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Creamy Tomato Gluten Free Penne Pasta {Dairy Free}

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Gluten free pasta with creamy tomato sauce, ready to eat in 25 minutes! It’s delicious and dairy free. This gluten free pasta recipe is perfect for those who are new to gluten free eating or are looking for a lighter pasta alternative. It’s protein packed vegetarian pasta with a healthy amount of plant based iron. 

**NOTE: This post was originally published in Winter 2014. I updated the photos and the refined the recipe. Now I’m republishing the updated recipe because it’s WAY better!

simple meatless pasta dinner made with gluten free pasta

We interrupt the Holiday food extravaganza posts to bring you a quick and healthy gluten free pasta recipe. Because let’s face it, you’re gonna need some carbs for fuel this week! Haha. Now keep reading.

Why is My Pasta Mushy?

Mushy pasta got you down? Want a gluten free substitute for your regular pasta that doesn’t turn to mush?

For those who have been eating gluten free for quite some time, you understand. Remember the days when every gluten free pasta was made from corn and it melted in the pan? Haha. Yep!

And for those who are new to eating gluten free,  I’ve got a creamy tomato gluten free pasta dish that’s gonna rock your socks off. It’s also dairy free, easy to make, super duper yummy. Just sayin….  I’ll explain more below.

But first, the answer to why is my pasta mushy? Because it’s over cooked! Cooking pasta to al dente is the key to preventing mushy pasta! Plus, gluten free pasta that is cooked al dente will digest and absorb more slowly than mushy pasta. So, it’s healthier for you to eat it that way!

Are Carbs Bad?

Oh carbs, it’s such a confusing topic, no? But I will say this. We enjoy carbs! Gluten free, of course. And depending on what the body needs, we:

  • shift the amount of carbs we eat
  • the type we eat (grain free and pseudograins that are gluten free), and
  • when we eat them.

I don’t believe in a one size fits all meal plan. Instead, I (we) try to focus on what the body is currently needing.

For instance, if my husband is training for an event, or if we are having a stressful month (yea, that happens), then taking care of adrenal health is important.

We have found that adding in a bit of healthy gluten free carbs at dinner can help with sleep and cortisol regulation. I should note, this is what has worked for us. Plus, it’s a nice switch from low carb or paleo from time to time. Just my two cents.

Okay, so here we are in the holiday hustle and bustle. Needing to nourish the body and adrenals. Adding a bit more healthy carbs now is a good thing. Hence the dairy free, gluten free pasta recipe.

dairy free tomato sauce over gluten free pasta

Types of Gluten Free Pasta

Gosh I love pasta!

The gluten free penne pasta I found is the best kind, in my opinion. I’ve found two types of gluten free pasta that I adore. One is a buckwheat pasta and the other is a lentil pasta.

Buckwheat gluten free pasta is made from buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is pseudo-grain, which is not really a grain, but a seed, from the rhubarb plant.

For those with healthy hormones and healthy guts, buckwheat is well tolerated, especially if it’s soaked or fermented. Remember the crunch bars I made? Yea, those are made from buckwheat!

The other gluten free pasta I found (and love) is lentil pasta. I love using lentil pasta because it adds in more plant based protein without adding meat. Oh, and fiber to boot!

Actually, both types of gluten free pasta contain significant amounts of protein and significant levels of other nutrients, especially B vitamins and iron.

 

fork in a bowl of gluten free pasta with tomato sauce

One last tip and trick for making this super easy and healthy gluten free penne pasta recipe —>   USE an EGG YOLK combined with paleo mayo to get it extra creamy!

Yes, it’s almost like a carbonara style pasta, minus the cheese. And that’s how we add in more good fats and Choline without the dairy. Just mix a tiny bit of mayo and egg yolk together, then stir it right into the gluten free pasta. It melts together with the tomato and onion, which makes the penne pasta extra creamy.

You can also use nutritional yeast or even a cashew cream sauce! Shhh… don’t tell the cheese lovers my trick. Let’s see if they notice the pasta is even dairy free. GASP! I’m sneaky!

A creamy tomato gluten free penne pasta dinner

Ingredient Notes ->  I found the the lentil and buckwheat gluten free penne pasta at our local grocery store, but you can also buy spirals here.

 

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Creamy Tomato Gluten Free Penne Pasta - This gluten free pasta recipe is ALSO a vegetarian and dairy free recipe!

