The pasta of choice at our house is Barilla. Along with most other grocery items the price of a pound of pasta has gone up. We try to stock up whenever Barilla is on sale. This week it was selling at 3@$5 or $1.67 for a box. It is the lowest price for a couple of months and, even though too high, we bought some to keep in our pantry. Here’s a picture of Barilla on sale in Italy in 2018. Over two pounds for about 75 cents!

Anyway, we like Barilla’s whole grain penne and really enjoy a simple bowl of it with asparagus, onions, and garlic. The sauce is merely olive oil and pasta water. I like the way asparagus cut on the diagonal mimics the penne.