Its no secret that pasta is undeniably delicious. It’s also no secret that making the perfect amount of pasta can be a challenging task.
For a tasty dinner for one, two, or four people, eyeballing the “perfect” serving doesn’t always work; frequently, the sauce-to-pasta ratio is ruined or you end up with an absurd amount of leftover noodles.
There are plenty of simple ways to determine how much pasta you’ll have after it has been swimming in salted water, whether you’re entertaining with a dish like rigatoni with corn and spicy sausage or having a quick lunch like Giada DiLaurentiis’ cacio e pepe.
Amy Brandwein, owner and chef of Washington D. C. s Centrolina and a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award shared simple techniques to end less-than-ideal pasta servings. Here’s how to prepare dish sizes that are acceptable in restaurants every time you don your Sicilian chef hat.
Turning a Serving of Pasta into a Meal
Spaghetti by itself won’t feel like much of a meal, but because pasta is a blank canvas, you must add to it for it to be satiating and filling. Here are some strategies for making a serving of pasta feel truly substantial.
The pasta spoon method (for spaghetti or thin noodles)
Have you ever noticed that the middle of your pasta spoon has a hole?
That is roughly the size of one serving of spaghetti and serves to aid in the drainage of the water.
This only functions if the middle of your pasta spoon is a fairly rounded hole rather than just a slot for water drainage.
It’s very similar to the method of measuring spaghetti by diameter with a quarter or an open soda bottle, with the added benefit that if you’re cooking pasta, you’re more likely to have a pasta spoon on hand!
(If you want a more precise way of doing this that you’ll always have handy (as opposed to dirty in the dishwasher when you need it most!) check out this simple, effective spaghetti measure on Amazon.)
This one can be a pain, but if you’re cooking for yourself and have some patience, it can work out quite well.
How many servings are in a package of pasta should be indicated under the nutritional facts on every package.
Thus, to prepare one serving of pasta, simply empty the package and divide the noodles into the appropriate number of servings.
It will take some time and counter space to complete this.
Do this once and individually bag the noodles for quick-to-grab, single servings of pasta whenever you need them. It’s actually a great tip for preparation and meal planning.
(The serving count on each package may not be exact, but it should be fairly close.) You could do much worse than using this technique, and if you’ve done a good job diving the noodles, any error calories should be fairly evenly distributed across each portion. ).
Did you make this recipe?
Measure elbow macaroni using measuring cups or a food scale. If using a food scale, place the pasta in the cup attached to the scale and measure 57 g. If using measuring cups, a single 2 oz. (57 g) serving is 1/2 cup of dried pasta.
- Two servings equal one cup, four serve two cups, six serve three cups, and eight serve four cups.
FAQ
How many spaghetti is a serving?
According to the U. S. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), two ounces of dry spaghetti constitute one serving, and the measurement’s diameter is similar to a U. S. quarter.
How many spaghetti noodles is enough for one person?
Pasta Size When cooking pasta, it’s a good idea to use 2 ounces (56 g) of dry pasta per person as a general guideline.
How many noodles is a serving?
A typical serving of pasta is two ounces of dry pasta, which is equivalent to about a cup of cooked pasta.
What is 2 servings of spaghetti?
If you are using measuring cups, a single 2 oz. (57 g) serving is 3/4 cup of dried pasta. Two servings are equal to 1 1/2 cups, four are equal to 3 cups, six are equal to 4 1/2 cups, and eight are equal to 6 cups.
