As you might imagine, we at Barilla spend a good amount of time tracking what’s trending with consumers and on menus when it comes to pasta. We recently commissioned our partners at Datassential  to dive into what’s happening with pasta; not just what’s most widespread, but what’s new, growing and trending. Below are a few of the highlights, with more to come in future issues – for the video presentation, check it out here.

While Spaghetti, Penne, Lasagne and Fettuccine have long been the most common shapes on pasta menus – and still are – operators are turning to less-ubiquitous shapes to help them differentiate. These shapes are on the rise because they are different from the everyday, have great stories behind them, and their shapes make for excellent texture and bite.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes featuring these cuts:

Kale continues its march towards menu domination, now in the pasta category too! Notable here is that cherry and grape tomatoes make this list, a sign that operators are getting more specific with their menu listings. More description and seductive language on menus is a tactic that works, and is well worth the effort.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes featuring these veggies:

Buon Appetito!

Source for all stats: Datassential, 2021