Barilla makes Al Bronzo organic, adds new Radiatori shape

Barilla gave its premium Al Bronzo line two changes that home cooks can actually taste and see: certified organic pasta and a new Radiatori shape built to cling to sauce. The May 20 rollout also paired the update with Meredith Hayden of Wishbone Kitchen, a move that puts the product in the lane where a lot of pasta discovery now happens, through recipes, reels and creator-led cooking.

The new Radiatori is the clearest reason to pay attention. Barilla describes it as a five-winged, layered shape with deep ridges designed to capture sauce from every angle, and Hayden called it “next level.” That tracks with how Radiatori performs in the bowl: the grooves give cream sauces more surface to grab, tomato sauces more places to settle, and butter-based sauces more room to coat instead of sliding off. For cooks who care about shape, that is not a cosmetic change. It is the difference between pasta that carries sauce and pasta that leaves it pooled at the bottom of the bowl.

Barilla says Al Bronzo is imported from Italy and made with traditional bronze-cut dies, the same rough, porous technique the company says it has been perfecting since 1877. That matters because the line is being sold on texture as much as convenience. The new organic certification adds another layer of premium positioning, especially for shoppers who want a cleaner-label boxed pasta without giving up the sturdier bite and sauce grip that bronze-cut pasta promises. The Radiatori joins Bucatini, Spaghetti, Mezzi Rigatoni, Penne Rigate, Fusilloni and Orecchiette in the Al Bronzo lineup.

Hayden gives the launch a louder megaphone than a routine packaging refresh would have had on its own. Known online as Wishbone Kitchen, she has built millions of fans and followers, along with a cookbook, a YouTube series called Dinner With Friends and brand partnerships. Her pitch fits the product: she has been talking about texture, ridges and grooves, the exact details that matter when a box of pasta is supposed to feel like more than a pantry fallback.

For shoppers deciding whether to switch, the answer is pretty specific. If you already buy whatever shape is on sale, Al Bronzo is not for you. If you pick pasta by sauce behavior, want an organic premium option, and like the idea of a shape that does more work on the plate, Barilla just made a stronger case for spending up.