Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Barilla Plus pasta


I decided to write a "Product Review" post in case some of you haven't tried this pasta, though a recipe post will follow sometime soon. (And no, I was not paid to write this or given free product or anything like that.)


It would be fun if people posted some reviews on their favorite brands of certain food items. Possible examples: yogurt, olive oil, favorite 'convenience' food (including how you modify it to make it better, if you do), many other possibilities...


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Have you ever tried (or been forced to try by your mothers) whole wheat pasta? Well, if you haven't, DON'T!!!!! It's terrible tasting, and the extra nutrition you end up getting is pretty minimal - something like 1g extra of fiber or something like that.


So I was a little hesitant to try Barilla Plus pasta, after all, it is MUCH healthier than normal pasta, not just 1g-extra-fiber-healthier. It has lots of protein, Omega-3s, and fiber. I actually don't remember how I heard about this pasta, but we've been eating it for a few years now. (so maybe all of you have already tried it too.)


It really tastes good! Actually, if you don't tell other people that you switched types of pasta, they may not even notice. The only differences that we noted were that 1) the texture is a little bit more substantial, just a little more al dente, which we really liked. You could probably overcook it to death if wimpy pasta is your thing (though probably not for those that read this blog. :) and 2) the pasta fills you up better (especially great for when Will was running 50 miles a week and I was eating for two - we couldn't keep food in the house then!)


I really couldn't notice any big difference in taste, at least nothing that I could put into words. I think I'd be able to tell the difference between regular pasta and Barilla plus, but mostly because the Barilla is somehow slightly more substantial and I like it better. Certainly it tastes a million times better than whole wheat pasta, the one time I forced myself to eat that.


Give it a try, it's good and good for you! (yes, I'm a mom now, so I have to care about the good-for-you stuff.)


Also, if you have Hy-Vee in your area, they make a Hy-Vee brand version - just as good and cheaper. It doesn't come in as many shapes, at least at our Hy-Vee, however.


Have you tried this pasta? What do you think? Comment below!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

i think i'm the only freak around who actually prefers whole wheat pasta... but i'll have to try this.

-aaron

Kate said...

You're kidding! Really? You like whole wheat pasta? I usually like whole grain stuff better, but that's the one thing I absolutely did not like. Maybe there is a difference in brands... I can't remember what kind I had and I know I only tried it once! :)

Greg said...

I don't mind whole wheat pasta, though the texture isn't ideal for me. I do like Barilla's pasta sauces over other jarred varieties (Prego, Ragu, etc.) - they actually have diced tomatoes listed as the first ingredient, instead of tomato paste. I think it tastes fresher.

Anonymous said...

Completely agree!! That commercial saying how much better prego is than "that other brand" [cue picture of generic-labeled bottle in the obvious barilla shape] makes me crazy. If you're gonna go jarred/supermarket, barilla is it.

in related news, i need a hobby.

-aaron