Love Pasta? Win a Barilla Gift Hamper Giveaway

I’m excited to partner with Barilla Australia for a special giveaway. One lucky reader will win a hamper filled with a selection of Barilla products. Barilla is Italy’s leading pasta brand and is sold internationally. I use Barilla pasta in many recipes—like my Spaghetti with Vongole—and you can find more ideas in my Visual Archive. These products are reliable, high quality and versatile for everyday cooking.

I grew up in Italy and moved to Australia in 2006. In my childhood we often ate pasta for lunch: it was quick, affordable, delicious and, especially when whole grain, nutritious. Pasta is central to the Mediterranean diet—fresh vegetables, fruit and seafood accompany it, and meat is used less frequently because pasta itself makes a satisfying meal. Pasta is like a blank canvas: it can be dressed with seafood, meat or vegetables and adapted to simple, healthy meals or richer comfort dishes, so we rarely ate the same pasta twice.

Some modern recipes suggest cooking pasta ahead and setting it aside while the sauce cooks. That’s not how we do it in Italian home cooking. For best results, cook pasta al dente and combine it with the sauce immediately so it’s hot and flavorful. If you’re short on time, prepare the sauce in advance and reheat it while the pasta cooks, or use a good-quality ready-made sauce like Barilla’s wide range of pasta sauces.

Barilla’s slogan, “Dove c’è Barilla, C’è Casa” (“Where there is Barilla, there is home”), reflects the brand’s connection to wholesome, traditional Italian cooking. Over the years Barilla has built expertise in pasta and expanded into sauces. I remember the first jar of Barilla sauce my mother bought—the Olive Pasta Sauce—and how impressed we were with the flavor and ingredient quality. Their sauces are thoughtfully made and can form the base of quick, tasty meals.

Barilla products are a practical solution for busy families who want a nutritious, tasty meal without long preparation times. You can use their sauces straight from the jar or elevate them with fresh ingredients. For the photos in this post I made Whole Grain Spaghetti with Mediterranean Vegetables using Barilla pasta and sauce, and finished the dish with extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil—simple and delicious.

Barilla also produces the Mulino Bianco cookie line, a nostalgic favorite from my childhood. Mulino Bianco biscuits were common in school lunches and tea time in Italy. Pan di Stelle—cocoa biscuits topped with sugar stars—are particularly beloved by many Italian kids and adults alike.

Giveaway details

Thanks to Barilla Australia, one reader will win a hamper containing the following Barilla products:

• 1x Tortellini Emiliani ai Formaggi
• 1x Risoni
• 1x Whole Grain Spaghetti
• 1x Cannelloni Emiliani
• 1x Lasagne all’Uovo Bolognesi
• 1x Arrabbiata Sauce
• 1x Bolognese Sauce
• 1x Mediterranean Vegetables Sauce
• 1x Napoletana Sauce
• 1x Pesto ai Pomodori Secchi (Sun-dried Tomato Pesto)
• 1x Cuoricini Mulino Bianco (cookies)
• 1x Pan di Stelle Mulino Bianco (cookies)

To enter, subscribe to Manu’s Menu updates via the subscription box at the top of the site (or through Feedburner), follow Barilla Australia on Facebook, and leave a comment on this post saying which products in the hamper you’d like to try and what you would cook with them. Please include your current email address in your comment so you can be contacted if you win. The giveaway is open to Australian residents only and closed at 6PM on Friday, 11th April 2014 AEDT.

Barilla Australia is also on Twitter and Instagram. Good luck to everyone!

—— THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED ——

Winner announcement