The One Penne Brand That Just Can't Seem To Get It Together

When it comes to making a penne dish at home, most of us start with boxed pasta. But before we dive into making a penne alla vodka recipe, there comes the decision of which brand to buy.

Luckily, Daily Meal ranked 16 brands of penne. In order to put all of the focus on the pasta, the penne was tasted al dente and without sauce. Then, we rated each type on a scale of one to 10 for smell, texture, and taste, as well as aftertaste. These guidelines allowed us to rank the brands from worst to best — and Banza penne made from chickpeas came in last. 

Because it's made from chickpeas, Banza penne is gluten-free and contains more protein and fiber than regular dried pasta made with semolina flour. It may be a suitable option if you're looking for a gluten-free pasta that has some nutritional benefit. However, it falls short on flavor. Overall, our tester found that the pasta smelled like raw chickpeas and tasted like raw falafel batter. This may not be surprising, since it's literally made from chickpeas, but it's labeled as penne, and consumers are likely looking for a pasta substitute that's close in flavor and texture.

Some Reddit users agree that Banza may not be the best penne choice out there, with many finding issue with its texture. One Reddit user called it "rubbery," and another deemed it "too grainy."

However, other Redditors have found ways to make Banza penne work in order to get the health benefits from chickpea pasta. For example, one user explained that they cook it for "a minute less than it says," which helps with the texture problem. Another person pointed out that the chickpea flavor clashes a bit too much with a typical red pasta sauce. Instead, they use chickpea penne for pasta dishes without a sauce, combining it with "greens, sauteed vegetables, garlic, etc." 

With this in mind, you can try using Banza for our penne with black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and spinach recipe, which uses olive oil instead of a sauce. If you really want a sauce with the dish, though, then you can try making something other than tomato sauce, such as a pesto sauce.