Pasta is a store cupboard staple that can be used to bulk out all sorts of dishes and this week we’re putting budget supermarket brands to the test.
Whether it's spaghetti, penne, tagliatelle or lasagne, the price of pasta can vary quite a lot on the high street depending on which packet you pick up. Most of the big supermarkets stock a wide range of pasta, from fancy fresh varieties, to low cost value options.
As the cost of living soars and supermarket shopping seems to get more expensive by the week, many customers are looking for ways to save money at the tills. Over the last few months, we've been testing out value brands to see how they compare to the more expensive luxury ranges, trying out everything from tea and coffee, to chocolate, cereal, baked beans and even toilet roll.
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This week, we've been testing pasta from supermarkets including Aldi, Morrisons and Asda. Here's our verdict:
Morrisons Saver Penne Pasta
This was the cheapest dried pasta I could find in Morrisons, costing 45p for a 500 bag. It comes in a fairly plain bag, making it clear it's a low cost option, with little extra spent on making the packaging look appealing.
One thing I noticed about the pasta itself is it's quite small in size and it didn't particularly bulk up much after cooking either. It was quite pale in colour and cooked evenly in around 10 minutes (for a slightly al dente texture).
To be honest. I couldn't really fault the taste. It's not got the flavour of fresh pasta of course, but I couldn't really tell it apart from the dried pasta I'd usually buy at a higher price. If you're cooking a big batch for a pasta bake and smothering it in some sort of tasty sauce, this is definitely a good option at a low cost.
Price: 45p
Where to buy: Morrisons in store
Rating: 4/5
Asda Just Essentials Pasta Shapes
I am completely obsessed with pasta, it's the ultimate comfort food and I adore how versatile it is. I'm a big fan of conchiglie, classic spaghetti and ziti but I'll happily have pasta any way it comes.
Asda's Just Essentials value range, sadly, doesn't have many pasta options. I picked up a 500g bag of its "pasta shapes" - an odd name when it's clearly penne pasta and I've yet to see any other shapes, but there we go - and it seems to be the only variety in the budget-friendly line-up.
At 35p, it's excellent value for money. I'm not too keen on the garish yellow packaging wrapping all Just Essentials products, but who really cares about packaging? We all know it's the taste that's the most important factor of all.
This pasta is, like most dried pasta, incredibly tasty, easy to prepare, and it works well with an array of recipes. I don't think there's a noticeable difference between this and the pricier supermarket alternatives. While it definitely doesn't taste as good as fresh pasta, it's still delicious, versatile and incredibly cheap.
The only downside is the lack of options in the Just Essentials range, plus its popularity means it's regularly sold out, so quite tricky to get your hands on. If you're after penne pasta, I'd definitely recommend snapping up Asda's Just Essentials Pasta Shapes - it absolutely gets the job done and there's really no noticeable difference between this and more expensive dried pasta products.
Price: 35p
Where to buy: Asda stores or online
Rating: 4/5
Aldi Cucina Penne Pasta
I’m a huge fan of pasta, in fact, I’d say I have pasta almost every day as part of a salad or main meal. I’m always looking for cheaper alternatives to pasta and I’m never particularly fussy, as long as it’s some form of carb going in my belly I’m happy!
I usually get Asda own brand pasta, but thought I’d switch it up this week and try Aldi ‘Cucina” pasta which is priced at 69p as opposed to the Asda pasta I usually get which costs me 85p. This is not a value product but Aldi's cheaper Every Day Essentials Penne priced at just 32p was out of stock on the day I did my shop.
Although it’s only a saving of 16p from my Asda usual, every little helps with everything going on at the moment. I boiled the Aldi pasta until it was nice and soft and mixed it in my salad.
I was actually pleasantly surprised, the penne pasta was larger than usual in terms of size and was really nice and filling in my salad. It was light and fluffy and not too heavy like some pastas I’ve tried.
In terms of taste, it was quite fresh, which isn’t always the case when it comes to dried pasta. It’s safe to say I was impressed, and will definitely be making the swap to Aldi pasta for a slightly cheaper alternative.
Price: 69p
Rating: 5/5
Where to buy: Your nearest Aldi store or online
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