As Filipinos, rice is our staple meal companion. But pasta, with its many different forms, also has a special place in our hearts. Here’s a guide to help you distinguish your fettuccine from your rigatoni.
- Long, thin pastas + light sauces
Pastas such as spaghetti, linguine, and angel hair should be paired with lighter sauces. Think thin cream sauces or oil-based sauces. This is because thin pastas have a hard time holding their own under thicker, meatier sauces.
You can try a light and hearty recipe like this El Real Spaghetti with Spicy Bacon Shrimp in Garlic Sauce for something new and exciting.
- Flat pasta + rich sauces
For long, flat pastas such as fettuccine, tagliatelle, and pappardelle, rich and creamy sauces work best. Think bolognese and carbonara. These sauces work well with flat pastas because they coat them really well.
For dinner, why not try this El Real Flat Spaghetti with Creamy Sausage and Chicken? This easy recipe using flat spaghetti is great with the creamy sauce you’ll surely go for a second heaping!
- Tube pasta + thick, gooey sauces
Tube pastas such as macaroni, penne, and rigatoni work well with thick sauces because they don’t break apart easily even when they are weighed down by the sauce. Additionally, thicker, gooey sauces cling on to the grooves outside the pastas, helping the pasta stick together for eating. This is why tube pastas are great for baked, cheesy dishes, or vegetable-filled recipes.
Try this classic Mac and Cheese recipe with a twist! Using El Real Macaroni, impress your guests (or even your kids!) with that extra kick from the truffle oil.
- Shaped pasta + heavy sauces
Farfalle (most commonly known as the “bowtie” pasta), conchiglie (or “conch shell” pasta), and tortellini (a ring-shaped pasta) are just some examples of shaped pasta. Because of their unique shapes, they’re great with sauces (and even soups!), so you get a good pasta-sauce ratio with every mouthful. Plus, they make stews and pasta salads look extra special with their fun shapes.
EL Real Rumble Pasta is a great option for shaped pasta. Not only is it rich in iron and fiber, it also has 3 different macaroni types in one pack that makes the product more enticing to kids.
- Spiral pasta + smooth sauces
Fusilli, rotini, and radiatori are just some of the more well-known spiral pastas, and they are well-suited to smoother sauces. Their crevices are good for soaking up sauces that don’t have very chunky pieces of meat and vegetables, such as a creamy pesto sauce. Smaller bits of ingredients may fit into the crevices of the spiral, so make sure to chop everything finely!
The next time you’re craving for spiral pasta, try El Real Meaty Pasta Macaroni.
With these options, you can make different kinds of pasta dishes for different occasions. El Real has several pasta varieties you can choose from!
For more pasta recipes, visit URC Flour at www.urcflour.com