TREND BITES:
Pasta
Dish Up Comfort and On-Trend Ingredients with Pasta
Comfort food season is here! And this year, it’s more than just a craving. As winter rolls in and stress levels soar (Newsweek says they’re at their highest since March 2020), your guests are looking for dishes that fight off the chill and their worries. Why not give them what they want and boost your bottom line at the same time? Dive into today’s pasta trends to serve up comfort that keeps them coming back for more.
The Revival of Pasta Classics
Classic—or, dare we say, retro?—pasta dishes have been gaining popularity over the past few years, and we expect them to show up on even more menus as consumer demand keeps climbing. According to Datassential's Menu Trends, chicken penne and chicken pesto have both appeared on over 25% more menus over the past four years. Millennials are a huge portion of today's restaurant customers, and they pull from the 1980s and 1990s for their comfort foods, which were the decades when pesto and penne first took the U.S. by storm. Combine the nostalgia factor of chicken penne and chicken pesto with on-trend sauces, toppings, or noodle varieties to serve dishes that are both comforting and exciting—an irresistible combination.
Today's Popular Pasta Ingredients
Sought-Out Sauces:
Today's most in-demand sauces indicate that consumers want richer or bolder flavor profiles in their pasta dishes. Rich options like vodka sauce and creamy tomato (which we used in this mouthwatering Creamy Tomato and Mushroom Chicken Pasta recipe) have dominated recent pasta launches by restaurant chains.
Trending Toppings:
People want toppings that add texture, especially when combined with the softness of noodles. The pasta topping rising in popularity the fastest is pistachio, with its familiarity yet premium feel and soft crunch. It has been added to 87% more menus over the past four years, according to Datassential's Menu Trends. Also holding strong are chili flakes and truffle, which each add their own unique flavor and texture to pasta. Read our "Crunch" Trend Bite to learn more about adding crunch to your offerings.
Next-Gen Noodles:
While common pasta shapes like spaghetti, macaroni, and ravioli aren't going away anytime soon, consumers have been becoming more interested in lesser-known shapes. Ditalini, pasta shaped like tiny tubes, was mentioned 38% more times on social media this year than last year, according to Tastewise. For foodservice specifically, Datassential predicts ditalini to be served on 25% more menus over the next four years. We used ditalini in this Pistachio Pesto Pasta recipe (That's right, THREE trends in one dish!) with savory diced chicken breast.
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Callouts for Menu Success
Add brief, effective language like "creamy tomato," "shaved parmesan," and "lemon zest" when describing the ingredients in your pasta dishes to reinforce the freshness and quality throughout every layer of the entree. To entice guests to opt for a protein upgrade, add specific chicken descriptors too like "flame-grilled," "blackened," "fire seared," or "crispy breaded." These words can do a lot to tell guests about the flavor and texture balance in the dish.
Add a Premium Protein Option to Your Pastas with Chicken:
Ready to capitalize on comfort foods?
Get started with new takes on classic pasta by mixing and matching flavorful sauces, fun noodle shapes, crunchy toppings, and versatile chicken formats. These combinations create options that are not only delicious but also memorable, giving your guests a fantastic dining experience.
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