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?

No absolutely not. I specifically ask pasta or spaghetti (linguine actually as this is far superior to spaghetti) when I cook for this very reason.

Exactly this 100%

Penne is default here!

Spaghetti is for specific dishes!

If I wanted spaghetti, I would ask for spaghetti, ditto for linguine and tagliatelle. Pasta is all other assorted shapes. I'm with you on the mixing shapes though, that's just wrong.

Same here. If I was cooking spaghetti I would say spaghetti!

Mix the Bolognese with the shells, top with bechamel/cheese sauce and more cheese, grill. Thank me later.

Default definitely fusilli aka pasta twists.
Spaghetti is spaghetti I know it is pasta but I call it spaghetti not pasta!
If I wanted pasta I would have pasta twists
Garafalo to be precise.
Penne is ok with tuna and sweetcorn.
Lasagna is pasta but it's lasagna.
No if I wanted spaghetti I would say so and not say pasta.

In our house pasta referes to any generic small pasta pieces e.g. fusili, penne and conchigle because any of those would be used as pasta or in a pasta bake. Other varieties like spaghetti, macaroni, lasagne get named specifically because they go with a particular dish.

Default here is fusilli or penne. Spaghetti is only for bolognaise or carbonara (though I think lately we've made the latter with pasta that's not quite the same as spaghetti).

Never ever mix!

I mix pasta shapes quite often. But mixing with macaroni??? LTB!
I think you need to rethink the spaghetti/pasta definitions tho. You are wrong there. But DH was more wrong tonight.

I think it’s unanimous OP. YABU.

Really like pappardelle too.

If spaghetti is expected then it must be specified. Otherwise Penne or Fusilli will be served.

In many ways I am a typical mumsnetter but not in this. I love mixing pasta shapes. Not macaroni though, it's too small, gotta be the same size. I mix fusilli and penne. Also mix in a bit of wholewheat or those high protein pea/lentil penne you get in sainsburys.

Nice to get a bit of variety on one forkful

I think spaghetti is one of the furthest pastas from the default - it’s one you’d definitely have to specify if you wanted it.

I wouldn’t expect anyone to say pasta if they wanted spaghetti.

Now obviously there isn’t any actual default pasta but if there were it would be something like penne.

Mixing pasta is obviously very wrong esp as they take different amounts of time to cook!

Penne is the dullest pasta.

Spaghetti is ok but a but thin. Tagliatelle is great as is fusilli and rigatoni.

I'd expect penne or fusilli if I was at someone's house and they said pasta. I think most people say spaghetti if it's going to be spaghetti pasta.

My predictive text does not enjoy pasta names.

Pasta is pasta in this household. I’ve been known to make lasagne with a layer of spread out big pasta shells. I make pasta bake with whatever is in the cupboard - my record was five types at once including linguine as I was using ends of packets. It tasted the same. Bolognese is served with whatever random shape is available, macaroni cheese is rarely made with actual macaroni and I even break spaghetti. No one’s died over it yet.

If you want a specific meal, be specific - pasta and sauce is incredibly vague.

Here pasta is pasta, we have different types depending on my and DD2’s mood.

Spaghetti is spaghetti. That's a specific request.

Default pasta is penne or fusili

Macaroni is NEVER default pasta.

Farfelle

@RawBloomers YABU with the default. Spaghetti only goes with Spaghetti Bolognese here.

Macaroni for Macaroni cheese.

Any other variety of pasta penne, fusilli, conchiglie, farfelle etc go with any other dish but YANBU about mixing them.

He mixed the pasta? LTB.

Yep, YABU op. 'Pasta' is short pasta. And if you'd meant just a tomato sauce you should have said so.

My favourite pasta (seeing as many are adding this info) is rigatoni but for some reason we rarely have it!

Congliche or hollow spiral pasta is my default (believed it was called spiralini but a google search has cast doubt upon my assumption and apparently that’s something else) for all sauces, spaghetti is a terrible base for thick sauces like bolognaise, plus my husband likes wearing cream jumpers and can’t be trusted with spaghetti, much to his disappointment, as he was raised in a spaghetti household. You very likely didn’t give the penne a fair shake or you would have realised that it - and any other pasta shape that allows sauce to well inside of it - is far superior to spaghetti in every way.

Fusilli is default here too. We also like Gemelli or any kind of twisty shape.

Spaghetti is for bolognese or carbonara.

Linguine for creamy sauces or simple ones like aglio olio.

Farfalle (the bows) are the devils work because the ends cook faster than the middle bit. So part of it is always either overcooked or crunchy.