Kudos to those who can live without carbs. I could probably manage without the potatoes, apples, sugars, and even breads. But life without pasta?! Total insanity. I cringe just thinking about it. At any given time there is enough pasta in my pantry to feed an army. I buy pasta every time I go to the grocery store…whether I need to or not. I may run out of milk, eggs, or coffee (no scratch that…coffee is right up there with pasta), but I NEVER run out of pasta.

Growing up, dinner wasn’t dinner if there was no pasta. I remember neighborhood friends who would stay for dinner would marvel at our “fancy dinner” and I would think, “Fancy? It’s pasta.”

Today, while I don’t exactly eat pasta everyday (although I could), pasta is my go to for everything.

No idea what to make for dinner? Pasta.

Late dinner after soccer? Pasta.

People over for a dinner party? Pasta.

Pasta? Pasta.

How can you go wrong? You boil water. Add the pasta. Set the timer to the indicated cooking time for al dente. Now “al dente” is the number one most important thing to remember at all times when cooking pasta. Over-cooking is a crime, and it should be avoided at all costs. Seriously.

So what does one put on this said “perfectly cooked” pasta? Well…that answer could take pages and pages. It all depends on what you feel like, what you have on hand, and what you have planned for. You can never go wrong with a basic tomato sauce…and I don’t mean one from a jar (sorry, but NO!). If you have olive oil, a small yellow onion, a can of whole peeled tomatoes, and salt and pepper…in less than 30 minutes you have sauce.

Sitting down to a perfectly cooked dish of spaghetti is truly good for the soul. It is satisfying. It is delectable. It is simple. It is pasta.