An Expert’s Guide To Buying The Best Dried Pasta

When walking down the pasta aisle at the grocery store, you might be overwhelmed by all of the options. Not only are there over 400 varieties of pasta shapes out there, there are also dozens of brands to choose from. 

We spoke with Diego Puddu, director of culinary at Eataly North America, for some advice on choosing the right type of pasta for your cooking needs. From the packaging to the noodle itself, there are multiple things you can look for to help you choose the best dried pasta. 

The first place to look while shopping is on the pasta’s packaging. There are a few key indicators you should be looking out for.

To start, look for labels or indicators that describe what the product is or where it was made. Products made in Italy are a plus, as the country has more production certifications that can guarantee levels of quality.  

Protected Geographical Indication (IGP), for example, is a designation you’ll want to look for on packaging for pasta made in Italy. “IGP is a certification that identifies an agricultural or food product whose quality or reputation is linked to a specific geographical area, and the products with this label must comply with a strict set of production guidelines,” says Puddu. One such product is pasta di Gragnano, a type of dried pasta produced in Gragnano, a city near Naples renowned for its pasta-making traditions and the level of quality in the raw ingredients used in its production

Another indicator: a short ingredient list. A short list of ingredients likely means the products being used are higher quality, without additives and extra ingredients to compensate. Each ingredient can affect the quality of pasta, from the taste to the texture—especially flour. “Flour contains proteins, and these proteins develop an exceptional gluten quality that gives the pasta a firm and elastic structure,” says Puddu. 

Ingredients go further than just determining flavour. According to Puddu the quality of flour is “essential for achieving the perfect al dente texture—a hallmark of the finest Italian pasta. The quality of the flour used provides both a robustness and an aroma to the dough.” To determine if a flour is high quality for pasta, look for a flour labeled as "00" grade, which is a fine grind Italian flour with a moderate protein content, typically made from durum wheat or labelled as semolina flour. 

While an ingredient list might seem promising, taking a look at the noodle itself is just as important. 

The colour of the pasta can tell you a lot.  “Dried pasta should have shades of straw yellow, without white or black spots, which would indicate an imperfect production process,” says Puddu.  

The texture can also tell you a lot about the pasta’s quality and how it will cook. “Dried pasta should have a rough texture to allow the sauce to cling properly,” says Puddu. 

Another keyword to look for that can tell you about a pasta’s texture is its dry time, which significantly affects the structure of the noodles.

If a pasta is marked as slow-dried, it’s more likely to deliver on the rough texture needed to help sauce stick. “ A slow-cycle process (around 24 hours), dried at a low temperature, ensures the preservation of flavour,” says Puddu. 

Conversely, “for fast-dried pasta, the process results in a lower-quality product that has lost its nutritional and organoleptic properties,” says Puddu. Heat also matters: drying pasta at temperatures of 60°C or above alters the starch structure in the pasta, causing it to gelatinize when cooking and making it less digestible.

There are a wide variety of factors to consider when buying dried pasta, and while some options may offer a promisingly low price point, Puddu says “From my perspective, the ingredient quality should always be prioritized first.” 

Eataly offers their own brand of slow-dried made in Italy dried pasta with a simple ingredient list of Italian durum wheat semolina and water. 

For a great budget option we recommended De Cecco. This slow dried pasta, uses coarse grain semolina and offers a high quality Italian product at an affordable price.