Pasta is the proud food staple of Italy. It has become an American classic in restaurants everywhere, because of it's price, versatility, and quick cooking. As many of us have read and heard from various sources, pastas are a great source of carbohydrates. I recall my old high school cross country friends would always eat up mounds of pasta before their meets. In addition to my athlete friends, high school science courses always mentioned how carbohydrates turn into glucose if not used within a reasonable amount of time, and consequently turns into fat. From that point on pasta became quite the slippery slope in the culinary world.
Ah, but just when you have pasta all figured out, a reputable brand like Barilla decides to change things up a bit:
The new Barilla Plus Pasta line features a few variations of pasta shapes, but what's important is what's IN the pasta. These pastas are infused with fiber, protein, and Omega-3 fatty acids - all of which are essential and often neglected nutrients we need to stay healthy. Barilla Plus contains 17 grams of protein, 40% more than your average pasta. I gotta say, this information alone would be great for any guy or gal that strength trains and hits the gym often; the best combo of protein and carbs your body needs. If this isn't an excuse to not eat your greens, I don't know what is: this tasty concoction also contains 7 grams of fiber, which is about 30% more than the average pasta, according to Barilla's website. If sushi's not your thing, there is now another way to attain your Omega3's, with pasta! Barilla Plus also contains 0.36 grams of Omega-3 fatty acids. OK....so it won't offer as much as sushi would, but hey, fairs better than the other pastas do, which don't even offer a number that would register on any nutrient measurement.
Now I'm sure you're wondering, "it sounds great, but how does it taste?" You will be pleasantly surprised to know that it tastes to different than your everyday pasta. The only recognizable difference after my samplings (I made my one pot penne pasta and beef, and also some classic spaghetti and meatballs), is that the pasta has a slightly more slippery texture than normal, but not at all overwhelming.
Barilla only has a limited selection in the Plus line of pastas, featuing Penne, Thin Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Rotinni, and Elbow (Macaroni) pastas. I think that if more people become fans of the new release, that they'll create even more shapes, which would make me one happy camper! I would love to have this new pasta as a permanent part of any pasta dish I cook up. I encourage everyone to try these out, and I think you'll feel less guilt about eating italian food
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