Classic Spaghetti Recipe

Spaghetti is a famous pasta dish commonly made from ground meat, tomato sauce, and a sprinkle of freshly grated cheese. The name itself comes from the Italian term Spago, which means string or twine. As mentioned earlier, this dish originated in Italy. The popularity of spaghetti spread throughout Italy when spaghetti factories were established in the 19th century, enabling the mass production of spaghetti in the Italian market. It started to become famous and served in the United States around the end of the 19th century.

When is it Typically Served?

This delightful dish is typically served during special occasions like birthdays, especially a kid’s birthday party, as it has become a favorite among children. It is also typically served at weddings or Christmas. Originally, this dish was a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine. However, it is now considered a main course, and children love eating it right before any meal.

Kitchen Utensils You Need!

Cooking spaghetti takes some time since you need to perform two cooking processes: cooking the pasta and preparing the perfect spaghetti sauce. You will need the following utensils to help you cook everything smoothly:

• Cooking pot
• Chopping board
• Chopping knife
• Spaghetti tongs
• Strainer
• Large bowls
• Large frying pan
• Spaghetti scoop
• Serving platter
• Grater

Spaghetti’s Primary Ingredient – Spaghetti Pasta

Spaghetti pasta originated in Italy and was created by an Italian named Nicola de Cecco. It is made of long, thin, and cylindrical pasta. Because of its texture and shape, spaghetti can easily handle tomato sauce as well as virgin olive oil-based sauces. Spaghetti pasta is made of milled wheat and water. Usually, the pasta is white because refined flour is used; however, you can add whole wheat flour to it. In Italy, spaghetti is typically cooked just to al dente (which means “to the tooth”) or described as pasta that is cooked to be firm to the bite. It can also be cooked to a softer texture.

Interesting Facts

• The only way to know if the pasta is cooked is to take a bite of it. It should be al dente or firm to the bite.
• In the year 2000, enough spaghetti was sold in America to circle the globe 9 times.
• National Spaghetti Day is January 4. (Although you can make any day a spaghetti day whenever you want to cook.)
• Spaghetti pasta used to be much longer, but shorter lengths gained popularity in the late 20th century.

Tips and Tricks When Cooking Classic Spaghetti

• To avoid your spaghetti sauce from tasting bitter, add sugar. The sugar counteracts the acidity that the tomatoes produce and gets rid of the bitter taste in the sauce.
• To prevent pasta from sticking, make sure to rinse the pasta with water after cooking.
• Do not add oil to the water when boiling spaghetti pasta if you are cooking it in olive oil-based sauce.
• Salt the water generously when boiling pasta to enhance its flavor.
• Save a cup of pasta water before draining. You can use it to adjust the consistency of your sauce.
• Toss the cooked pasta with a bit of sauce immediately after draining to prevent it from sticking together.