**The Product**

Sainsbury's supermarkets, as many readers will be aware have their own range of basic, simply presented goods aimed at the budget end of the market, these items are known as the 'Basics' range.

As I have a restricted budget, I am always on the look out for economical ingredients and consequently have tried quite a few of the Basics range of items. Some are better than others, Sainsbury's Basics pasta shapes are definitely one of the winners in my opinion.

As with all Sainsbury's Basics goods, the packaging is very simple, orange and white labelling with no frills. All cooking instructions and nutritional values for the pasta shapes are printed on the reverse of the pack, along with the company's contact information.

The pasta is the dried variety, it is basically a penne type pasta which I find lends itself well to many dishes, a pasta bake for example, or even as a simple accompaniment to other dishes.

The ridged, tubular shape makes it ideal for serving with a sauce. We often eat ours with a home made cheese sauce, or if I'm feeling exceptionally lazy, I just boil the pasta and then stir in a jar of pasta sauce. I have experimented with supermarket budget tomato and herb sauces, which tend to cost in the region of 35p a jar. A truly budget conscious meal when you consider the pasta is only 25p!

**Cooking and Storage Instructions**

The pasta should be cooked in plenty of lightly salted boiling water. Sainsbury's recommend a serving of 50-80g (2-3oz) uncooked weight, per person and cooking for 11-13 minutes. The pasta should be drained and served immediately.

The cooking times Sainsbury's give are for guidance only, obviously the length of cooking time does depend on your personal preference regarding pasta texture. The pasta purists would wish to their pasta 'al dente' which naturally takes less time. My family tend to prefer their pasta a little softer in texture so I generally cook these pasta shapes for around 15 minutes, which I find produces a pasta which still has a little 'bite' to it and is not soggy or mushy. I also usually rinse the cooked pasta with a little boiling water before serving.

Sainsbury's recommend that the pasta be stored in a cool, dry place. I usually transfer mine into an airtight container after opening the packet.

**Ingredients, Warnings and Nutritional Values**

Sainsbury's Basics Pasta shapes contain Durum Wheat Flour.

As the product contains Gluten and Wheat, consumers sensitive to these items should exercise caution.

I won't replicate the full nutritional values here, as a brief guide 100g (uncooked weight) provides the following:- 346 calories, 12.0g Protein, 70.0g Carbohydrate, 2g fat, 4g fibre.

**My Thoughts and Conclusion**

This product represents real value for money. The pasta shapes are easy to cook, versatile and very cheap! What else can be bought for 25p nowadays that will provide 6+ adult sized portions?

I must admit that I cannot justify spending £1 or more on a branded dried pasta when Sainsbury's are offering this version for such a low price! I cannot say that it is as good as fresh pasta, but in my opinion, it is just as good as the more expensive branded dried pastas on the market.

I have served this pasta to adults and children alike, it has always been eaten and enjoyed, which is after all what most of us wish to achieve when we cook a meal!

At the end of the day, to me, pasta is pasta, I consider it a store cupboard staple and at this low price it is certainly helping me stretch my budget.
To conclude I would recommend Sainsbury's Basics Pasta Shapes to others.

Thank you for reading.

©brittle1906 December 2011

N.B. My reviews may be found on other sites under the same user name.