If you're reading this and thinking, "Wow, what I'm really missing in my life right now is some top notch gluten-free, high-protein chickpea pasta," one, that is an insanely specific thing to need in your life, and, two, I've got you covered. Banza Pasta is here to fill that void in your life: this pasta comes in all the delicious shapes and sizes you already know and love from a lifetime of mac and cheese, baked ziti and penne with red sauce (with the added bonus of being really ridiculously good for you).
Here's everything you need to know about Banza Pasta, your new favorite grain obsession.
What is Banza Pasta?
Banza Pasta is named for garbanzo beans, one of the four ingredients that go into making this pasta. You probably know garbanzo beans for making chickpeas, and these babies make up 90% of the noodles. The only other ingredients are tapioca, pea protein, and xanthan gum.
Nutrition Behind Banza Pasta
Because Banza uses chickpeas as their base instead of flour, these pastas boast a much higher nutritional value than your average wheat noodles and lack all the empty carbs. Let's do a comparison between Banza noodles and traditional pasta. Banza has 25 grams of protein and average pasta only has 13 grams. Fiber count is higher for Banza too, 13 grams to a lousy 3 grams for normal pasta. The net carb count for Banza is 43 grams, while for average pasta it is 71 grams. Win! Win! Win!
Eating pasta doesn't have to be a meal full of empty carbs and starch anymore. With Banza you can substitute in a lighter, healthier pasta, full of protein and fiber, and still enjoy all the same sauces and toppings you already love!
The Taste of Banza Pasta
With all these health bonuses you would think that some of the best parts of the pasta experience would be sacrificed, but as someone who's eaten a ridiculous amount of pasta in this lifetime and only recently tried Banza, I can say that there isn't a difference at all. This pasta cooks and tastes just like the real deal, and comes with so many nutritional benefits you might as well just be eating vegetables.
As a vegetarian constantly on the hunt for more protein, Banza is a great way to increase your own protein intake and trick everyone else into eating more protein as well.
All The Options
In addition to their plain pasta or noodles, Banza sells their boxes of mac & cheese in four different shapes, so you never have to feel bad about eating that traffic-cone-orange mac & cheese at midnight again.
You can try this chickpea goodness as penne, rotini, ziti, wheels, cavatappi, elbows, shells, rigatoni, linguine, spaghetti, and angel hair. Basically, any type of pasta you already love can replace all those empty carbs with lots and lots of protein. Their mac & cheese comes in four varieties: classic shells and cheddar, elbows with white cheddar, elbows with classic cheddar, and deluxe elbows with rich and creamy cheddar.
Banza Pasta's slogan is "let your pasta love you back," and I, for one, feel like we've all waited too long for this unrequited love to be reciprocated. If you want to be able to eat as much mac & cheese and baked ziti as your pasta-loving heart desires (and get your favorite nutrients at the same time), then what are you still doing reading this?! Go out and order yourself some power pasta!