I was intrigued when I heard about Barilla’s new Pronto pasta. A pasta that you make in one pan, that does not require boiling or draining? What????
So I said yes to their offer to send me their penne, rotini and macaroni. Here is the photo on Instagram the moment they arrived.
Product Testing
To a large pan you are supposed to pour the whole box of pasta and cover with 3 cups of cold water.
You are then supposed to cook on high stirring regularly until most of the water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
My “high” setting on my stove is way too hot to do this because I ran out of water way too soon and because of all that starch, the noodles really stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Then you are suppose to top with your sauce.
I had a beautiful spaghetti sauce leftover that I thought would be perfect for making this “pasta made easier” dish.
Oh how everything stuck to the bottom! I had to let the pot sit overnight soaking and deal with all the gunk on the bottom the next day. This is easier?
Foodie Results
Because you cook the pasta until the water is either absorbed or evaporated, I did not season the water, which meant the pasta fell flat with lack of seasoning.
Honestly, how hard is it to boil pasta and then drain it and dump in a sauce? Also, how is having the pasta in a big pot on high in water for 10 minutes considered no-boil?!
Why is draining the pasta a bad thing? Draining it gets rid of the extra starch, cooking it in boiling water means you can season it and if you are left with a pot covered with starchy pasta that is stuck like cement… This was not easier! And it thoroughly pissed me off because the pasta that I could remove from the pot lacked flavour. I also resent having to stand around and stir it the whole time!
Easier my foodie a$$. As far as I am concerned, this is a turkey of a product. I give this zero out of five wooden spoons. It promised to make my life easier and instead it made it messier and less flavourful.
Grr . You get ’em girl !!! Seems to be a ‘pig in a pot’ LOL
I had the same “no boil” question as you while I was reading this post. WTF, you’re boiling AND babysitting it! I won’t be bothering to try this product either.
As I said…. NO boil? Thanks for giving this a “boil”. LOL
Stupidity at its finest… No boil? What is that 10 minutes on high? A hot flash?
Thanks for the review! This is something I definitely would have tried if I saw it at the store but now I think I’ll pass.
Thanks for all the feedback everyone! Writing reviews like this are tough, I never say yes to a product that I think it going to be a disaster but this one really was. That said, the company wrote back very graciously about my review which says a lot.
Yikes!
ummm,thats exactly my thoughts..lol..on high for 10 minutes IS boiling,isnt it?.lol
Exactly Karla! Exactly…
So glad I read your thorough review as I was planning to try a recipe calling for this product. I would still like to try the recipe so I am wondering after your experience would you advise me to use the same amount of regular pasta (e.g. does 8oz dry “ no-boil” pasta equal 8oz regular pasta in volume after each are “ cooked”?
Thank you😊
It has been a while since I tried it Vicki but I do remember the pasta did bulk up quite a bit. I hope that helps!
I can totally see how this works for certain population though. I have tried it, and happened to like this pasta. In a scenario where we go camping and can’t bring a lot of water, nor is it very easy to wash dishes, the Pronto works fantastic, saves washing pots and pans, and not wasting water. Has nothing to do with being lazy, just sometimes working with what you got is difficult. Always have a real kitchen is awesome, but that is just not the case for some people, right;)?
I love Barilla’s Pronto Pasta and am finding it harder and harder to find it in most major supermarkets. Please don’t discontinue it because of a few negative comments.
I WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE THE ONE PAN PASTA BECAUSE IT IS HARD TO FIND!!
610-304-2788
I love Barilla’s Pronto Pasta and am finding it harder and harder to find it in most major supermarkets. Please don’t discontinue it because of a few negative comments.