Who said $3-5 per pound for pasta? I buy a lot of red lentils. I just looked up packages of red lentils online, and am finding most average $3-3.50 per pound (on Amazon). I just checked Whole Foods Fresh and the cheapest I saw was $3.49 for 16 oz (1.5 pounds), which comes to $2.79 per pound. From the bulk bin at Whole Foods, organic red lentils are always less than $1.20 per pound. A 32 oz (2 pound) bag of Indian basmati rice (not organic) at Whole Foods is $4.69, which is $2.34 per pound. Again, they sell basmati rice and many other rices in the bulk bins that are always less than $1.50 per pound.