Barilla Plus Pasta

I just tried Barilla Plus Spaghetti, from the new pasta line from Italian pastamaker Barilla. It was surprisingly good. It’s a little bit darker (and the spaghettis seemed cut a little thinner) than regular Barilla pasta, but it tasted pretty much the same. That’s not too surprising as its main ingredient is still semolina – but what makes this pasta special is that the semolina is mixed in with a mix of ground lentils, chick peas, oats, spelt, barley and flaxseeds) which give the pasta extra fiber and protein (4g of fiber and 10g of protein per 2 oz portion). The flaxseeds also give it a lot of omega3. The pasta still has a lot of carbs (38g) and calories (200), but it does seem a healthier alternative to regular pasta. For me it’s particularly enticing as Mika doesn’t like sauce on her pasta, so when she eats it she has it plain – which doesn’t do much for balanced nutrition.
Anyway, I think it was about 2.50 at Safeway for a 1lb box – expensive but I think worth it. I’ll definitely continue buying it.