Creamy Tomato Gluten Free Pasta {Dairy Free}

★★★★★

4.7 from 21 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 22 minutes
  • Yield: 5 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Creamy Tomato Gluten Free Penne Pasta {Dairy Free}

Scale

Ingredients

  • 10 oz gluten free pasta {See notes for the kinds that work best}
  • 8 oz canned Italian stewed tomatoes (drained)
  • 1/3 cup diced white onion
  • 1/4 cup paleo mayo
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp each sea salt and crushed black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
  • Fresh basil

optional add-ins

  • diced chicken or chicken sausage.
  • 1/4 cup diced bell pepper
  • Toppings – nutritional yeast or [url] vegan parmesan ∞http://amzn.to/2gardyc[/url], garlic salt/powder

Instructions

  1. Sauté onions and peppers in 1 tbsp olive oil with garlic. Once they are almost cooked, set aside. Then cook your gluten free pasta according to directions.
  2. Drain, and add pasta back into pot. Keep on low heat.
  3. Add the rest of the olive oil and mix well. Crack an egg into the pasta and mix gently.
  4. Add in tomatoes, seasonings, and the rest of your onion/pepper/garlic mix.
  5. In another small bowl, combine paleo mayo and egg yolk.
  6. Add egg yolk/mayo mixture to the pasta. Stir gently over low to medium low heat until creamy. Just enough for the egg yolk to cook but not all the way through.
  7. If using a cooked protein, add it in here.
  8. Serve pasta and add fresh basil to each bowl. Or feel free to mix a little in with the big pot.
  9. If desired, top with crushed pepper or red pepper flakes, garlic powder/salt, and vegan parmesan 

Notes

Gluten Free Pasta Options

Vegan Recipe Option

  • If you are looking to make this vegan, just replace 1/4 cup mayo with my vegan cashew cream sauce and add 1 tbsp nutritional yeast. YUM!
  • Category: main, dinner
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 353
  • Sugar: 4.8g
  • Sodium: 186mg
  • Fat: 17.1g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.7g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 5.2g
  • Trans Fat: 8.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 42.2g
  • Fiber: 3.7g
  • Protein: 9.2g
  • Cholesterol: 77mg

Keywords: gluten free pasta, gluten free pasta recipe, meatless, dairy free dinners

9 grams of protein ain’t to shabby, eh? Add some extra protein with chicken, beef, or even shrimp if you’d like!

a bowl of Gluten Free Penne Pasta topped with creamy tomato sauce

Alright, bottom line, gluten free carbs are great to experiment with for active kids, athletes, healthy adrenals, etc. Oh for the love of carbs!

Did you miss any older Cotter Crunch gluten free recipes? I’ve got ya covered! Check out my Cotter Crunch Blog Pinterest board. Shameless plug.

A quick Tomato #glutenfree Penne Pasta dish you’re gonna love! Creamy yet #dairyfree

Click To Tweet

Now, go make this creamy tomato gluten free pasta recipe for your friends and family.

Or maybe this spaghetti squash pasta recipe.

But maybe don’t tell them it’s actually super healthy, gluten free, and dairy free. Let’s see if they even notice. Mwahahahaha….. trickster!

What’s your favorite gluten free pasta recipe?

Cheers,

signature1

 

Creamy Tomato Gluten Free Penne Pasta dish that's ready in 25 minutes. A light vegetarian pasta dish alternative with an healthy dose of protein! Dairy free. www.cottercrunch.com @cottercrunch

Related Posts

Photo of Lindsay Cotter of Cotter CrunchHi, I’m Lindsay!  Gluten Free Nutrition Specialist, food photographer and author of Nourishing Superfood Bowls, and meal plan guru! I’d love to know you more! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and drop a comment below.

Have a question? Use ctrl+f or ⌘+f on your computer or the “find on page” function on your phone browser to search existing comments!

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      • Tracy says

        May 25, 2015 at 7:51 AM

        where do you find the “buckwheat” pasta. I’ve only been able to find the rice or quinoa or black bean. I tried the sweet potato/buckwheat combination and it turned to a bunch of mush….blech. I’m a huge fan of buckwheat. 🙂

        ★★★★★

        Reply

        • Cotter Crunch says

          May 25, 2015 at 7:58 AM

          Ya, i know that pasta mush.haha. This one is 100% buckwheat. WHich is awesome! I found it at our local grocer Randalls/Safeway. there is another brand KING soba pasta/noodles that is delicious and doesn’t mush! So good. Let me know if you want the links.

          Reply

          • Tracy says

            May 25, 2015 at 8:10 AM

            Please. I also found some spiral noodles on Vitacost. The brown rice noodles work for me sometimes, but I don’t always do well with grain in general. So I like to rotate them. I follow you on IG and have never visited your website. Excited to see all the yummy recipes you have.

            🙂

        • Kim Masin says

          November 23, 2016 at 2:40 PM

          Awesome recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Our Chickapea Pasta would be awesome with this recipe! It’s gluten free and only made with 2 ingredients…chickpeas and lentils. High protein and high fibre AND it tastes like pasta. It’s available on amazon.com. I for one, am trying this recipe tonight! Thank you.

