8-K

                                 UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                     Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)    December 6, 2007
                                                -------------------------------



                      AMERICAN ITALIAN PASTA COMPANY
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            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                      Delaware        001-13403              84-1032638
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       (State or other jurisdiction   (Commission           (IRS Employer
       of incorporation)              File Number)         Identification No.)

        4100 N. Mulberry Drive, Suite 200, Kansas City, Missouri 64116
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           (Address of principal executive offices)            (Zip Code)

       Registrant's telephone number, including area code (816) 584-5000
                                                       -------------------------
                                 Not Applicable
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          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check  the  appropriate  box  below  if the  Form  8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:

[ ]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17
     CFR 230.425)

[ ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17
     CFR 240.14a-12)

[ ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors;
Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

         Effective December 6, 2007, the Board of Directors of American Italian
Pasta Company (the "Company") appointed Mr. Robert Druten to fill an existing
vacancy on the Board of Directors. Mr. Druten will be appointed to the Audit
Committee of the Board of Directors. Mr. Druten will receive the standard
outside director compensation. There have been no related party transactions
between the Company and Mr. Druten.

         A copy of the press release announcing this appointment is attached
hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

            (d)     Exhibits.


           99.1    Press release dated December 12, 2007.

                              SIGNATURES


     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


     Date: December 12, 2007          AMERICAN ITALIAN PASTA COMPANY


                                      By:  /s/ Paul R. Geist
                                           -----------------------------
                                               Paul R. Geist
                                               Vice President and Controller

                             EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit Number             Description
- --------------             -----------

       99.1                Press release dated December 12, 2007.

EX-99.1

                                                                    Exhibit 99.1

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AMERICAN ITALIAN PASTA COMPANY                                          |NEWS
                                                                        |RELEASE

Contact: Paul Geist Vice President & Corporate Controller 816-584-5611

For Immediate Release

         AMERICAN ITALIAN PASTA COMPANY ELECTS ROBERT DRUTEN TO BOARD OF
                                    DIRECTORS


KANSAS CITY, MO, December 12, 2007 - American Italian Pasta Company  (OTC:AITP),
the  largest  producer  of dry  pasta  in North  America,  announced  today  the
appointment of Robert Druten to its Board of Directors. Mr. Druten will join the
Company's Audit Committee.  With the addition of Mr. Druten, the Company's board
is comprised of ten independent directors.


Mr.  Druten  has over 30 years of finance  and  accounting  experience.  He most
recently  served as Executive  Vice  President  and Chief  Financial  Officer of
Hallmark Cards,  Inc. from 1994 until his retirement in 2006. From 1991 to 1994,
he served as  Executive  Vice  President  and Chief  Financial  Officer of Crown
Media,  Inc., a cable  communications  subsidiary of Hallmark.  Prior to joining
Hallmark,  Mr. Druten held executive positions with Pioneer Western Corporation,
a subsidiary  of Kansas City  Southern  and was  employed as a certified  public
accountant  with a public  accounting  firm.  Mr.  Druten is a  graduate  of the
University  of Kansas and  received a Masters of  Business  Administration  from
Rockhurst  University.  He currently serves on the boards of directors of Kansas
City Southern (NYSE:KSU), a rail transportation company,  Alliance Holdings, GP,
L.P. (NASDAQ:AHGP),  a publicly traded limited partnership whose publicly traded
subsidiary is engaged in the production and marketing of coal, and Entertainment
Properties Trust  (NYSE:EPR),  a real estate  investment trust for entertainment
related properties.


ABOUT AIPC

Founded  in 1988 and based in Kansas  City,  Missouri,  American  Italian  Pasta
Company is the largest  producer of dry pasta in North America.  The Company has
four plants that are located in Excelsior  Springs,  Missouri;  Columbia,  South
Carolina;   Tolleson,   Arizona  and   Verolanuova,   Italy.   The  Company  has
approximately 600 employees located in the United States and Italy.

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