My husband comes from an Italian background, and it’s no secret to our friends and family that pasta is consumed in our home at least twice a week. My mother-in-law passed down a very old family recipe to me, and it’s everyone’s favorite dinner that I make. Incorporating tomatoes, ground beef and a variety of seasonings including cinnamon (yes, cinnamon!), it’s hard to just eat a little bit, and we often consume a lot of it – especially if the extended family is around.
Over the years I have often struggled with pairing my meat sauce with wheat pasta for it’s obvious health benefits, however I just can’t seem to get over the taste difference between white and wheat, and I have searched for other options that would taste much like white pasta, but also include at least a shred of healthy mojo. You can imagine my delight when Barilla recently introduced a new Piccolini Rich in Fiber – white mini pasta that is rich in fiber, but looks and tastes just like regular pasta.
Piccolini Rich in Fiber White Pasta
“Piccolini Rich in Fiber – White pasta looks and tastes like our traditional semolina pasta yet offers the benefits of 3x the fiber than the same size serving of traditional pasta. Providing 40% of daily fiber and 30% of daily whole grains per 100g portion – both from all natural ingredients – Piccolini Rich in Fiber – White is available in three delicious varieties to bring the benefits of whole grains to your table every day”.
The Piccolini Mini Penne pairs perfectly with my meat sauce and what I love the most is that the kids are getting a 40% of their daily fiber and 30% of their daily whole grains. That’s enough reason for any mom to jump up and down with delight.
Although I can’t hand over our family meat sauce recipe, I can tell you what makes a good pasta, offering up a few simple, yet crucial suggestions that will have your friends and family certain that you took a cooking class….
Don’t overcook your pasta – Soggy pasta isn’t anyone’s friend, and the perfect consistency of pasta has been deemed “al dente”, which in Italian means “firm to bite”. To get the perfect al dente pasta, simply cut your boiling time by a minute or two and test it. If the pasta offers a bit of resistance when you bite into it, then you have succeeded!
Salt your water well – Salting your water before dumping your pasta in really adds another depth of flavor to pasta and may actually allow you to use less salt in your dish overall. I use a good 2 tbsp. of salt for each pound of pasta cooked.
Skip the oil – There’s no need to put oil in your water if you use a big enough pot, and adding oil to your pasat after it’s been cooked is only going to make your sauce run away from the pasta as fast as it can. There’s simply no need for it and without it, you will have a better dish!
For more tips, recipes and information about Barilla’s new line of Piccolini Rich in Fiber – white pasta visit Piccolini online.
Thank You to Barilla for sponsoring my writing today. My thoughts and opinions remain my own.
Love pasta and we too have it 2x a week most weeks.
I agree with everything but not putting the oil in the water I only use a little splash but I notice a difference on the way it cooks and lays in a plate
thanks for sharing
I will have to try this. I keep trying whole wheat pasta and my family just doesn’t like it, but maybe this will work.
We consume quite a bit of pasta at my house too!
I am always looking for new dishes to make. Thanks for your tips!
This was a great post! I love pasta but am limited because of being diabetic. We have adjusted to whole wheat pasta as part of an overall diet change for our family. However, I love the tips that you offer. I always salt my water, learned that from Emeril! I also use a little oil in my water, it’s just become habit after a time period where I was without a pasta pot.
Thanks for the info!!!