Viviana Lemon Garlic Orzo, 8 Ounce

Ok, first let me say that I've been eating gluten free for the better part of two decades now. The available products have come a LONG way. Nowhere is this more true than with pastas. The variety, taste, and texture of GF pastas today is incomparably better than the sad, mushy/hard, terribly tasteless stuff that passed for pasta "back in the day." So if you don't like one brand of GF pasta now, you can try a dozen more until you find one you do like. I happen to like a variety of different types. I particularly like the sweet potato pastas that are becoming more available in the U.S., but I definitely don't think that they will appeal to everyone's taste. Of all the sweet potato pastas I've tried, these Viviana noodles are probably my favorite. I like the flavor, and they cook up well. Here comes the "BUT..."If you don't want any hint of any sweet/aromatic spiciness, you will probably not like these noodles. If you really want your pasta's flavor to disappear under whatever sauce you are serving it with, you will probably not like these noodles. If you don't like sweet potatoes, you will *definitely* not like these noodles. My husband doesn't like them - they are too "sweet potatoey" for him, even though he likes sweet potatoes generally. He says they taste "like pickles," but what I really think he is tasting is the spices used in making the noodles. I think they add an interesting layer of texture to pasta dishes, but if you're not into it, you're not.For me, these noodles work well with piccata, certain dishes with red sauce, and anything where you can use a bit of sweet/piquant zing. I would not want to use them for anything too savory or anything where the noodles really needed to disappear completely into the background. They DO have more flavor than wheat/rice/corn noodles. They are also more nutritious - sweet potatoes are a super food! But just don't expect them to be bland. :-)

The Sweet Potato Fettuccine tastes great! I can taste enough cinnamon to want to make new sauces to go with it. Unfortunately it doesn't ship well at all. It was loose in a large box, got thrown around and arrived broken into small pieces. Plus the glue doesn't hold the weight of the thick pasta inside the box. Luckily the pasta managed to stay inside the box and I was able to try it. The fettuccine is thick, takes longer to cook and made the boiling water thick. If I can get it delivered "whole", I'll order it again. It would be much better as long fettuccine noodles than small bits of pasta stuck together.

I don't think I'm a fan of this pasta. It's not sweet, yet there is a pretty strong flavor of sweet spice to it. This makes it difficult to figure out how to serve it, and thus far I've been unable to do so. It also takes far, far longer to fully cook than what the directions indicate. Overall, I have to say that I give it thumbs down, especially give the price point.

I love Orzo and always purchase when I find Gluten free. I am Celiac so when I find these type products I stock up. One comment for potential customers is that the package was smaller than I thought but that was my fault for not properly imagining the small orzo and the 8 oz package. This pasta is good. I went with the lemon garlic flavor when I cooked it. I bumped up the flavor with extra lemon and garlic. I marinated gulf shrimp with olive oil, lemon and garlic. Then I stir fried the shrimp and deglazed with a nice dry white wine. Placed the shrimp over the cooked Orzo. It was a very hearty meal with plenty of leftovers for two. I have also used in risotto when I was out of arborio race and it turned out well. I also added to a lemon asparagus soup I made to thicken up and turn the soup into a hearty meal.

I try and be gluten free by choice and this work beautifully in my mediterranean salad. Was a big hit. I was even asked for the recipe. If you make this properly it turns out perfect. I would recommend using more water then the directions call for. Being that high altitude at about 5000 feet it took a little longer to cook. But other than that it was wonderful. It does call for you to rinse it off well when it's finished cooking. It was not sticky and I thought the flavor was perfect not too lemony, but just enough. Bon appétit !!!

This was a great addition/replacement for in my lemon chicken orzo soup. It does take longer to cook than the instructions say and it is a small package but I won't hesitate to buy it again next time I do my soup recipe.

These were pretty good. Their texture is thicker and more fibrous than wheat pasta. However, if you have Celiac Disease like me, you're probably looking for something fancier than the gluten free corn pasta they make. I like the flavor they added to my dish. This is a bit expensive so it will be an occasional treat.

I was so excited to try this, but found the value much less than expected. The lemon garlic flavor is interesting, but the orzo breaks, has an unpleasant consistency and is pricey. I'd recommend DeCecco orzo for gluten intolerance.