Tolerant offers a different kind of gluten-free pasta

I was recently contacted by a company called Tolerant to see if I wanted to sample their gluten-free pasta.

To my surprise, I received a big box with six different varieties of pasta. I haven't been able to try them all yet, but here's what I can tell you so far.

Tolerant's pastas are certified gluten-free and made from either red lentils or black beans, as opposed to other gluten-free pastas made from ingredients such as corn or rice.

Tolerant says the advantage of its ingredients is that it makes its pasta much higher in protein and fiber.

So far, I've tried two varieties of red lentil pasta and one black bean variety. The red lentil pasta tasted basically the same as other pastas. I really didn't like the black bean pasta all that much.

Normally, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the taste of pasta. I figure the sauce will make or break the dish, and the only thing I worry about with pasta is its texture. I can't really describe it, but there was something about the black bean pasta that I didn't like.

Tolerant's pastas are available in a variety of stores, according to its fact sheet. I did a search on its website and found the only stores in Jacksonville carrying it are Native Sun and Grass Roots.

I haven't seen it myself on store shelves but according to the fact sheet, Tolerant pasta can be expensive at $2 to $3 "per serving." The company says the higher cost is due to the difficulty of finding a supply of lentils that have "no chance of cross-contamination."

You can check out more information at www.tolerantfoods.com.