Nutritional Comparison of Polenta and Pasta

Polenta vs. Pasta

February 22, 2010

I went out to dinner last night, and a friend of mine ordered a spicy chickpea dish that came with polenta discs. The other friend I was with had ordered pasta primavera, and we got into a discussion about which was a healthier dish, the polenta or pasta.

The best way to answer that question is to compare them nutritionally, so check out the chart when you read more.

	5 slices Basil & Garlic Polenta	5 slices Quinoa Polenta	2 ounces dry macaroni	2 ounces dry whole wheat macaroni
Calories	140	160	210	198
Fat	0 g	0 g	.9 g	.8 g
Sat. Fat	0 g	0 g	.2 g	.1 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	620 mg	540 mg	3 mg	5 mg
Carbs	30 g	32 g	42.7 g	42.4 g
Fiber	2 g	2 g	1.8 g	4.7 g
Protein	4 g	4 g	7.4 g	8.3 g

As you can see from the chart above, polenta may be lower in calories, fat, and carbs, but it's also much higher in sodium than the pasta. The macaroni is also higher in protein, and the whole wheat variety is higher in fiber as well. The flavor and consistency of these two foods are also very different, so depending on your personal preference, and what your needs are nutritionally, there isn't a huge difference when it comes to choosing between these two grains. Personally, I'm a polenta fan but tell me, which do you prefer?

14 Comments

3 years 12 weeks

I think it's hard to make an opinion on the above chart when you are not comparing equal measures. How much is 5 disks? Food should be compared by weight not serving size.

lilxmissxmolly 3 years 12 weeks

Also, 5 slices is a LOT of polenta.

lilxmissxmolly 3 years 12 weeks

Polenta is gluten-free, and it's really not fair to look at the sodium of polenta that is already seasoned. If you add in the pasta seasonings, it's got sodium too.

Autumns_Elegy 3 years 12 weeks

Pasta pasta pasta for me. I love pasta. :)

3 years 12 weeks

This is silly. Of course the processed polenta will have a higher sodium content than the dry pasta. If they wanted to do a fair comparison, they should've compared dry polenta with dry pasta. That said though, I think the two are pretty equal in terms of nutritional value.

3 years 12 weeks

I am scared of polenta! I need to try it, cause I've seen so many great recipes, the look of it frightens me a bit!

J Rabbit 3 years 12 weeks

I would think that the cheese/sauce added to the macaroni would drastically change those numbers. Who eats plain pasta? (I'm assuming that you don't add much to polenta, but I don't know for sure b/c I've never had it.)

socalbeachgal 3 years 12 weeks

I like the taste of most pastas better than most polentas. #ceenzoli, some pastas show the serving size for both uncooked and cooked portions. For me it's easier to measure after cooking. The one is my cabinet is 2 oz dry = 3/4 cup cooked.

Spectra 3 years 12 weeks

I would think that if you make polenta at home from scratch, it wouldn't have nearly as much sodium in it. I personally prefer whole wheat pasta because of the fiber and protein in it.

3 years 12 weeks

I recently gave polenta a try and love it. (Not quinoa, though.) It's great with veggies on top, or layered instead of tortillas in a chicken enchilada bake. I don't know that I would replace pasta with polenta, but it's good in certain dishes, just as pasta is good in certain dishes.

darc5204 3 years 12 weeks

No need for homemade polenta to be so salty.

misskacie 3 years 12 weeks

Although I'm not a fan of processed food, I'm REALLY glad to see that some food companies are looking out for us gluten intolerants. Since I can't have pasta I'll definitely take the next best thing. More quinoa, please!

3 years 12 weeks

Out of curiosity, does anyone know the accurate way to measure pasta? For example, when the package says a 2 ounce serving is 210 calories, does that mean the pasta should be measured dry (as indicated above) or should it be measured after it is cooked?

ticamorena 3 years 12 weeks

wow, not only is that the very first time i've seen ready-made polenta, but polenta made out of quinoa?! Yeah, I'll stick to my home-made version. Good to know it's good for you because I'm pasta'd out

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14 Comments

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