The origins of pasta in Italy are murky. Did Marco Polo bring noodles back from East Asia? Are they a product of the Arab invasion of Sicily? Did they appear organically? People contend with different histories and, depending on whom you ask, will back their preferred theory quite fervently.
Regardless, I'm here to talk spaghetti, that pasta of Lady and the Tramp fame. It’s long and skinny and the best (only?) pasta for twirling around a fork. Piled high in a bowl and sprinkled with condiments, spaghetti looks like the most delicious ball of yarn.
When it comes to my spaghetti eating, I’m a staunch traditionalist (an Italian dad will do that to you), but that doesn’t have to be the case for everyone. In fact, spaghetti is a pasta that invites interpretation: People layer it into new shapes or sauce it in nontraditional ways. I’ve scoured the whole gamut of spaghetti recipes on our site, sorting a few of the best into categories from über-classic to all types of kooky.
These recipes don’t stray from the book. They keep it classic—just like nonna would make.
The great thing about cooking is that there’s always space for play, for experimentation. Take something traditional and tweak it, just a bit. That’s what these recipes do.
Then, of course, we have the more playful and out-there reimaginings. These recipes take spaghetti as we know it and flip it on its head, whether that means new shapes, nontraditional sauces, breaking it into pieces, or even eschewing pasta altogether.
Where do you fall on the spaghetti spectrum? Share your stance in the comments below.
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