With so any “white flour” food products in the grocery stores these days, finding this Barilla Plus Multigrain Penne Pasta was a delicious and healthful experience. I love pasta, but have steered away from it in recent decades because of the high content of highly refined carbs. However, Barilla Plus Multigrain Pasta in all its variety, is much less refined. So it’s likely to be more naturally nutritious. Barilla pasta also provides an appetizing and pleasant, mild taste besides.
Benefits, Pros, Advantages, and Features
- You give up no taste when you switch to Barilla Plus Multigrain Penne Pasta, and you gain some great nutrition for your effort. Try mixing this pasta with steamed broccoli for an even more well-balanced supper treat.
- This penne pasta makes for a good source of protein (10 grams per 2 Oz. serving), as well as those ALA omega-3 fatty acids, and it has low per-serving fat and sugar (2 grams and 2 grams respectively).
- Not only are Barilla Multigrain penne pasta noodles an excellent source of protein, but it contains several grain and legume flours; making it a great fiber source as well (4 grams of fiber per 2 Oz. serving). Just look at the ingredients (from the box): Semolina, lentils, chickpeas, flaxseed, barley, spelt, oats, egg whites (dairy ingredient), oat fiber, durum flour, and added vitamins. What a nutritious collection!
- Barilla Plus Multigrain Penne Pasta has a mild flavor which resembles more traditional pastas. So, this penne pasta readily accepts cheeses and pasta sauces as flavor enhancers.
- Penne pasta texture can be crunchy, chewy, or very soft, depending on how long you cook it. So it behaves during cooking, and afterwards during the eating of it, about like other more highly refined pastas.
- A whole 14.5 Oz. box of Barilla Multigrain Penne Pasta cooks up in under twenty minutes on my stove. Smaller portions soften much more quickly; the box says 11 to 12 minutes.
Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Concerns
- Penne pasta takes longer to soften and cook than does the Barilla pasta elbows, as each noodle is somewhat more massive. No big deal however. I just wash a few more dishes until the penne cylinder-shaped noodles finish cooking. My experiments showed this pasta to require between twenty and twenty-five minutes for 14.5 ounces of it to cook to al dente consistency.
- This pasta appears more expensive than corresponding, white flour-based pastas. However, the extra cost to me, is worth the more balanced and overall-better food quality of this pasta product, which I get in return.
- Barilla Plus Penne Pasta can be hard to find. But fortunately, I reside within a short distance of a Walmart super-center that sells it.
Our Rating
We’d recommend Barilla Plus Multi-grain Penne Pasta to those who enjoy pasta, but like us, are seeking healthier pasta alternatives to those made from white flour. We rate this pasta product at 96 out of 100.
Where To Buy Barilla Multigrain Penne Pasta
Look for this item in the yellow, orange, and white box at your favorite bigger grocers, including Walmart, where I bought it.
References
Revision History
- : Rearranged category and tag assignments, added whitespace and a References section, adjusted ad placement, and tweaked content.
- 2012-03-13: Originally published.