Barilla Spaghetti

I actually ate this a while ago, and the only note I left for myself was "10 minutes to cook". What an inscrutable note, past self. Is that a long time? Maybe compared to elbows or penne, but it seems pretty standard. These noodles were, to the best of my memory, fine. They taste good and are a fun shape for red sauce or maybe lo mein types of stir fries. I ate them all. The end. (Sorry readers, I'll be more elaboratory next time.)

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Linguine

Hmmm. I ordered a 4 pack of Fettuccine and I ended up with a Linguine in there! I think it was a blessing in disguise because I like variety, but I'm still a tiny bit annoyed just on principle. Anyway, linguine is like somebody took spaghetti and smooshed it a little. I like that. I like it better than fettuccine, actually, at least for red sauce which is all I have. So, not bad all in all. There sure are a lot of pasta shapes.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Penne

Penne is a good noodle shape. This says it takes 11 min to cook, but in my opinion it takes a teensy bit longer than that; they're still a little too firm/chewy at 11min. Other than that, these are fun to eat, you can put 'em on your fork prongs! They're a good alternative to elbows. I'm a fan. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Rotini

These sure taste like noodles! Not my favorite shape, though, and without being made of veggie, I don't see the point. Better to have something tasty like ziti, or elbows, or whatever else is available. But they do the job.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Farfalle

Ah, farfalle. Or as the commoners call 'em, bow ties. I always thought this to be an overrated pasta shape. Not aesthetically pleasing (to me), and not convenient to eat/scoop/stab. But you know, I thought these were pretty good. I made them with cheese and hot peppers, but the part I liked was the the inside maintained some "bite" to it, while the wings(?) were more tender. Is that why everyone likes bow ties?! I didn't consider this, but it's not bad. Plus, noodles are tasty. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Veggie Rotini

 

This is perfect for someone like me who loves pasta but also tries to eat a veg every day.  The truth is, even though I was just saying the Barilla website is great for allergy info, I was still nervous to eat this because it turns out they also make lentil/chickpea pastas (even rotini shaped I think) and those aren't allergens they have to label but are bigtime allergens for me. So there is a CC risk probably for that. Plus, the color of these is nowhere near as dark green as the Ronzoni veggie pasta (although it is greener than regular Barilla pasta) so I was like "what if it's mislabelled!?", but long story short I ate it and was fine. Decent texture, a little firmer and less tasty than regular pasta (maybe?) but less different than the Ronzoni version (which I assume means there's less veg, but that's alright). This was fine with sauce but I also thought it was decent with oil/spices/1 string cheese, which is cool and versatile. About 7min to cook, about 5 one cup servings per box. No complaints and will probably buy again (or look for a different shape that isn't also a chickpea shape? If such a thing exists.)

Overall
Cost: 7/10 (1$ only!)
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Cellentani Pasta

I just noticed that Barilla's website site has amazing allergy info! They sure did a turnaround for me as a company. I'm also surprised I haven't reviewed this pasta shape yet, because it's one of my favorites. It's the same shape that my (former?) favorite noodle pack, Cheddar Broccoli, has. A fun curly noodle, like a carefree elbow or something. Works well with sauces, especially cheesy sauces, but all I had for today was a typical red sauce. Still good, quite filling, easy to fork. I think 1 cup is a generous serving. They do take 11 minutes to cook, but it's a worthwhile wait.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Barilla Angel Hair Pasta

I don't know what it is, but I'm really liking this angel hair pasta. It's very different from other pasta, which is fun. And seasoning and olive oil just make it so much tastier than they do for like, elbows. Plus, it only takes 4 minutes to cook!!! So yeah, that about sums it up. Goes well with zucchini, or brocco, or tomato or pepper or even nothing but itself. A nice delicate meal. Thank you for your sacrifice, angels.

Overall

Cost: 7/10

Taste: 7/10

Barilla Fettuccine

Can't go wrong with a good noodle! I've been eating these all week, with pasta sauce and sometimes peppers. They take a long time to cook (12 min!) but are tasty and easy to fork. The box came pretty beat up in the mail, but I haven't noticed any consequences of that. A more satisfying pasta shape than I anticipated.

Overall

Cost: 6/10 (About 1$)

Taste: 7/10

Barilla Elbows

Pasta! All pasta is good pasta, I think. And Barilla is a big enough company that I trust them not to be moldy or harmful in some disturbing way, unlike some local pasta I've had in the Dark Ages. Elbows are a fairly fun shape, although the ditalini honestly grew on me, but these cook faster (6min) and are better sauceless, I think. I had them with the Hunt's can sauce which to be honest is not very good. But I look forward to enjoying these elbows with a superior sauce in the future!

