Spaghetti is the default pasta

[RawBloomers]

My DH asked me what I’d like to eat and I said pasta and pasta sauce. I was picturing spaghetti with a lovely tomato and basil sauce, generously sprinkled with black pepper and parmesan. This is also DC1’s favourite meal.

Spaghetti is the default pasta and should be assumed if no particular type of pasta is mentioned. AIBU?

He has made a mix of penne pasta and macaroni. And put sausage in the sauce. I want to pout and stamp my feet like a four year old. (I have not I have thanked him and told him how lovely he is).

There is plenty of spaghetti in the cupboard. We only have penne in because they had no spaghetti in the shop once, months ago. We only have macaroni in because DC2 likes mac&cheese and I make it - for them alone - from time to time. He made this penne/macaroni monstrosity for me and DC1 as DC2 has already eaten and he had something different. He and all right thinking people should know better, right?

I think it sounds quite nice 😳

Sorry OP, I'm team DH.
Pasta is pasta shapes, and spaghetti has to be called spaghetti if someone wants it.
If you ask for pasta in my home, you're getting penne or fusilli, whatever comes out of the cupboard first.

My DH asked me what I’d like to eat and I said pasta and pasta sauce. I was picturing spaghetti with a lovely tomato and basil sauce, generously sprinkled with black pepper and parmesan.

So, in summary you gave a very general answer but wanted something specific and somehow he’s wrong. You’re ridiculous.

Spaghetti
fusilli
penne
macaroni (only with cheese sauce NOT tomato)
No other pasta shapes grace my cupboards.
that’s my order

Hard agree.

Out of all the pastas, everyone knows spaghetti by its own name. If someone just said pasta I'd expect any other shape but spaghetti.

Penne is pasta
Spaghetti is spaghetti (I have very few talents but I am excellent at entry-level plumbing and eating spaghetti)
a mix of penne pasta and macaroni is some kind of Frankenpasta abomination
Gnocchi ... just gno

Well yes, but its U.K.parlance rather than technically correct.

"Spaghetti" is typically shorthand for saying spaghetti bolognese or spaghetti carbonara or spaghetti vongole.

"Pasta" can mean any old pasta dish . Tuna pasta bake or pasta with grated cheese student style or pesto could be made with and shapes be acceptable.

yup, penne is the default. Spaghetti is spaghetti. Sorry OP.

Wholewheat shells are my default pasta, but they seem to have vanished everywhere, so wholewheat penne is my grudging substitute default pasta.

In my daydreams I have a press full of all the fancypants specialty varieties, so I can always perfectly match the pasta to the rest of the dish.

My grandparents have a relationship based on complete compromise, even when it comes to pasta. Grandad prefers penne, grandma prefers farfalle. So whatever sauce they’re having pasta is always an equal mix of the both. Not sure if this is ‘couple goals’ or flat-out anxiety inducing!

I understand this sentiment, but... DC2 and a friend cooked and cleaned up for themselves before the rest of us had started thinking about food. DH often has something separate due to health issues which restrict his diet. Weekends tend to be either big family meal or all over the place!

Utterly shocked by this thread. There is no default pasta! Fine to suggest ‘having pasta’, but this must then lead to a discussion about what that means. Long or short. What sauce. And so on. This is important.

Hard agree

Huh. Not to me! I'm British and that's not how I use it. Pasta means any pasta including spaghetti. Spaghetti means... spaghetti itself (as in the long thin pasta). Spaghetti isn't very good shorthamd for bolognese, carbonara or vongole - how would you know which one was meant? Not sure spaghetti alle vongole is widely cooked in the UK. Anyway, not that any of this matters . Tbh I probably mostly find it interesting because I'm a languages teacher!

Psycho killer.

Qu'est ce que c'est?

Farfalle farfalle far far farfalle far

Absolutely not! YABU!

Nope! I’m not a fan of it and use bucatini instead for dishes that traditionally use spaghetti like carbonara or bolognese. Rigatoni is my favourite/go to pasta shape!

I would assume pasta with tomato sauce was penne, fusilli or something similar.
I would usually only have spagetti with meatballs, bolognese or sometimes pesto
I would not enjoy the sausage with my pasta.

I was once served orzo when I asked for pasta. That confused me.

Penne is usually the go-to in this house. Often Asda Smartprice.🙂

Absolutely not!!! Spaghetti is for a very specific type of pasta dish.

Rigatoni is the default in our house. Sometimes penne.

Orzo is only good in pasta salad.

DC2 once made me buy and cook tiny little pasta stars, can't remember what they were called it was so traumatic.

I'd say spaghetti is the opposite of default pasta.

All other pastas are interchangeable (please don't kill me Italian people) but spaghetti is spaghetti.

Noone cares what pasta goes in a pasta bake, but you put spaghetti in it then people are going to think you're insane.

And if you falsely advertise a spaghetti Bolognese and end up with fusilli, then you'd be fuming.

If you want spaghetti, you have to specify spaghetti. If you ask for pasta, then I'd say spaghetti is likely to be the 2nd least likely option. (The least likely is obviously lasagne sheets.)

Penne here, and most other forms apart from those blasted bows (why?)
and agree that spaghetti isn't great for sauce take up. Not sure what it is great for, actually.

Mixing shapes is just wrong.

Nah, the fusilli pasta or penne would be what I consider to be default. I am not a big fan of spaghetti to be honest. We are big pasta eaters. My current favourite’s are the tesco finest cassareece and rigatoni. Current work lunches are harissa chicken and spinach casarecce pasta. I make a big pot that lasts for 3 days.

If someone asked me if I wanted pasta, i’d never assume it would be spaghetti, as in my house you’d ask ‘do you want spaghetti’ if that was an option. Pasta is pasta. Spag is spag. In this house anyway.