During the holiday season, the table is full of food. From a celebratory feast to all-day snacking, everyone is eating, grazing, and otherwise feeling full. While there are plenty of holiday food traditions to be enjoyed, Barilla’s Snowfall pasta deserves to be part of that conversation year after year.
Pasta is a staple. From that classic spaghetti and red sauce to a farfalle with a cream sauce, the combinations are as plentiful as Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta Bowl. While that statement can be a little exaggerated, the reality is that pasta in its various shapes is never boring.
According to Barilla, over half of surveyed shoppers are looking for new shapes, especially seasonal ones. Many people swooned over the brand’s Valentine’s Day offerings. For the holidays, Barilla’s Snowfall pasta brought that warm, fuzzy sentiment.
Unlike the traditional snowflake that falls from the clouds, the Barilla Snowfall pasta is much more uniform. Still, the uniqueness of the pasta shape concept brought wonder and delight to any meal. It shared the love one serving at a time.
Created to help bring people together around the table, the special seasonal shaped pasta is more than just a pretty visual that amplified a classic dish. It was an opportunity to have a conversation.
Whether it was a new spin on a dish from the Feast of Seven Fishes to a simple way to excite people to have another serving of leftovers. The reality is that this simple box of pasta sparked people’s imagination. Sometimes a new twist on a classic can ignite a love of cooking in the best way.
While Barilla offered various recipes that highlighted the shape, texture, and taste of its seasonal pasta, it was equally as fun to step beyond that classic mac and cheese or soup. Even just a simple side dish served with a crown roast of pork brought new zest to the dish.
Overall, the Snowfall pasta is more successful with a creamier sauce. As many cooks appreciate, certain pasta shapes work better with different sauces. With cream sauce, the little crevices and delicate pasta pattern absorbed all the rich flavor.
Although the Barilla Snowfall pasta was a limited release, consumers hope that it will return again. The specialty pasta shape should be a tradition to be served year after year. It might not be grandma’s dish, but it will bring a smile around the table. Santa might still want his cookies on Christmas Eve, although this dish would get a place on the nice list, too.
Since the shaped pastas are popular, it seems likely that Barilla will continue to bring new shapes to its line-up. Could a flower come for Easter or Mother’s Day? Only time will tell.