New research reinforces Barilla’s 20-year commitment to delivering the pasta taste consumers love with the energy they want.
NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As demand for protein continues to dominate today’s food trends, Barilla®, the world’s leading pasta maker, is announcing that its Protein+® pasta was determined to be the best-tasting protein pasta among major U.S. brands.
1st Place in Taste: Barilla Protein+ pasta was determined to be the best tasting protein pasta among major US brands.
In a blind taste comparison conducted from December 2025 to January 2026 among protein pasta consumers in the United States, participants sampled multiple major U.S. protein pasta brands. Barilla Protein+ ranked highest for taste, reinforcing Barilla Protein+ as the pasta that does it all: a good source of protein and fiber, great pasta texture and the best-tasting protein pasta.
“For 20 years, Protein+ has been built on one belief: you shouldn’t have to sacrifice taste for nutrition,” said Angie Cotter, U.S. Pasta Category Marketing Director at Barilla. “These results reflect the care we’ve put into perfecting a pasta that delivers the flavor and texture people expect from Barilla, along with the protein they want.”
First developed in 2005, Barilla Protein+ was created to offer families balanced, functional nutrition alongside the classic taste of Barilla pasta. Made with golden wheat and plant-based protein from chickpeas, lentils and peas, each 3.5 ounce serving provides 17g of protein and 10g of fiber.
As consumer demand for protein-enriched meals continues to grow, Barilla has expanded the Protein+ portfolio with new shapes designed for modern cooking occasions, including the recently introduced Protein+ Stars. The playful, star-shaped cut delivers the same taste-first experience in a pasta designed to bring all-star energy to the table.
Barilla will showcase its portfolio, including Protein+ Stars, at Natural Products Expo West, March 4-6 in Anaheim, California (Natural & Specialty Foods Hall E, Booth #5047). Barilla Executive Chef Lorenzo Boni will prepare recipes featuring Protein+ alongside Barilla Al Bronzo and Pesto products, highlighting how protein-forward pasta fits seamlessly into everyday meals.
Barilla Protein+ pasta is available at grocery retailers nationwide and online. To find Protein+ near you, visit Barilla.com.
* Barilla Protein+ Pasta was found to be the best tasting protein pasta, based on a blind comparison conducted of major U.S. protein pasta brands from December 2025-January 2026.
About Barilla Group:
Barilla is a family business, not listed on the Stock Exchange, chaired by the brothers Guido, Luca and Paolo Barilla. It was founded by their great-grandfather Pietro Barilla, who opened a bakery in Parma in 1877. Today, Barilla is renowned in Italy and around the world for the quality of its food products. With its brands – Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Pan di Stelle, Gran Cereale, Harrys, Pavesi, Wasa, Filiz, Yemina, Misko, Voiello, Academia Barilla, First, Catelli, Lancia, Splendor, Back To Nature and Pasta Evangelists – it advocates tasty, hearty and wholesome nutrition, inspired by the Mediterranean Diet and the Italian lifestyle.
When Pietro opened his shop over 145 years ago, the main aim was to make good food. That principle has now become the Barilla way of doing business, with almost 9,000 people working for the company and a supply chain that shares its values and passion for quality.
The Group’s commitment is to offer people the joy that good, well-made food can bring them, produced with selected ingredients from, as far as possible, responsible supply chains, to contribute to a better present and future.
Since 1987, a historical archive has been collecting and preserving the company’s over 145-year history, now a resource open to all via the portal-museum www.archiviostoricobarilla.com. For further information, visit: www.barillagroup.com; Twitter: @barillagroup; LinkedIn: Barilla Group; Instagram: @barillapeople.
For further information contact:
Media Contacts:
Amanda Morales
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Kyle Sharick
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SOURCE Barilla America, Inc.
Dining and Cooking