Moist pasta-type food products and method of producing same

A method of producing a soft, moist pasta-type food comprising the steps of:

• forming a mixture including therein from about 35-70% by weight starch on a dry basis, and respective quantities of protein and sugar;
• and
• adding water to said mixture to form a moisturized mixture, and passing said moisturized mixture through an extruder presenting an elongated barrel having an axially rotatable auger therein and an endmost extrusion die, subjecting said moisturized mixture during said extrusion to increasing levels of temperature and pressure for substantially completely gelatinizing the starch fraction of the moisturized mixture and extruding the moisturized mixture at a die temperature of less than 212.degree. F., and forming a body having a moisture content of from about 18-30% by weight and a water activity of from about 0.6-0.9, said body being manually deformable and having the property of resiliently returning to its original shape after such manual deformation, said body having a bacteriological shelf stability of at least about 9 months, said body being directly consumable without rehydration or cooking.