Walk down the pasta aisle of any decent-sized supermarket and there is choice overload: not just penne or pappardelle, white or wholewheat, but pasta made from rice, lentils, peas, corn and more. These gluten-free products are no longer marketed only at people with allergies and intolerances, but at everyone with an interest in healthy eating. Is there something wrong with eating regular durum wheat pasta? And are these alternatives really any better?

Pasta was venerated during the low-fat era of the 80s and 90s and demonised in the low-carb craze of the 00s. Today, there is a lot of confusion over whether it is “healthy” or not. “White pasta has such a bad rep,” says Rob Hobson, a registered nutritionist and the author of Unprocess Your Family Life. “Everyone thinks that carbs are bad and make you fat. They’re actually a really important part of the diet.”

But don’t carbohydrates cause your blood sugar to rise too quickly? “When you eat food, your blood sugar goes up and the body produces insulin to deal with it. It’s perfectly natural,” says Hobson. “It’s only a problem if you’re overeating or constantly snacking, or if your resting blood sugar is high.” Having said that, he adds: “Not all carbs are equal. Quickly digested carbs [such as white pasta] can leave you hungry soon after eating them, and craving more. They’re easy to overeat, so you do have to eat them in moderation.”

I assume that means he avoids white pasta, but I am wrong. “I do a lot of sport, so I tend to stick to white pasta – carbs are important for fuel, especially before endurance events,” he says. “I like it, and I team it with a bit of protein and veg to make it a balanced meal.”

A 2022 review of novel pasta products and their impact on health, published in the journal Foods, described pasta as “a healthy and convenient food”. It noted that most people prefer white pasta “due to better taste, appearance and texture”. Hobson says: “If you only like white pasta, think about what you’re serving it with. Go tomato-based rather than oil, cream or cheese. If you like pesto, you could use less and combine it with yoghurt. And add vegetables!”

His other simple, healthy serving suggestions are olive oil, garlic and chilli; oily fish, such as smoked or tinned salmon; and a pasta bake with half lean beef or chicken mince and half lentils. “If you’re buying a sauce, the fresh ones are usually the least ultra-processed. If it has to be a jar, choose one with the fewest additives and the lowest salt and sugar.”

So, is it OK to eat pasta every day? According to a 2023 YouGov survey, 17% of Italians do, with a further 30% eating it four or five times a week. Another YouGov survey, in 2020, found that 68% of Britons eat pasta at least once a week; of those, 42% eat it several times a week. “I wouldn’t eat pasta every day, because you want as varied a diet as possible, but a few times a week is fine,” Hobson says. “Pasta is a really cheap way to make a meal. I think I ate tuna and sweetcorn pasta every day as a student!”

Wholegrain or wholemeal pasta is undeniably healthier than white. The 2022 review concluded that choosing wholegrain is “the simplest way … to enhance the nutritional and potentially health-promoting properties of pasta”. Wholemeal pasta contains the wheat bran, while wholegrain or wholewheat contains the endosperm, the bran and the germ. “Since the bran and the germ contain many biologically active compounds, such as vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids and many phytochemicals, they have been linked to reducing the risk of many lifestyle diseases,” the researchers explained.

Antonio Alderuccio, a Sicilian chef and the author of Veganissimo, prefers wholewheat pasta. “White pasta might contain over-refined, bleached flour,” he says. “Buy wholewheat and, if you can, UK-grown grains or ancient grains.”

If wholewheat is good, are alternative grains, pulses and legumes better? From pea penne to lentil lasagne, these lookalikes eschew the durum wheat that pasta has been made from for centuries. They are part of a general rise in “free-from” foods. In July, the Grocer reported that the category as a whole broke through the £2bn barrier in the UK five years ago and is now worth nearly double that, at £3.9bn.

The increasing availability of pasta alternatives is great news for coeliacs, who can’t eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley and rye), and for people with gluten intolerances and sensitivities. But they are also touted as healthier products for the rest of us. Are they?

“Alternative pastas are often much higher in protein and fibre,” says Hobson. Most people already get enough protein in their diets, but vegetarians and vegans may not. “Lentil and pea pastas are really good options for people who don’t eat meat – a serving contains almost as much protein as a small chicken breast,” he says. Sainsbury’s own-brand white pasta contains 11g of protein per 200g cooked serving, whereas its green pea and red lentil pastas contain 22g and nearly 25g respectively – half an adult’s reference intake.

The vast majority of us don’t eat enough fibre – according to the British Heart Foundation, average daily intakes are 20g, but they should be 30g. White pasta provides about 3g per 200g, pea and lentil more than 7g each and wholewheat almost 11g. “Higher-fibre pasta is broken down more slowly and keeps you fuller for longer,” says Hobson. Varying your pasta can also contribute to your 30 “plant points” a week.

