Al Dente has been making pasta since 1981. The company built its reputation through word of mouth, with pasta made to deliver the taste and texture of a home-style batch without a long wait at the stove.

Quick cooking is part of the point: Al Dente’s pastas are ready in minutes. Its range includes both traditional and newer approaches to pasta, keeping that home-style texture at the center as the company has grown into stores across the country.

Keep a bag for the evening when the sauce is whatever you can put together from the fridge. A few vegetables, some butter or olive oil, and a pot of pasta can be plenty. Dinner doesn’t need a longer plan than that.