          Reply

  10. Lisa @ RunWiki says

    February 13, 2015 at 8:06 AM

    We are always on the hunt for GF pasta that the entire family will eat. Right now, we love TJ’s Brown Rice– none of my kids can tell the difference between this and regular. I will have to try Buckwheat pasta for sure. My mom used to make us BW Pancakes when I was little, so I have fond memories of the flavor.

    Reply

  11. Lesq says

    February 13, 2015 at 8:20 AM

    Have never seen buckwheat pasta at Whole Foods or any of the numerous health food stores I shop at weekly and I live in NYC. What’s the brand you buy? Love your blog!

    Reply

  15. Shashi at RunninSrilankan says

    February 13, 2015 at 9:06 AM

    Lindsay I always learn something new from your recipe posts – I had no clue prior to just now that buckwheat and rhubarb were related! I have yet to try buckwheat pasta – but this looks and sounds good enough for me to hit Whole Foods on the way home! Thanks lady – and hope you and the kiwi have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply

  16. misszippy says

    February 13, 2015 at 9:30 AM

    So you know I’m new to Pinterest, right? Well here’s what’s happening with my nutrition board–it’s getting filled with your recipes! And can I do cheese AND eggs? ; )

    Reply

  21. Jen says

    February 13, 2015 at 10:57 AM

    You know, I’ve never tried buckwheat pasta! Crazy, because I do love buckwheat, but I mostly do brown rice pasta! Must try the buckwheat now 🙂

    Reply

  23. Tiff says

    February 13, 2015 at 12:28 PM

    This sounds so yummy! We are egg-crazy in this house, so I’m sure this would be a hit. And thanks for the info about buckwheat. Learn something new everyday!

    Reply

  25. Katie says

    February 13, 2015 at 1:49 PM

    I love carbs so much.. the good ones of course! & sometimes the naughty ones 😉 I will have to try some GF pasta when I find a good one! Happy weekend love! x0

    Ps. I love your gut health board!

    Reply

  26. meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles says

    February 13, 2015 at 2:53 PM

    I have never tried this pasta but I trust you if you say it’s good! I will look for it in the stores…I use nutritional yeast for Italian dishes in place of cheese. So good! What do you think of the quinoa pastas? I never tried those either but always see it.

    Reply

  33. Tina Muir says

    February 14, 2015 at 7:53 AM

    Nom nom nom! Good combination lindsay! I am into marathon training now, so I need to stock up on the carbs, another great recipe for me. I am sure the kiwi wishes he was around to enjoy this meal 🙂

    Reply

  35. Molly Rose says

    February 14, 2015 at 2:33 PM

    Pasta isn’t something my husband and I would eat much of, but especially now since we’ve gone to a more low-carb lifestyle. But this seems like a great, healthy alternative! Is buckwheat pasta something I can find in most grocery stores, or mainly health food stores?

    Also, is “Cotter Crunch” engraved in that fork, or just where the watermark was placed?! Haha, either way, cute 🙂

    Reply

    • LCCotter says

      February 14, 2015 at 2:58 PM

      hehe yes, that is my logo there. And we like buckwheat because it’s not really a grain. It’s great for post workout, ya know?But Whatever works best for you, ya know?

      Reply

  36. ellie | fit for the soul says

    February 14, 2015 at 3:48 PM

    Mmmmm buckwheat is actually one of my favorites ever!!!! I think they’re perfect for pancakes and noodles, though the only noodles I’ve tried are in Asian recipes. Thankfully I’ve grown up acquainted with buckwheat so I’ve always had a preference for it, but I’m sure it’s still “scary” for many people. And you’re right, it really eases the tummy and it’s one of the few carby foods that don’t give me discomfort. And btw, your photos are getting better and better by the day!!! Great job keeping at it, Lindsay~

    Reply

  40. Sarah Pie says

    February 15, 2015 at 10:34 PM

    YUM! I’ve never seen buckwheat pasta around here before, I’ll have to keep an eye out though because the BF Is a big pasta fan and corn pasta just isn’t the same.

    Reply

  41. Jessie says

    February 15, 2015 at 11:21 PM

    Do you mind if I join you & your hubby for dinner? I’ll bring the girls along so you have the chance of meeting them? Is that a deal? :):)

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  50. Edgar says

    November 25, 2016 at 5:00 AM

    Another mouth watering recipe Lindsay! I have become a fan of your blog. 🙂 Initially I tried Cauliflower soup and now this my weekend ‘s dish for sure.

    Reply

  55. Kelsey Green says

    April 27, 2018 at 3:45 PM

    I am wondering– if I am not a huge fan of mayo, will I not like this? Is the mayo super strong in terms of flavor?

    Reply

  57. Jaime says

    October 1, 2018 at 4:37 PM

    I love this recipe, I recently had to remove wheat and dairy from my diet..this has been my go to dinner. I play with different sausages, some sweet and then a spicey. I have added broccoli and or mushrooms..it’s alwaya so good!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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