However, in April, the epidemiologist Prof Tim Spector posted a video on Instagram about the “big craze” for gluten-free pasta, warning that not all varieties are high in fibre and protein and some are ultra-processed, containing emulsifiers that are thought to damage the gut. He praised red lentil pasta for its high protein, but concluded: “For the majority of us who aren’t coeliac or don’t have an intolerance, wholegrain alternatives are often less processed, cheaper and healthier.”

Alderuccio, who has a gluten intolerance, is a fan of pasta made from white corn and rice (check the label to ensure it doesn’t contain emulsifiers). “This is the easiest to cook and the most similar in flavour – it’s brilliant. Buckwheat pasta is also fantastic.”

If pasta alternatives are good enough for a Sicilian, they have to be worth a try. I subjected my partner and his two teenage children to a taste test of eight kinds of fusilli: white; wholewheat; tricolori (flavoured with tomato and spinach); spelt; brown rice; corn and rice; green pea; and red lentil. (The 2020 YouGov survey found that fusilli is Britain’s favourite pasta shape, with spaghetti in second place and penne third.) The pastas we tried are widely available from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose; none had any emulsifiers or other additives. We tasted them all plain and with pesto.

I didn’t have high hopes – Hobson and Alderuccio had warned me that alternative pastas are not as easy to cook and can go squidgy or break apart. In fact, they all held their shape perfectly well.

We all agreed with Alderuccio that the rice and corn blend was the best substitute for white pasta – none of us could taste the difference. The green pea pasta was the most unusual, with a pronounced but pleasant pea flavour and a mealy texture that would soak up a lot of sauce.

Everyone’s favourite by far was the red lentil pasta, which had a subtle flavour that we thought would go well with tomatoes. I usually eat wholewheat pasta, but the others really disliked its dense texture and “worthy” taste – suggesting anecdotally that it may not be the simplest swap for white pasta after all.

In the end, the starkest difference was the cost. Sainsbury’s white fusilli is 65p for 500g, while wholewheat is 75p. Its brown rice, green pea and red lentil pastas are £1.70 each for half as much. It does have a 500g “free-from” pasta for 75p (made from rice, maize and quinoa), but it contains emulsifiers. The equivalent at Waitrose, which has no emulsifiers, is £1.75. As ever, avoiding ultra-processed food comes at a cost.

So, what is the healthiest, tastiest, cheapest way forward? A varied diet featuring wholewheat pasta, red lentil dal, split pea soup, buckwheat noodles, chickpea curry, brown rice and so on. But if you love a comforting bowl of white pasta, don’t sweat it – just try not to have mac’n’cheese every day.

Five simple pasta sauces

Recipes by Bettina Campolucci Bordi, a plant-based, free-from cook.

Pumpkin seed pesto

Makes 1 jar

250ml olive oil
120g pumpkin seeds
1 bunch of basil (30g)
1 clove of garlic, peeled
½ tbsp each salt and black pepper

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth. The pesto will keep in the fridge for at least two weeks, in a clean storage jar covered with a thin layer of oil.

Red pesto

Makes 1 jar

160g jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled
75g salted almonds

Add all the ingredients to a small blender and blitz until combined.

Tomato with pangrattato

Serves 2

olive oil, for frying
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
½ red chilli, sliced
385g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
2 handfuls basil leaves, plus a few for topping
35g stale bread, whizzed in the blender to make breadcrumbs
a few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

Cover the base of a large frying pan with olive oil and add the garlic, chilli, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Fry for about five minutes over a medium heat. Remove from the heat, stir through the basil leaves and set aside.

Heat some more olive oil, then add the breadcrumbs and thyme and fry for a few minutes until golden and crispy.

Broccoli and peanut

Serves 2

olive oil, for frying
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
½ red chilli, thinly sliced
230g purple sprouting broccoli, stalks sliced, heads intact
4 tbsp tamari (the liquid byproduct of miso)
2 tbsp peanut butter
handful of salted roasted almonds (skinless), chopped, to top

Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a large frying pan to cover the base. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for a few minutes on a medium heat. Add the sliced broccoli stalks and cook for a further one or two minutes. Add the tamari and peanut butter, stir well and simmer for another few minutes.

Blanch the broccoli heads in boiling water for two minutes. Add them to the frying pan and stir to coat with the sauce.

Creamy pumpkin

Serves 4

350g pumpkin or butternut squash, halved and deseeded
olive oil
165g cream cheese (plant or non-plant)
2 tsp salt

Heat the oven to 220C. Place the pumpkin on a baking tray, drizzle with some olive oil and cook in the oven for 45 minutes until soft.

Remove the pumpkin from the oven, scoop out the flesh and mash it in a bowl with the cream cheese and salt.

To serve as a pasta bake, turn the oven down to 180C. Pour 340g passata into a large baking dish. Mix 600g cooked pasta with the pumpkin sauce and place on top of the passata. Tear 250g of plant or non-plant mozzarella and scatter over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, top with a handful of basil leaves and serve.