Food review #2! Moving a little bit away from the previous post’s sweetness, brought to you by O’my! Gelato, and heading back to the main course, pasta! In my search for compliant foods that don’t bomb my gut every time I eat them… I have not found many pasta brands that actually leave me feeling… well… normal? Also, grain free/gluten free pasta can be grainy, chewy, crunchy, chalky, or all the above. So it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you (drum roll please) Jovial Grain Free Cassava Pasta!
Overview: Jovial Foods showcase a wide variety of food options such as pasta, flours, cookies, oils, tomatoes, beans, and more. However, what I want to focus on is their cassava pasta. The only ingredients in this product line are organic cassava flour and water… THAT’S IT! This pasta is gluten free, nut free, legume free, does not include any gums, AND is grain free (which is much harder to find). With simple organic ingredients this pasta makes it pretty close to the top of my list for pasta alternatives. Oh, and I almost forgot… this product is produced in a dedicated gluten free facility, is free of milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy, BAM! Another huge plus is that my wife found this recommendation through Instagram and I was super impressed at the find (considering that I am extremely picky and protective over what I ingest).
Jovial Grain Free Cassava Fusilli
Taste: Let me just say, this brand has a very surprising taste profile. For those of us who have tried the bean pastas and other substitutes, cassava seems to be a pretty solid option for pasta. I enjoy the taste and with the right sauce pair, this hits pretty close to normal people food for me. Now, I might be overly enthused about this brand considering that I have not had pasta in many years, but from where I am standing this stuff tastes pretty amazing comparative to other brands on the market. The only warning, caution, or heed that I would give is to follow the cooking instructions and then start to experiment with timing. If you take the noodles off too early you will know that they are not done because they will be a little bit tough, but too late and they might lose some structural integrity. I typically just keep a spoon or fork handy and when its close to time I give one a taste them pop them out.
Availability: Another surprising aspect is the wide availability of some of these products. I can easily find the cassava line at my local grocery store (Harris Teeter) and many of the other non-cassava gluten free options at other stores. However, I will say… their website advertises cassava spaghetti, penne, elbows, orzo, and fusilli but I have only encountered the spaghetti and fusilli in my local stores which is a shame because I would love to experiment with some orzo or make faux mac and cheese via elbow noodles. See their store locator link on their website here https://jovialfoods.com/store-locator/.
Affordability: The price point is incredibly fair for this product line at around $4.99 a box, which makes about 4 servings. Not too much else to say about this, but if you are looking to try another gluten free (and grain free) pasta option and you only have 5 bucks to lose, seriously consider this line.
Compliance: With the only ingredients being cassava flour and water, this is a very flexible food option to go with most healing or allergen free diets. If you tolerate starch fairly well I would give it a shot 🙂
Overall, this product has a pretty nice taste (4 out of 5 stars) considering its just cassava flour. Also, it seems to be widely available and sold in most grocery stores… and it only costs about $5 bucks for a box! Considering all of these factors, definitely worth a try. Leave a comment and let me know if you have tried this product or have other gluten free and grain free pastas you would recommend!
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