Overall

Cost: 6/10

Taste: 7/10

Barilla Ditalini

I only got these because they were the only pasta shape available to buy, but I thought I would hate them. I usually don't like the taste of tiny pastas like orzo, PLUS I associate these small circle shapes with soups I'm allergic to, like veggie soup or spaghetti o's or something else itchy. But I was pleasantly surprised. I cooked em for about 10min (maybe 9), and they were al dente for sure but since they were so small it was totally fine to eat, and having more texture to them made it more like a satisfying meal, like a veg was in there but it was just noodle. Made about 2/3 cup with my expiring red sauce, and it was a tasty and very filling lunch. I would get these again even in a non-desperation scenario, which is something to behold!


Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Barilla Ziti

Nobody doesn't love a good noodle! As discussed previously, I used to be anti-Barilla, but now they are fine by me. Which is good, because they're the only noodle I can find to buy online. Also, they're pretty solid pastas. This shape is especially fun, because it's all smooth and different. You can put em on the tines of your fork for extra fun! These go with sauce or oil or whatever, plus of course some veggies from the freezer (or fridge if you're fancy). Always a good time. I make about 1 cup of dry pasta for 10 min or so, and that's filling but not overmuch. Maybe 4-5 servings per box, so not as cost-effective as rice, but pretty good!


Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Marinara Sauce

I'm always referencing this sauce in other reviews, so it's about time I bought it. I thought this was really good the first time I tried it, but honestly it wasn't as good as I remembered. However, it is still a solid sauce. There's not many chunks, it's basically a sweet tomato puree, but not in a gross way, just in a cafeteria pasta sauce way (but I like that). I dunno if there's a better sauce out there in the grocery store -- I truly hope that there is, but honestly I don't think I've found it yet. Most store bought pasta sauce is kinda gross. Anyway, this is solid, especially with just plain spagbol. Plus it was on sale!




Overall
Cost: 7/10 [2$]
Taste: 7/10

Barilla Mushroom Sauce

This was alright, but not as good as their plain marinara varietal. Especially on reheat, it was kind of bitter and left a bad taste in my mouth (maybe this is because I added parm cheese though). There aren't very many chunks or especially strong flavors, just a standard vaguely mushroom flavored sauce. It's OK, but not amazing. Almost better out of the jar on its own than with pasta or veg. Maybe could work for a lasagna or with mozz/pizza.





Overall
Cost: 6/10 (On sale for 2.29 - maybe it was expired!!!)
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Roasted Garlic Sauce

I tried their marinara sauce once and was surprisingly happy with it, and I love garlic so I thought I'd give this a try. Sadly, I don't like it as much, although it is still perfectly serviceable. It tastes strongly of garlic, which is impressive, and there are actually noticeable little chunks of garlic in it too! The rest of the sauce doesn't have any other flavor notes, though, and there are no other chunks of things like tomato or pepper or onion which I think I would want. The texture is really smooth. It just isn't my style, but it is the most garlicy red sauce I've ever had from a bottle, so that's something.




Overall
Cost: 6/10 (on sale for 2.50$)
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

When I hear "pesto", I think "pine nuts", so this is a mysterious product. It's not a cheese or basil pesto, though, it's a bright red tomato concoction. I guess it's different from pasta sauce proper because it is oilier and has tomato chunks instead of puree, but really the vibe isn't THAT different. This is classier though! And such a cute little jar, way easier to use up in 2-3 meals. I just put this over heated pasta and stirred. It was pretty decent and nice to try something different, though I don't know if this will replace sauce for me. It has a little bit of a sweet/bitter taste I didn't expect -- maybe from the capers, which I am apparently not allergic to!



Overall
Cost: 4/10 (3.50$)
Taste: 6/10

Barilla Ready Pasta - Gemelli

How Barilla has turned around for me from its homophobic past! Now that they've recanted I'm free to indulge in their surprisingly good and diverse products. Their website also has really clear allergy information. Anyway, these Ready Pasta pouches are the hot new thing! They only take 60 seconds in the microwave, right in the bag, and then they are supposedly ready to eat. Well, that is really convenient! And the portion size is pretty much just right (uh, for one person that is) -- about 420 calories of pasta time, or one decent bowl. Of course it isn't as good as regular pasta, although I don't usually eat Gemelli so I'm not sure how much of this is due to the thick shape. But these were definitely "less cooked" than normal pasta would be; they were chewier and tougher, which isn't great for me. In general, pasta is good and this is really easy to make, so I'm a fan (even though I will probably generally stick to the real deal myself).

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (more pricy than regular pasta)
Taste: 7/10