SHOP TALK - Barilla Plus Pasta
Given what I do for a living, I'm in some darn supermarket almost every day (sometimes twice in one day--the checkers must think I'm nuts). But some things never change...I'm always looking for new products to try and I often can't help but shake my head in disgust at other new products and say in my head (and sometimes out loud), "What were they thinking!" or "We really NEEDED another cola with the flavor of vanilla AND wild cherry or a breakfast cereal in the shape of a chocolate chip cookie!" I'm a lot of fun to shop with.
On one of my shopping trips this week I finally picked up a box of the new Barilla PLUS pasta. I've been trying whatever whole grain pasta I come across over, some are pretty good and some just stink. I was most interested in this brand because they have also added plant omega-3s to the pasta (via ground flaxseed) and an assortment of high fiber ingredients (lentils, oats, spelt, barley, wheat fiber and ground flaxseed). How brilliant to pump up pasta with all sorts of good stuff in an effort to regain the respect all-things-pasta lost with that stupid low carb craze.
Tasting is believing though, so I boiled me a huge stockpot of water and dumped the whole box in (all 16 ounces of it). I've got to say it was quite good. I fed it to my family for dinner (in the form of a make-shift pasta salad) and no one said anything like "this pasta is icky" or "are these whole wheat noodles again!" My husband happens to be a fairly picky customer when it comes to food and he really enjoyed the pasta salad. Always a good sign.
I think the reason this pasta works is because it's a multigrain "enriched" pasta with the first ingredient still being semolina (the usual ingredient in white pasta). Then a grain and legume flour blend is the second ingredient (that's where the lentils, chick peas, oats, spelt, barley, and ground flaxseed and wheat fiber come from).
The noodles are not noticeably BROWN and the taste isn't noticeably different--I would think for most Americans, this is a good thing. The nutritional info though is noticeably improved.
A 2 ounce serving of dry pasta contains 200 calories, 4 grams of fiber (some of it will be soluble fiber from the oats, beans, and ground flaxseed), and there are 10 grams of protein too (from the legumes and egg whites). My guess is the glycemic index or glycemic load on these noodles, especially if you cook them al dente, will be significantly better than white pasta. The 2 ounce serving also contributes some plant omega's to the picture...A 2 ounce (dry) serving of this pasta computes to about 206 milligrams of plant omega-3s (about the amount in 1/2 teaspoon of ground flax). A far cry from the omegas in a serving of salmon but every little bit helps.
Bottom line: What impresses me most about this pasta is the fiber (part soluble and part insoluble).
Related Topics: pasta recipe, High fiber for high blood pressure
On one of my shopping trips this week I finally picked up a box of the new Barilla PLUS pasta. I've been trying whatever whole grain pasta I come across over, some are pretty good and some just stink. I was most interested in this brand because they have also added plant omega-3s to the pasta (via ground flaxseed) and an assortment of high fiber ingredients (lentils, oats, spelt, barley, wheat fiber and ground flaxseed). How brilliant to pump up pasta with all sorts of good stuff in an effort to regain the respect all-things-pasta lost with that stupid low carb craze.
Tasting is believing though, so I boiled me a huge stockpot of water and dumped the whole box in (all 16 ounces of it). I've got to say it was quite good. I fed it to my family for dinner (in the form of a make-shift pasta salad) and no one said anything like "this pasta is icky" or "are these whole wheat noodles again!" My husband happens to be a fairly picky customer when it comes to food and he really enjoyed the pasta salad. Always a good sign.
I think the reason this pasta works is because it's a multigrain "enriched" pasta with the first ingredient still being semolina (the usual ingredient in white pasta). Then a grain and legume flour blend is the second ingredient (that's where the lentils, chick peas, oats, spelt, barley, and ground flaxseed and wheat fiber come from).
The noodles are not noticeably BROWN and the taste isn't noticeably different--I would think for most Americans, this is a good thing. The nutritional info though is noticeably improved.
A 2 ounce serving of dry pasta contains 200 calories, 4 grams of fiber (some of it will be soluble fiber from the oats, beans, and ground flaxseed), and there are 10 grams of protein too (from the legumes and egg whites). My guess is the glycemic index or glycemic load on these noodles, especially if you cook them al dente, will be significantly better than white pasta. The 2 ounce serving also contributes some plant omega's to the picture...A 2 ounce (dry) serving of this pasta computes to about 206 milligrams of plant omega-3s (about the amount in 1/2 teaspoon of ground flax). A far cry from the omegas in a serving of salmon but every little bit helps.
Bottom line: What impresses me most about this pasta is the fiber (part soluble and part insoluble).
Related Topics: pasta recipe, High fiber for high blood pressure
6 Comments:
Thanks for the tip, Elaine. I've been trying to switch from junk carbs to good carbs. I limit potatoes and I buy brown rice instead of white rice now. But pasta has been a challenge. I'll give this stuff a try.
Finally tried it, and you're right. Very little difference in tatse.
Barilla Plus has become the only pasta I'll feed my family anymore. It tastes so much better than any other whole grain pasta I've tried (usually they're like wet cardboard!) and the nutritional value is great. But it's getting harder to find. C'mon people, wake up! Buy more Barilla plus! I know it's hard to believe, but at last it is possible for the healthier option to actually taste better.
I tried this pasta for the first time last night and came across this blog today while trying to make sure it's as good as it seems! I could live on pasta. And, try as I might, I just can't handle whole wheat pasta. It's not even close to the same. Barilla Plus, however, was fantastic!!! And so far, it seems to be a dream come true! :)
Barilla Plus is an amazing pasta. My husband, who was brought up on traditional Italian pasta, loves it. My son, who sticks to a healthy diet, was amazed by all the protein, fiber and omega 3 ingredients. It cooks up al dente and tastes great.I just wish that there were half as many Barila Plus choices as there are traditional pasta shapes. LYNN
my question: are some of the extra benefit lost in the pasta water? (all nutrition facts are based on UNCOOKED pasta)
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