New in the Market: Al Dente Pasta

by Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN on August 20, 2019 · 0 comments

We love to try new foods. Some are great. Some don’t measure up and some become staples in our kitchen. See what you think.

Al Dente Pasta Company, based in Michigan, has been making artisan pastas for almost 40 years. Though they have always made their pasta by traditional methods, the company from the beginning had a visionary sense and was always been willing to innovate to changing culinary trends. Al Dente has launched two new product lines.

Plant Based Pasta was showcased at the New York City Summer Fancy Food Show 2019. All three varieties are ribbon-shaped pasta, USDA Organic, non-GMO (because they are sourced from Germany), vegan, and gluten free. The pasta comes in an 8-ounce clear bag and cooks in 3 minutes. One serving is considered 1 ¼ cups dry which equals 190 calories cooked

Chickpea + Turmeric has 3 grams of fat, 12 grams of protein, 27 grams of carb (with 7 grams of fiber, 1 gram of natural sugar and no added sugar), 3 milligrams of iron, 630 milligrams of potassium and no sodium.

Green Pea + Wild Garlic has 1 gram of fat, 12 grams of protein, 31 grams of carb (with 4 grams of fiber, 1 gram of natural sugar and no added sugar), 3 milligrams of iron, 586 milligrams of potassium and no sodium.

Red Lentil + Sweet Potato has 1 gram of fat, 13 grams of protein, 30 grams of carb (with 4 grams of fiber, 2 grams of natural sugar and no added sugar), 3 milligrams of iron, 410 milligrams of potassium and no sodium.

Piccolo Pastas, introduced in 2018, are also sourced from Germany. The egg noodles are formed into shapes not seen in North America. Piccolo Pastas comes in a 12-ounce clear bag and cook in 5 minutes. They are kosher certified (OK). 

We tried Turmeric Pinchetti (little pinches). One serving is 1 cup dry which equals 210 calories cooked. It has 1.5 grams of fat, 9 grams of protein, 40 grams of carb (with 2 grams of fiber and no sugar) 1 milligrams of iron, 90 milligrams of potassium and 10 milligrams of sodium.

Al Dente has also developed a reduced-carb pasta. Carba-nada Egg Fettuccine comes in a 10-ounce clear bag and cooks in 3 minutes. It is made in the US and is kosher certified (KOF-K). One serving is 1 ½ cups dry which equals 170 calories cooked. It has 1.5 grams of fat, 15 grams of protein, 24 grams of carb (with 7 grams of fiber, 2 grams of natural sugar and no added sugar), 2 milligrams of iron, 60 milligrams of potassium and 15 milligrams of sodium.

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