Which Lentil Pastas are Not Ultra-Processed Foods?

By lentil pasta I mean pasta that is made from lentils, not recipes for pasta dishes that also include lentils.

Every type of lentil pasta that I saw being advertised as lentil pasta was not an ultra processed food. They come in red lentil, yellow lentil, or green lentil. There are other types of pasta that are fortified with pea or pea protein, and many of those are ultra-processed foods.

One reason that people eat lentil pasta is because lentils do not contain gluten. Lentil pasta is a way to eat gluten free pasta without using processed gluten free flour. Many of the lentil pasta companies advertise that their products are manufactured in a way to minimize risk of cross contamination from wheat gluten. If this is a concern for you, be sure to check the specific package of the lentil pasta you are thinking of buying to make sure it is safe for you.

Another reason that people use lentil pasta is because they are looking to avoid eating plain wheat flour, or because they want to receive some of the nutritional benefits of eating more lentils.

Some lentil pastas also have rice flour or quinoa flour in addition to the lentil flour. 

Lentil pastas come in a variety of different pasta shapes. Penne pasta, rotini pasta, and spaghetti are the easiest to find made out of lentils. Tolerant makes pastas with fun shapes for children such as galaxy and safari.

You can buy lentil pasta at many grocery stores by the box, just like any other pasta. Online, lentil pastas can be purchased by the individual box, or many stores also sell it by the case. Lentil pasta can be significantly more expensive than traditional wheat flour pasta. It stores well, like any other pasta, and you can keep it in your pantry to have as an option for an easy to prepare UPF-free meal.

There are many ultra-processed foods that are pasta with things added to it such as pea protein. These lentil pastas are not that.

Lentil pastas which are not ultra-processed foods:

Lentil Pasta with Fun Shapes:

Tolerant Organic Red Lentil Galaxy Shape
Ingredients: Organic Red Lentil Flour

Tolerant Organic Green Lentil Safari Animals Shape
Ingredients: Organic Green Lentil Flour

Lentil Pasta Elbows:

Tolerant Organic Green Lentil Elbows
Ingredients: Organic Green Lentil Flour

Lentil Fussili Pasta:

H-E-B Organics Gluten Free Red Lentil Fusilli
Ingredients: Organic Red Lentil Flour

Lentil Lasagna Noodles:

H-E-B Organics Gluten Free Yellow Lentil and Brown Rice Lasagna
Ingredients: Organic Yellow Lentil Flour, Organic Brown Rice Flour.

Whole Foods Market Organic Yellow Lentil and Brown Rice Lasagna
Ingredients: Organic Yellow Lentil Flour, Organic Brown Rice Flour.

Lentil Penne Pasta:

Ancient Harvest Pow! Green Lentil Penne
Ingredients: Green Lentil Flour, Organic Quinoa Flour

Barilla Red Lentil Penne Pasta
Ingredients: Red Lentil Flour

Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Penne
Ingredients: Organic Green Lentil Flour, Organic Green Pea Flour, Organic Brown Rice Flour.

Explore Cuisine Organic Red Lentil Penne
Ingredients: Organic Red Lentil Flour, Organic Brown Rice Flour.

Good and Gather Gluten Free Yellow Lentil Penne (Target)
Ingredients: Yellow Lentil Flour.

H-E-B Organics Gluten Free Yellow Lentil Penne
Ingredients: Organic Yellow Lentil Flour.

O Organics Organic Gluten Free Red Lentil Penne (Safeway)
Ingredients: Red Lentil Flour.

Tolerant Organic Red Lentil Penne Pasta
Ingredients: Organic Red Lentil Flour.

Lentil Rotini Pasta:

Ancient Harvest Pow! Red Lentil Rotini
Ingredients: Red Lentil Flour, Organic Quinoa Flour

Barilla Red Lentil Rotini Pasta
Ingredients: Red Lentil Flour.

Good and Gather Gluten Free Red Lentil Rotini (Target)
Ingredients: Red Lentil Flour.

Tolerant Organic Green Lentil Rotini
Ingredients: Organic Green Lentil Flour.

Tolerant Organic Red Lentil Rotini
Ingredients: Organic Red Lentil Flour.

Lentil Spaghetti Noodles:

Ancient Harvest Green Lentil Spaghetti
Ingredients: Green Lentil Flour, Organic Quinoa Flour

Barilla Red Lentil Spaghetti Pasta
Ingredients: Red Lentil Flour.

Explore Cuisine Organic Red Lentil Spaghetti
Ingredients: Organic Red Lentil Flour, Organic Brown Rice Flour.

Good and Gather Gluten Free Red Lentil Spaghetti (Target)
Ingredients: Red Lentil Flour.

H-E-B Organics Gluten Free Red Lentil Spaghetti
Ingredients: Organic Red Lentil Flour

H-E-B Organics Gluten Free Yellow Lentil Spaghetti
Ingredients: Organic Yellow Lentil Flour, Organic Brown Rice Flour

Whole Foods Market Organic Red Lentil Gluten Free Spaghetti
Ingredients: Organic Red Lentil Flour.