Interesting Ingredients--Whole Wheat Pasta

Why would anyone eat whole wheat pasta, anyway? Well, it IS more nutritious, with about three times the fiber of white pasta. Most Americans eat too many refined grains, so for us, ww pasta is a simple way to buck that trend.But isn't it heavy, with a strong bran taste? Not necessarily! Some ww pasta is dreadful, but we've found the bionature brand to be truly tasty. I can find it in many shapes at Whole Foods and at least one local grocery store. (Yes, it's expensive for pasta--about $2.50--but still cheap for an entree.)Years ago, when I first attempted to switch the family to ww, I tried some other brands with poor results. We went back to white. When I tried again, I used white for some meals, but whole wheat with bold (red or meat) sauces. Then it went into macaroni and cheese. Now we're all so used to it that I'll even serve it with simply olive oil and herbs, or pesto.

Try it, you might like it! I'm also posting a recipe for pasta with red clam sauce--it might be good for a first attempt.

UPDATE 2010: Cook's Illustrated has caught on, giving Bionature the top rating in its whole wheat pasta taste test.