is unlike traditional pasta but it wasn't bad as long as you aren't expecting pasta!

Enjoy dinner with your family.

Annie

I don’t find cold rice or cold rice noodles to be “hard”.

Reporting back. I acquiesced and went with the Barilla. The salad came out pretty good considering. The pasta held up to being dressed at least a couple of hours before we ate with no deterioration of texture. It didn't turn mushy, so that was good. Yet it wasn't hard.

For people looking for dairy-free options, I can highly recommend the Violife brand of feta. I think it comes as close as you can get to the real stuff. It tasted especially feta-like as it came to room temperature. My daughter-in-law had used it as a topping for a morning breakfast casserole a couple of weeks ago. It was very nice warmed. So, I am pleased to find this cheese-like substitute to use that has both a good texture and good flavor.

Thanks again for all the ideas.

Thanks for the Violife brand recommendation. I make a cashew cream but nice to have another offering.

A pre-covid big BBQ I had many options. I do care less about keto and some other personal diet choices. So many options available on the table. No one will starve and it is not about food but more about socializing. It is nice to make some salads and sides that all will like and enjoy.

I would rather not blame the victim. Celiac or food allergies can happen to anyone. During pregnancy, a virus, an immune issue, ....a surgery. If a child, a grandchild develops an allergy?. How great is it if the entire family can enjoy the same meal. Why is that 'sad '?. So fortunate that so many options exist now.

And no, rice pasta noodles are not 'odd and hard'. HERE