October 25th is World Pasta Day #WorldPastaDay which stinks because with Charlie’s #toothace he hasn’t been eating that much. Or we could have gone to Olive Garden for there Chicken & Nocci Soup for Charlie. I could have had #Lasagna to celebrate #WorldPastaDay with.
I found out about World Pasta Day after David called to let me know he was going to stop at the Grocery Store for Hamburger Meat to make SOS and Mashe Potatoe’s which could be served with Noodles. But I would have preferred Italiano Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese I could celebrate National Pasta Day.
The sad part is Charlie may or may not have eaten Italiano Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese with me. As for David even though we used to always eat Italiano Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese. David says he doesn’t like Italiano Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese. Men what can I say other than like with kids we have to pick our battles and today I will eat SOS. Would you want to join us for dinner?
Carb lovers of the world, behold: October 25is is World Pasta Day. Did you know people have been eating Pasta since at least 5,000 B.C. However, World Pasta Day was only established in 1995, when 40 Pasta producers from around the world gathered to hold the globe’s first World Pasta Congress. Since then, the world has joined forces each October to pay tribute to one of the most delicious and versatile foods known to man. Whether you prefer Rigatoni, Angel Hair, or Pappardelle, you’ll love World Pasta Day.
This may come as a shock, but Chef Boyardee did not invent Pasta, although real-life Italian cook Hector Boiardi started the company in Pennsylvania over 80 years ago. (By the way, Hector Boiardi accumulated a net worth of $60 million.) Honestly, the world has enjoyed this dish since the first Century AD.
While legend has it that Marco Polo imported Pasta from China in the 1200s, British food writer Jane Grigson believes a Canadian Spaghetti company may have started that tale in the 1920s. We do know that dried Pasta surged in popularity during the 14th and 15th Centuries. Mainly for its easy storage. This allowed people to bring Pasta along on ships when exploring the New World.
Hungary boasted a Pasta factory in 1859, while Central Italy’s Buitoni Company began churning out Pasta a mere eight years later. The trend moved into the present-day Czech Republic by 1884. During a stay in Paris, President Jefferson ate what he called “Macaroni,” but it might have been any type of Pasta.
He eventually returned to America with two cases. Pasta’s popularity further blossomed in the U.S. during the late 19th Century, when a large group of Italian immigrants (mostly from Naples), moved to America. The World Pasta Day holiday itself only recently began in 1995.
40 Pasta producers from around the world gathered to hold the first World Pasta Congress. Since then, diners around the world have joined forces each October to pay tribute to one of the most delicious and versatile foods ever.
World Pasta Day Activities
- If you love to cook, whip up Pasta in your kitchen and enlist the help of a few friends if you’d like company. For a quick dinner with easy clean-up, try a one-pan Pasta recipe with Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Cheese.
- To celebrate an American classic, make Macaroni and Cheese.
- If you’re in the mood to mix things up, make a Mediterranean Pasta dish or tasty Sesame Soba Noodles. I believe I will pass on this Pasta dish. How about you?
- Each October 25th #WorldPastaDay lights up Social Media. Let’s be real: since people love their Pasta so much, the hashtag also shows up on Instagram and Twitter on lots of other days of the year.) Use the hashtag to show the world that you’re “Pasta proud!”
- Grab your friends or family and take the opportunity to take yourself out for a nice solo date and head to your favorite local Pasta joint. Order a Pasta dish you’ve never tried before and enjoy every bite!
DELICIOUS FACTS ABOUT PASTA
- Italy may be the Pasta capital but did you know the first Pasta dates back to China?
- Thomas Jefferson was the first person to bring Pasta to the U.S.
- Did you know there are 600 different shapes of Pasta.
- Spaghetti is the most popular Noodle in the U.S.
- If Italians ate only Spaghetti in a single year, they would eat almost 373 million miles of this Noodle.
Why People Love World Pasta Day
- No matter how lacking your kitchen skills may be, you can almost surely make yourself a bowl of Pasta.
- Pasta’s cheap and Pasta is also incredibly filling, so even if Pasta wasn’t so affordable to begin with, you’d still be getting tons of food for your money.
- Pasta (especially the Whole Grain variety) can help sustain energy throughout the day with its rich carb content.
- Pasta also includes folic acid, and has a low glycemic index, which means it’s not likely to cause uncomfortable spikes in your blood sugar.
- Pasta is a great way to squeeze in your daily suggested Whole Grain servings.
- Pasta’s a perfect part of just about any lunch or dinner.
- Pasta can even make a great breakfast with a runny Egg on top.
- If you’re short on protein for the day, you can throw Chicken or Fish in a Pasta dish for dinner.
- If you haven’t eaten enough Veggies, you can toss in some roasted Broccoli and Asparagus.
- You can pour on some thick Sauce.
- If you want to keep things lighter, you can toss Pasta in Olive O
- There is a Pasta dish to fit every mood and need.
Homemade Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Original recipe (1X) yields 12 servings
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- ¾ pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup minced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- ¾ pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Gather all your ingredients.
- Cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat until well browned.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Season with sugar, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper. Simmer, covered, for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt..
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- To assemble, spread 1 ½ cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce, overlapping slightly. Spread with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 ½ cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
- Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
- Rest lasagna for 15 minutes before serving.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
