Gluten-Free Penne Rigate Pasta

With a focus on the highest quality ingredients, this penne rigate from Massimo Zero is a truly superior gluten-free pasta—and trust us, we've tried a lot. Made from corn and rice flour, it’s virtually indistinguishable from our favorite wheat-based pasta. You can even use the starchy cooking water!

One of the most well-known pasta shapes in the world, penne rigate, are medium-length tubes that trap delicious sauce in the ridges that run down their sides. "Rigate" means grooves - given that this type of penne has grooves on the surface of each penna. The grooved version allows the sauce to adhere to its surface, making every mouthful rich and tasty!

Even though penne originated in Liguria, its popularity spread throughout the Italian peninsula and worldwide. The most famous penne pasta recipe is ‘arrabbiata,’ from Rome. The pasta is served with a spicy tomato sauce made from tomatoes, red chili peppers, and garlic.

For a country as passionate about wheat products as Italy is (think pasta, pizza, biscotti, focaccia—the list goes on and on), it should come as no surprise that they’re serious about making delicious gluten-free foods. The country has a much longer history of taking gluten intolerance seriously than the U.S., which means they’ve got a lot of experience with gluten-free alternatives. From a long list of great contenders, Massimo Zero’s pasta is the best of the best. With the same dedication to tradition and artisan methods as all our favorite pasta makers, they are proving that you don’t have to give anything up when you cut out the gluten.

Massimo Zero is based high in the Italian Alps, in the northern Alto Adige region. At their state-of-the-art facility, they combine cutting-edge research with age-old techniques to create gluten-free products that are completely natural, without any additives. Their pastas start with pure mountain water and the best gluten-free flours, kneaded and formed according to traditional methods, then air-dried slowly to ensure the perfect al dente texture when cooked. You’d never know what was missing.