Review: Barilla® Whole Grain Pasta

Pasta has been my faithful friend for many a last-minute-dinner preparation. It's comfort food. It's easy food. It's something the whole family loves.

Until recently, we stuck to the semolina variety. Whole wheat pasta has never been something we loved. In fact, just the thought conjures up mouth memories of pasta that tasted a lot like cardboard--not that I know what cardboard tastes like or anything. No, really. Just guessing there...

Anyway.

This year, my husband and I have been trying to change our family’s diet to include more whole grains. We’ve been opening up to brown rice and other grains instead of the more refined options. But we've held off on switching to a whole wheat pasta; it just didn't seem like a change we wanted to make.

However, when I had the opportunity to try Barilla® Whole Grain, I figured we would give it a try. Barilla®is our preferred brand of pasta, so if any brand was going to make one we'd like, they would be it.

Now, my assignment was to choose a pasta recipe from the Barilla® website and I did--Shells with Cauliflower and Cherry Tomatoes. I planned to make it for lunch on a Sunday after church.

But then a funny thing happened: my husband beat me to it. He grabbed the box of Barilla® Whole Grain Angel Hair pasta and made it one night for dinner when I was coming home late from work. He and the kids enjoyed it with marinara, while I tossed mine with olive oil, parmigiano reggiano and salt.

Shockingly, we all loved it. The flavor is mild with a pleasant nuttiness that doesn't overpower the pasta. We ended up trying it twice before I even made the recipe. That's probably a good thing, because the recipe we tried from the Barilla® website wasn't a favorite here. It fell a little flat on flavor--just bland. Though it has potential, if I were to tweak it a little with a different cooking method for the sauce, more garlic and perhaps a little spiciness. But I digress...

Still, the pasta itself is a keeper. I love that it's a healthier choice but doesn't compromise flavor, texture or quality. Plus, it's made with 51 percent whole wheat, so it's a great source of fiber (it has 3 times more than semolina pasta!) too. Barilla® Whole Grain pasta is a great way to get whole grains into your family’s diet.

Disclosure: I am being compensated by BlogHer/Barilla for my participation in this campaign. All opinions are my own.