Fit Fare

I have a two-year-old who loves pasta. And when I say loves it, I mean devours it. Whether it’s laced with marinara, teased with pesto or coated with just a simple oglio olio, he is all about it. But pasta for a toddler can be elusive. Getting it on the fork is no simple feat. Typically, I will use Barilla’s Mini Penne, because its smaller size tends to stay a little firmer and thus is easier to stab. In fact, Barilla’s been my pasta of choice for years. I love its taste, texture and consistent goodness.

I have a two-year-old who loves pasta. And when I say loves it, I mean devours it. Whether it’s laced with marinara, teased with pesto or coated with just a simple oglio olio, he is all about it. But pasta for a toddler can be elusive. Getting it on the fork is no simple feat. Typically, I will use Barilla’s Mini Penne, because its smaller size tends to stay a little firmer and thus is easier to stab. In fact, Barilla’s been my pasta of choice for years. I love its taste, texture and consistent goodness.Enter Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta. The first time I tried it, it was because the pasta had fewer calories than other zitis — I’d done a quick supermarket survey of the offerings from whole wheat to ultra cheap. My husband and I are losing weight, so calories matter for us. I made baked ziti (think losing weight and baked ziti don’t go together? Think again. It’s all in how you make it.). I know, it was a gamble. If it tasted awful, I’d never hear the end of it. Fortunately, it didn’t.
That’s when I realized that the pasta had other pluses too.

Ronzoni Smart Taste stays firmer than other pastas when cooked to al dente. It’s a good thing for my son, who can capture it on his fork, and for me, who loves firm pasta. The fact that it’s healthier is an added bonus as well.
How does it taste? Believe it or not, it’s really good. When you are as die-hard about one pasta as I am, it’s hard to just switch to a new one. But this one has a flavor I like and meets my family’s needs. I recommend it.

The only caveat? There aren’t too many varieties available yet - just penne, spaghetti and thin spaghetti. I’d love it if they made a no-cook lasagna noodle and my precious mini penne. Hopefully the product line will expand to include that in the future.