You Should Start Buying Pasta At Whole Foods. Here's Why
If you have recently eaten delicate fresh pasta, the dry, boxed variety can be pretty disappointing. A well-made, fresh pasta has a luxurious texture that makes any dish it's featured in taste amazing, and it's certainly in a different league from boxed pastas, which sometimes end up tasting like soaked cardboard. Fortunately for us, Whole Foods stocks both fresh pastas and good quality-dried versions in bulk. Even if you can't shop in the bulk section, Whole Foods probably carries some type of pasta that will suit your needs. Food52 says that from gluten-free fettuccini to dairy-free ravioli, the gourmet national grocer stocks enough options of pastas to help almost anyone find something delicious that suits their preferences.
When it comes down to it though, the bulk section is the real hero of the otherwise expensive grocer. Not only does buying in bulk allow you to buy exactly the amount you need, keeping your pasta as fresh as possible, but it is also replenished often (via Whole Foods). You'll be paying by the pound, which can help you save money too since you won't be paying for packaging. Even if the dried bins of pasta are a bit more pricey than your standard grocery store box of the stuff, The Kitchn states that the quality is noticeably better. At $4.99 per pound for the dry and $6.99 per pound of fresh pasta, we think that is still a pretty good deal.
The bulk pastas from Whole Foods are surprisingly good
While buying pasta from the bulk section of Whole Foods is already a step up from the pre-packaged kind available elsewhere, not all of the options at the grocery chain are created equal. According to The Kitchn, the store's radiatori shaped pasta, which is a dried kind, is one of the best because it holds pasta sauces really well. If you're looking for a whole-wheat variety, then definitely go for the campanelle, which is trumpet shaped. It's one of the few whole-wheat pastas out there that tastes so good you would never guess it's whole-wheat.
If you're looking for some prepared fresh pasta, Whole Foods has quite a few options to choose from as well. Just head over to the prepared foods section where you'll see all the fresh pasta options available that day. These usually include several varieties of ravioli, as well as plain pasta and stuffed rigatoni. Sometimes there are even themed fresh pastas for holidays like Valentine's Day. For the quality of the gourmet pasta you'll get, you really can't beat the price — and you certainly can't eat fresh pasta at a restaurant for cheaper. So, next time you're in the mood for a comforting bowl of your favorite pasta, be sure to head to your local Whole Foods and see what's in stock.