If you’re a pasta lover like me but need to follow a gluten-free diet or are looking to boost your protein intake, this review is for you! The Felicia Red Lentil Penne is made from just one simple ingredient, red lentil flour. Packed with fiber and protein, it sounds almost too good to be true. So, is it really as great as it seems, or is this the ideal choice for penne enthusiasts looking to make healthier choices?
Location in Store
This is located in the dry goods aisle near the Lotus Foods Organic Millet & Brown Rice Ramen and the Crunch Master Multigrain Crackers. The item number is 1844099.
Taste
The first thing I notice about this lentil penne is how brightly red it is before cooking it! I checked the box over as I was certain they must have added some red dye but that wasn’t the case.
I’m not a stranger to plant-based pasta, I often eat the Chickapea spaghetti and rarely eat regular wheat pasta! I made this for dinner for my husband and I and we both agreed it had a bit of a smoky flavor and tasted “earthier” than other plant-based pasta we’ve tried.
The texture is a bit harder/tougher than other plant based pasta we’ve tried as well, even though I cooked it longer than the box suggests. I think if I cooked it even longer it wouldn’t soften but the noodles would just split apart.
There isn’t really a lentil flavor to this penne, it’s just a bit of an earthy/smoky flavor like I mentioned. Overall, it’s not my favorite tasting plant-based pasta but I love the nutrition facts.
Cost
The one kilogram or 2.2 pound box costs $11.99 Canadian which isn’t bad for a pretty large box of plant-based pasta! I think one box could last a family at least three meals.
Convenience
For some reason I expected the penne to come in a bag inside the box but nope, it’s just loose in the box. This isn’t a bad thing because the extra packaging/plastic is unnecessary anyways. The best before date is …. and the penne is a product of Italy!
I served this with a turkey bolognese sauce using Rao’s Marinara, but I think the penne would also go well with a cream sauce or in a casserole. You could even use it in a pasta salad! I don’t think kids would love this pasta but you never know with kids! My toddler didn’t seem to enjoy the flavor or texture.
Nutrition
Calories
1/12th of the package or an 85 gram serving contains 290 calories, one and a half grams of fat, 55 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of fibre, two grams of sugar, 22 grams of protein and zero milligrams of sodium. That’s an amazing amount of protein and this Felicia Red Lentil Penne has more protein than the Chickapea pasta.
Ingredients
There’s only one ingredient in the penne which is organic red lentil flour. Lentils are packed full of folate and are also high in protein and carbohydrates. This pasta is gluten-free, dairy-free, organic, and Non GMO verified.
Scoring
Taste: 6/10
Cost: 9/10
Convenience: 8/10
Nutrition: 10/10
Overall
Give it a try!
Although I wasn’t in love with the flavor or texture, any sauce masks both really well and I’m absolutely in love with the nutrition facts.
Have you tried the Costco Felicia Red Lentil Penne? What did you think of it?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
