Goodles Cheddy Mac and Shella Good
Pasta is one of our family’s favorite foods, and it works great as a side dish for almost any meal. I’m particularly fond of it and will eat almost any kind of pasta that gets set in front of me. But it’s no secret that it isn’t healthy, with high calorie and carb counts.
The good news is that there is an alternative to traditional pasta noodles: chickpea pasta. Aldi sells plain chickpea pasta for you to make whatever you want out of it, and it’s much healthier than starchy regular pasta. Aldi also recently started selling chickpea mac & cheese kits under its Cheese Club store brand.
But a name-brand “healthy” pasta has hit Aldi stores this week, and it caught my eye immediately.
The Goodles Cheddy Mac and Shella Good pastas are $2.98 each, and we bought these with our own funds. They are Aldi Finds, meaning they’re only in stores for a limited time. Each store gets one shipment, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Aldi is selling two different varieties of this pasta: Shella Good, which features aged white cheddar and shells, and Cheddy Mac, which features creamy cheddar and macaroni.
This pasta technically isn’t just chickpea pasta. It has chickpea protein, in addition to wheat protein and “nutrients extracted from” a variety of healthy foods.
You can’t order these online from Aldi if they’re out of stock at your local store, but they are available at major retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart, and the prices are pretty much identical to Aldi. You might also find additional unique flavors at other stores, although they might cost a little more. You can also buy from the Goodles website, but you have to buy in bulk. They have lots of other flavors that Aldi isn’t selling, and they’ve got quite a few gluten-free and vegan pastas as well. You can also buy plain Goodles noodles to customize however you want.
Both boxes Aldi is selling advertise 14 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber with prebiotics, 21 nutrients from plants, and a low glycemic index. There’s also a QR code on both boxes that takes you to Goodles’ Instagram page.
The Cheddy Mac is traditional cheddar macaroni and has about 2.5 servings per container. Each serving, when prepared, has 270 calories, 4 grams of total fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 600 milligrams of sodium, 48 grams of total carbs, 7 grams of dietary fiber, 7 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 15 grams of protein.
The Shella Good is an aged white cheddar and shells mix and has about 2.5 serving per container. Each serving, when prepared, has 270 calories, 4.5 grams of total fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 600 milligrams of sodium, 48 grams of total carbs, 7 grams dietary fiber, 7 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 15 grams of protein.
If allergens are of concern, both varieties contain wheat and milk.
The carbs-to-fiber ratio for both flavors is 6.9:1, which is really good for pasta.
The cooking instructions are almost the same for both, and they are similar to a traditional box of mac and cheese. First, boil 6 cups of water on the stove (you’ll be draining the pasta, so it doesn’t need to be exact, and we find 6 cups to be way too much). Then, add the pasta in. Cheddy Mac cooks for 8-9 minutes, and Shella Good cooks for 9-11 minutes. Once cooked, drain them without rinsing, then return them to the pot and add ¼ cup of milk and the cheese powder. It’s optional, but you can also add 2 tablespoons of butter to Cheddy Mac and 1 tablespoons of butter to Shella Good to make it creamier. Then just stir until mixed, and serve.
The first thing we noticed about both pastas was that they were both al dente. They weren’t uncooked or crunchy, but if you want soft noodles, cook them for longer than what the box says. For reference, I cooked both pastas for 9 minutes.
Other than that, both of these were really good. I like the Cheddy Mac more. I thought it had more flavor. Really, though, there’s no bad option. I wouldn’t be able to tell it wasn’t traditional pasta if I didn’t know. It’s obviously more expensive than a box of Kraft, but you’re paying for “specialty” pasta, and we’ve seen most healthy alternatives are marked higher than their counterparts. I won’t buy this all the time, but I’ll keep an eye out for it at other stores.
The Verdict:
The Goodles Cheddy Mac and Shella Good pastas are $2.98 each and are Aldi Finds. I’m always on the lookout for better alternatives to unhealthier foods, and I’m excited I found this one. It’s a little pricey, but the taste is spot-on, and I hope to see it on Aldi shelves again someday. For the time being, pick these two up at Aldi while you still can.
