Don't get me started on pasta

Nine times out of ten, my go-to comfort food is something pasta-related. I don’t know why. It could be the easiness of boiling water and waiting ten minutes or less for that perfect al dente bite, or the diversity of sauce options that we can put on spaghetti... (Or penne. Or rotini. Or fusilli, bucatini, rigatoni, fettuccine, lasagna.... The list goes on. My extensive knowledge of pasta shapes might be a whole different blog post, so stay tuned for that…)

Anyway, maybe pasta is my comfort food because of the happy fullness my tummy feels after I’ve eaten it. My definition of pasta includes the typical Asian noodle dishes such as ramen, udon, and pho. While most of what I cook at home is not as complex as these dishes may be, I find it important to mention that the concept of pasta, to me, is an all-encompassing idea that includes your traditional “noodle.” 

What I’m trying to say here is that there is a pasta dish for every occasion. Need a quick meal? Microwave macaroni. Easy and delicious. Feeling sad on a gloomy day? Big bowl of ramen. Warm and cozy. Don’t know what to order at a new restaurant? Penne with vodka sauce. Safe choice. Want to impress a date with a home-cooked meal? Fettuccine alfredo with veggies on the side. Done deal. Haven’t figured out what to make for dinner? Spaghetti and meatballs. Crisis averted. Craving something but you just can’t put your finger on it? Pesto. Trust me. 

… I mean, the options are endless here. You can even have those god forsaken zoodles if you’re gluten-free. I know what everyone is thinking… This girl is just unadventurous with her meals and has gotten so used to this gluten-full diet that she’s incapable of deviating from the norm. This is where you’re all wrong, though, because I am not a picky eater at all. I love pretty much everything, except wasabi. And my diet is pretty diverse. Don’t go thinking I only survive on food that I have to boil water for first. I do get fresh vegetables and fruits into my system daily.

Maybe y’all are thinking something along the lines of “this girl is just overthinking her pasta eating habits and needs to write a blog post about it…” and while this is true, I do think its productive for me to word-vomit into this post and see what deep feelings I have about pasta come forward. I also think it will be extremely entertaining for you all to know that as I am brainstorming this pasta-noodle-comfort-concept, I am literally eating spaghetti noodles with olive oil, lime juice, parmesan and garlic salt. This is a simple and effective dinner that you can even spice up with a little baby arugula. 

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What I don’t understand, though, is why I am perfectly content with eating some type of pasta or noodle-related dish for every single meal of the day, including snacks. I’ve been known to do this for long periods of time and I have yet to get sick of it. The diversity of options that one has when it comes to pasta is what I find to be so comforting about it. 

There’s no way pasta could let you down because pasta is so many things. It can be spicy, fresh, zesty, creamy, rich, light, whatever you want. It’s a comfort-food chameleon.