The “Delicious” Pastas That Are Taking Over Grocery Shelves

Pasta has been around for thousands of years, and yet there are tons of new pasta varieties popping up on shelves (and Instagram explore pages) right now. Anyone else noticed this what’s-old-is-new trend? I’m not just talking about new shapes (although that’s happening too!), but pasta that is made with different grains, legumes, textures and more. 

If you asked me last year if I felt that the pasta aisle needed deep improvements, I would’ve brushed it off with a simple don’t fix it, if it’s not broken. But after witnessing so many wonderful innovations in the category (and sampling several for myself), I’m glad to be proven wrong! Here are a few of my favorites.

I tried Bionaturae a few months ago and was shocked at just how good it tasted. It’s made with just two ingredients (organic durum wheat semolina and sourdough starter) and is full of that tangy, sour flavor you’d expect in a loaf of sourdough. It’s available in three shapes — spaghetti, fusilli, and penne — and has become a constant fixture in my pantry ever since I tried it. 

And although I haven’t tried it yet, I also noticed another new sourdough pasta on the market: Leavyned Fusilli Sourdough. It’s made with the same ingredients as Bionaturae’s sourdough pasta, plus salt. I’m excited to snag a box to try for myself (and see more brands get in on the sourdough trend).

I’m no stranger to instant-made pasta. I mean, I practically grew up on Chef Boyardee. But what was one isolated to just cans has now blossomed into an array of sauced-up pasta dishes that are better than ever. Take Proper Good, a two-year-old startup specializing in quick and easy meals — oatmeals, soups, and now pastas — made without artificial colors or preservatives.  I was amazed by how delicious the Meatball Marinara Pasta was after a 90-second spin in the … microwave! The tomato sauce is full of that iconic umami-tomatoey flavor, the meatballs are tender and delicately spiced with Italian herbs, and the pasta tastes like it was freshly boiled (you wouldn’t know it was microwaved unless someone told you). 

It’s not just new brands entering the ready-to-eat pasta market. SpaghettiOs is still cranking out new flavors and shapes with its latest Where’s Waldo SpaghettiOs collab that, although I know is marketed toward children, I still can’t wait to try.

I come from a household with a sibling with a gluten intolerance so I’ve eaten a lot of wheat-free pasta in my day. While there are some very good gluten-free pastas on shelves, they aren’t exactly lining the shelves at most national retailers. That’s beginning to change, though!

More brands are adding allergen-free products at the front of their catalogs, and it’s really, really good. Starting with Goodles! I’ve been a fan of Goodles’ ultra-cheesy boxed mac and cheese for years, and was excited to see its recent launch of not one, but three gluten-free pastas: cavatappi, twisted, and penne. I’ve only tried the penne so far and can confidently say it’s awesome. It’s made with corn, brown rice, and chickpeas, and tastes so closely to the original pasta (and doesn’t crumble like other kinds of gluten-free pastas) that I had to double-check the box to make sure it was really gluten-free!

Giadzy by Giada De Laurentiis has also come out with a line of seven gluten-free pastas, including ziti, spaghetti, and lasagna sheets that are chewy without being hard or too soft and coat pasta sauce wonderfully.

Meanwhile, Felicia, a plant-based pasta brand that launched in North America this year at Eataly, has its own line of gluten-free pastas made with brown rice, chickpeas, and even oats! Senza, a brand-new pasta company, is also planning to hit shelves within the next few months with the launch of their inaugural Lil Pastina Stars that are free of the top nine most common food allergies (milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soybeans, and sesame) and in the shape of adorable, little stars. I got a box to try ahead of the launch, and it’s comforting, cute, and totally delicious. 

Are you shopping for new kinds of pasta? Tell us about it in the comments below.