Barilla Thin Spaghetti: Labelgrade A- (88/100)
A- 88 / 100 — Very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, very low sodium, and substantial fiber.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Barilla Thin Spaghetti delivers 7g of protein and 200 calories per 2 ONZ (USDA FDC 2017770). Per 100g that’s 12.5g of protein; per oz, 3.5g. The Labelgrade is A- (88 / 100): Very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, very low sodium, and substantial fiber.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C+ | 69 / 100 | 12.5g per 100g — moderate; the per-serving total matters more than the per-unit density |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 83 / 100 | Short 4-ingredient list, no additive flags |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g saturated fat — perfect |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 10.1mg per serving (5mg per oz) — low |
| Sugar load | A+ | 96 / 100 | 2g sugar, no added sugar listed |
| Fiber | A+ | 100 / 100 | 5.99g per serving — excellent, particularly in this category |
| Overall | A- | 88 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 25% · ingredients 22% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 12% · fiber 8% |
How it compares
We’re still building out this category. As a benchmark, plain cooked chicken breast contains 31g of protein per 100g (8.8g per oz). Barilla Thin Spaghetti delivers 12.5g of protein per 100g (3.5g per oz).
Pasta is a blank canvas — the sauce writes the verdict
The reason “is pasta bad for you?” is such a stubborn question is that people are usually judging the plate, not the noodle. Measured on its own, this is a clean food: 200 calories, 6g of fiber, 2g of sugar, 10mg of sodium, and zero saturated fat per 2 oz dry. There is nothing there to apologize for.
What turns a bowl of spaghetti heavy is almost always what’s poured over it. A simple marinara keeps the plate light and adds vegetables; an alfredo or a cream-and-cheese sauce can add more saturated fat and calories than the pasta itself contributes. The same is true of portion — restaurant servings routinely run two to three times the 2 oz label serving. So the honest move with pasta isn’t to avoid it, it’s to keep the serving sane and let the sauce work with the noodle instead of drowning it. Treat the spaghetti as the clean foundation it is, and the meal follows.
Why this one already out-fibers a plain white pasta
Worth noticing on the label: this isn’t a bare semolina spaghetti. The ingredient list leads with whole grain durum wheat flour and finishes with oat fiber, alongside the semolina and durum flour. That blend is why a serving carries a genuine 6g of fiber — roughly 21% of the daily target — where a standard refined white pasta would land closer to 2-3g.
That extra fiber is the quiet reason this grades as well as it does. Fiber slows digestion, blunts the blood-sugar curve a refined carb would otherwise spike, and is the single dimension where most pasta is weakest. If you wanted to push protein and fiber higher still, a chickpea or lentil pasta would do it — but for a wheat pasta at a normal wheat-pasta price, getting 6g of fiber and 7g of protein into the same modest serving is a quietly good result, and it’s most of the case for the A-.
Scope
This page covers Barilla Thin Spaghetti (13.25 oz/375 g), UPC 076808534139, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2017770. Barilla sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
WHOLE GRAIN DURUM WHEAT FLOUR, SEMOLINA (WHEAT), DURUM WHEAT FLOUR, OAT FIBER.
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 2 ONZ
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (2 ONZ) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 200 |
| Protein | 7g |
| Total Fat | 1.5g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 41g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.99g |
| Total Sugars | 2g |
| Sodium | 10.1mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Iron | 1.8mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Thin Spaghetti (13.25 oz/375 g) · UPC 076808534139. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
contains a gluten-bearing ingredient
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pasta healthy?
Yes — in sensible portions, and especially a plain dried semolina pasta like this. On its own, Barilla Thin Spaghetti is just milled wheat: 7g of protein, 6g of real fiber, 2g of naturally-occurring sugar, and almost no fat or sodium (10mg) per 2 oz dry. That's a clean carbohydrate. Pasta is essentially a blank canvas — what you put ON it, and how much you eat, is what decides whether the meal is light or heavy. The pasta itself isn't the problem people imagine it is.
Why does Barilla Thin Spaghetti earn an A- (88/100)?
Because measured as a packaged food it's almost spotless: 0g saturated fat, effectively no sugar, only 10mg of sodium, and a genuinely strong 6g of fiber per serving — perfect or near-perfect marks on four of the six dimensions. The one thing holding it back from a higher grade is protein density, which tops out in the C range because pasta is a carbohydrate, not a protein source. For a pantry carb, that's about as good as the scorecard gets.
White pasta vs whole-grain vs chickpea — which is best?
All three are fine; they trade fiber and protein for texture and price. Regular white (semolina) pasta is the neutral, lowest-cost option and is genuinely healthy in portions. Whole-grain adds more fiber and a nuttier bite. Chickpea or lentil pasta pushes protein and fiber highest (often 14g+ protein per serving) but eats firmer and costs more. This particular Barilla already blends whole-grain durum and oat fiber, which is why its 6g of fiber runs higher than a typical plain white pasta. Pick on goals: chickpea for protein, whole-grain for fiber, regular if you just want a clean, affordable base.
What's a real serving of this pasta?
The label serving is 2 oz dry (56g) — 200 calories. Dry pasta roughly doubles in weight as it cooks, so 2 oz dry comes out to a modest cooked portion, on the order of a cup. It's smaller than the heaping restaurant plate most people picture, which is exactly why portion size matters more than the pasta itself.
How do I keep a pasta meal healthy?
Two levers: portion and sauce. Stick close to the ~2 oz dry serving, then build the plate up with vegetables and a lean protein rather than burying it in cream, cheese, or oil. A simple tomato or marinara sauce keeps the bowl light; an alfredo or a heavy meat-and-cheese load is where the calories and saturated fat actually come from. The spaghetti is the clean part — protect that by watching what goes on top.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2017770. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days when a manufacturer reformulates.