Discover the Best Pasta for Bolognese That Beats Spaghetti!

Tonight, it’s date night! As a big Disney fan, you decide to prepare a legendary dish: spaghetti Bolognese from Lady and the Tramp. But when it’s time to eat, the romantic comedy turns into an actual crime scene… The spaghetti, defiant against your fork, slips off your plate, leaving a stubborn orange stain on the tablecloth. Your outfit is ruined, and as you struggle with the pasta, it has already gone cold. Don’t worry, there’s a logical explanation for this. Let us explain!

In Italy, the pairing of food and wine is just as important as the pairing of pasta and sauce. In other words, Italians don’t just eat any pasta with any sauce. For sauces containing chunks of vegetables, meat, or fish, they opt for short pasta (known as pasta corta). You’re probably familiar with these: farfalle, fusilli, penne, and rigatoni. On the other hand, certain types of pasta are not suited at all for more liquid sauces. That’s why Italians never, ever eat their Bolognese with spaghetti. This type of pasta, round and very thin, cannot adequately absorb the sauce.

So, what do Italians use to eat their Bolognese? For optimal sauce absorption, they prefer long pastas that are also wide and thick. You might have guessed the one that meets all these criteria. The Bolognese champions… are the tagliatelle! Whether fresh or dried, tagliatelle al ragù alla bolognese are iconic in Italy.

And what about our beloved spaghetti? Don’t worry, you’re not forbidden from eating them, quite the opposite! They pair wonderfully with pesto, cacio e pepe sauce, or even carbonara. Since these creamy sauces contain ingredients like egg, olive oil, or butter, they naturally cling to the pasta.

Now, you’re well-versed in the secrets of pasta! So even though the chef from Lady and the Tramp is portrayed as a true-born Italian, it might be best to take his advice with a grain of salt.