Pasta Is Pasta...Or Is It?

[Chet]

My Italian sister-in-law says that in response to my brother who says he prefers rotini. Is pasta pasta to you?

 

[Jeni]

i would agree on the surface it would all seem the same but some because of shape etc hold on to sauces better...
i prefer thin spaghetti noodles to the regular and find i mostly buy penne for other pasta dishes.

 

[Aunt Bea]

The shape is important to me.

Elbows and thick spaghetti make me feel poor and remind me of my childhood.

I prefer shells, angel hair, and rigatoni.

It's interesting that some of the shapes cost more even though they are made from the same ingredients and a pound is a pound.

 

[OneEyedDiva]

No, I stopped buying spaghetti because it reminds me of worms. OMG...I even hate typing the word!!! So now I buy rotini or penne. I also buy whole wheat or whole grain pasta.

 

[Pink Biz]

Farfalle and thin spaghetti for me.

 

[JimBob1952]

The different shapes serve different purposes. Macaroni and cheese works; spaghetti and cheese does not.

 

[OneEyedDiva]

The different shapes serve different purposes. Macaroni and cheese works; spaghetti and cheese does not.

I never thought of it like that but you're right JB.

 

[Ruth n Jersey]

I totally agree that different pasta shapes work better in some recipes than others.

 

[JustBonee]

So many types of pasta noodles and shells .... here's 45:

 

[Gaer]

When I make spaghetti and meatballs for company, I always use rigatoni

 

[Murrmurr]

Is pasta pasta to you?

In the same way that cats are cats.

 

[Ruthanne]

I have gotten some black soy bean pasta as well as edamame pasta so pasta isn't always pasta. It was very good.

 

[hollydolly]

I have about 7 different pasta's in my store cupboard.. , and a few almost finished packs ... excluding macaroni & spaghetti.. of which I have a couple of packs each.....

I've just taken a photo of these in my kitchen cupboard, there's more including red lentil pasta in the store cupboard in the barn..

 

[Lewkat]

I like linguine and fusilli. Once in awhile I'll have angel hair or farfalle. I love egg pasta or semolina.

 

[JimBob1952]

I have gotten some black soy bean pasta as well as edamame pasta so pasta isn't always pasta. It was very good.

You are way ahead of me. I like different shapes, but haven't tried anything outside the semolina family.

 

[Devi]

I don't know why, but I thought we (husband and I) were the only ones eating "pasta" made of beans. Frankly, I can't taste the difference from wheat pasta — but it works well for a diabetic diet.

 

[StarSong]

All told I have at least 15 different pastas on hand including chick pea and lentil. Non-semolina pastas often taste good but break apart or clump. Whole wheat also breaks easily so when making WW pasta I mix it half and half with the same style of regular pasta.

I base my pasta choice on how I'm serving it and what my mood is. Linguine and fettuccine are my go-to with heavier sauces, angel hair or thin spaghetti for sauce with fresh tomatoes. I serve tortellini alfredo every Christmas Eve (and when my grandchildren request it). Egg noodles are wonderful with a little oil or butter and a light sprinkling of parm.

One of my children's earliest foods was tiny pastini moistened with some broth and topped with a little cheese. They loved it - as did my grands at that age. Italian baby food...

 

[Geezer Garage]

I lika da angel hair pasta. Just put some Ditalini in in big batch of turkey sausage soup I'm making with baby spinach, Cannellini beans, garlic, with a chicken broth base. Threw in some soy sauce, and George Dickle whiskey, just cus. One shot for the cook. Mike

 

[JaniceM]

The shape is important to me.

Elbows and thick spaghetti make me feel poor and remind me of my childhood.

I prefer shells, angel hair, and rigatoni.

It's interesting that some of the shapes cost more even though they are made from the same ingredients and a pound is a pound.

Same here. Plus my mother had a tendency to overcook food to an extreme, and with pasta that's a no-no.

Depending on what I'm making, I prefer angelhair, penne, spirals, and shells.
Admittedly I don't know what rigatoni is.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Same here. Plus my mother had a tendency to overcook food to an extreme, and with pasta that's a no-no.

Depending on what I'm making, I prefer angelhair, penne, spirals, and shells.
Admittedly I don't know what rigatoni is.

When I was a kid, we called the large rigatoni stovepipes.

 

[debodun]

I buy ramen, elbows and vermicelli mostly.

 

[JaniceM]

When I was a kid, we called the large rigatoni stovepipes.

Oh, is it similar to ziti?
The recipe looks good!!!

 

[IrisSenior]

I don't think I have every met a pasta shape I didn't like. I am more fussy about the ingredients (no eggplant).

 

[horseless carriage]

For the uninitiated, there are two kinds of gluten-free pastas: ones made from things like corn and rice flours that closely resemble wheat-based pasta, and the ones marketed as healthy alternatives to wheat-based pasta and made from things like chickpeas and red lentils. My wife, being wheat intolerant, cannot eat conventional pastas so we eat the corn and rice flour varieties. Is it still pasta?

 

[Jules]

I have a variety of pastas for different meals. Pick them up when on sale.

Pasta can be a great base of an inexpensive meal. When people say they can’t afford to cook at home, they should consider a box of spaghetti for $1 and a jar/tin of pasta sauce ~$2. Serve with some frozen vegetables ~$2. That makes a lot of meals. I’m speaking from experience back in the good old days.