Pasta Valente: Vegetable Pasta

This was my second dinner based around Pasta Valente's all-natural tri-colored vegetable pasta (I would have reported on the first, had I not forgotten to take pictures). The first, over a week ago, was a play on pasta primavera with zucchini and carrots; this time: goat cheese-stuffed meatballs and organic marinara.


While head and shoulders better than normal store-bought dried pasta, I have to admit that I couldn't pick up any of the vegetable flavors. The ingredients list identifies the coloring agents as spinach powder, carrot powder, and beet powder, so perhaps they're more for show than anything else. Regardless, the texture of the noodles was fantastic and in my experience has only been bested by freshly made pasta. I'm hoping that the Pasta Valente operation will grow a bit to allow for different sizes and shapes from which to choose (I'm especially partial to farfalle for making summer pasta salads).

I suppose my only nit was that the package noted that it contained six servings. In reality (in mine, at least), I'd say it was more like four, maybe five, but definitely not six. Still, a minor quibble.

Besides patting Pasta Valente on the back, I'd also like to take a self-indulgent moment to pat my own. I made some ridiculously good meatballs. I would post a recipe, but I made them up on the fly. If anyone's really interested, though, I can make up something. While I'm at it, I'll also go ahead and spread some love in the direction of the bottle of Bertoli® brand organic olive oil and garlic pasta sauce I bought: that was well worth the $3.50.