Pasta with flaxseed, Omega-3 is all the rage these days. A surgical nurse that I know first clued me into the benefits of switching my children’s whole-wheat pasta to a pasta plus. Barilla PLUS pasta is the one of the popular pastas with Omega-3 brands and it is best life approved. Best life approved means that Bob Greene, who became known as Oprah’s trainer, picked Barilla PLUS to add to his best life diet. That is quite the endorsement for Barilla PLUS pasta since Bob Greene has helped thousands of people turn to a healthier lifestyle and lose weight. You can visit his website at www.thebestlife.com. Barilla Pasta is just one of many products that he strongly recommends to those who wish to live their best life.
I bought Barilla PLUS within days of hearing about it. I worried that my crew of 6 tiny eaters (daycare kids plus my own) would not approve of the taste even if Bob Greene had. I also wondered what was so great about this pasta. Why is it better than traditional pasta? I soon found out.
According to the Barilla PLUS pasta box, ground flaxseed is used to make Barilla PLUS pasta. The box says that flaxseed is the highest plant source of ALA Omega-3, an essential fatty acid that promotes heart health. Barilla PLUS pasta also has 17 grams of protein, 4 more grams than traditional pasta and 7 grams of fiber instead of the 4 grams in traditional pasta. The protein is gathered from several sources such as multi grains, egg whites and lentils to name a few. Protein is essential to the development of children and Barilla PLUS pasta is a great source of protein.
Barilla PLUS Taste:
My children never skipped a beat while eating Barilla PLUS pasta. They didn’t notice any difference in taste and my husband and I agreed. Barilla PLUS pasta tastes great. While I do not taste the flax seed or extra protein and fiber, I know it is there.
Barilla PLUS pasta costs around $1.90 for a 14.5 oz box. We usually buy the Penne Barilla PLUS pasta or the Elbow Macaroni Barilla PLUS pasta. We have tried other Barilla PLUS pasta varieties and have enjoyed all of them. Barilla PLUS pasta does costs more than traditional pasta that is neither whole wheat or the PLUS variety. A consumer must decide if all the health benefits are worth about a dollar difference in price. For us, the price difference does not seem large at all since we have always purchased whole wheat pasta for our family and it tends to cost a little more than regular pasta too.
Barilla PLUS pasta cooks longer due to the higher protein content than traditional pasta.
Cooking directions:
According to the Barilla PLUS pasta box, “Cook Barilla PLUS in boiling water 11 minutes, then drain and serve. For more tender pasta, boil an additional minute”. Barilla PLUS pasta turns out a nice pale yellow color and has a great consistency. We use Barilla PLUS pasta for a pasta bake by adding cheese and spaghetti sauce in layers in a casserole dish and baking until cooked through. We often cook Barilla PLUS pasta with carrots and add a small amount of butter and seasonings. Our children love to eat this pasta with just butter. There are many recipe options for Barilla PLUS pasta on their website. You can visit the website at www.barillaus.com to check them out.
Barilla is one of the many companies who put out manufacturer coupons almost every month for their products. I recently got Barilla PLUS pasta for .67 a box due to coupons and a great sale. Of course, I stocked up! Look for their coupons in your Sunday paper.
Barilla PLUS pasta is delicious, healthy and fairly priced. We love that pasta, in general, is so versatile with the recipe options. I love to feed my family something so healthy. Barilla PLUS pasta provides what my family needs in a pasta, plus some!
