Greetings from the Barilla Test Kitchen with Barilla Foodservice Executive Chef, Yury Krasilovsky

With the launch of the new Barilla legume pasta, we’ve been very busy out on the road and answering questions about how to cook with this innovative new product.

Here are my tips for success when cooking with Barilla legume pastas:

• The product is very absorbent: recommend either a very “saucy” sauce or an olive oil based sauce.
• Red lentil does not perform well in a pasta salad unless served at room temperature, as its protein structure makes the pasta too hard once it’s cold. The chickpea variety is excellent in cold/salad contexts.
• Always cook for the lowest cook time on the offered range of cook times, and precook as you normally would for foodservice applications – half the recommended cook time, drain well, toss with oil, and place on sheet trays to cool before storing.

Flavor Pairing:

• Legume pastas are recommended with vegetarian dishes, but both pastas pair very well with seafood or lean meats, as well as pancetta and guanciale.
• Make sure the sauce has some texture; too smooth and you’ll accentuate the texture of the pasta.
• Best matched with roasted vegetables, nuts, pestos, very bold flavors and spices as well as acidity.

Buon appetito!