Do Italians Eat Pasta Every Day?

One question I get from many people is whether Italians eat pasta every day. Of course answering such a question would require an enormous generalization, so I’m going to give you the experience in my house, which consists of a Calabrian and an American with Italian, Lithuanian, and German blood.

Do we eat pasta every day?

Pretty much, yes. Usually either lunch or dinner — but hardly ever both — contains some kind of pasta for us.

I’m sure for some of you the thought of eating pasta every day sounds boring, and you’re positive you’d get sick of it within a week or so. This actually did cross my mind as I considered moving here — would I just get sick of eating pasta? And if so, then what would I do?

Well, seven years in, and I’m still having some pasta on most days. Don’t get me wrong; there are days when I just don’t want pasta. So I don’t eat it, easy peasy.

“Pasta” Does Not Equal Spaghetti and Meatballs

One important thing to remember is that Italians don’t eat pasta with “red sauce” and meatballs every day; in fact, the rumors you’ve heard about Italians not eating “spaghetti and meatballs” are true; if there are meatballs, they are often huge and served after the pasta course, so you’ll have one, *maybe* two at the most.

That “red sauce” is often a ragΓΉ, made with meat (often pork and for us, rabbit or chicken); in our house, that’s probably a once every two weeks kind of dish, often on a weekend.

Also? Italians don’t just eat spaghetti. As I’m sure you know, pasta comes in all shapes and sizes, and part of the fun is matching what kind of sauce or accompaniment best suits a certain kind of pasta, so there’s a lot more than spaghetti going on around here.

So what else are we eating with pasta? Well I have a list of recipes to give you some ideas, and you’ll see everything from tuna (with or without tomatoes) to broccoli (no tomatoes) to ricotta fresca to fresh tomatoes and basil to prawns. We eat pasta cold in a salad in the summer and hot in minestrone in the winter — and with legumes like peas, ceci, and lentils year round.

Pasta is very versatile, and as always, I do encourage you to experiment.

But Pasta Makes You Fat!

Another misconception regarding pasta is that some people believe that if they ate pasta every day, they’d be the size of a house. The answer to that is, well, it depends on how much pasta you eat and what you’re eating with it.

Pasta and carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap in health circles, but you *do* need them in your diet — in moderation, just like everything else that helps your body function the way it should.

Italians seem to know instinctively that 100-200 grams of pasta a day falls well within the recommended daily allowances of carbs. You just have to not load up on carbs the rest of the day in order to keep a good balance.

Other health issues like diabetes may cause concern with carbs, but if you’re an otherwise healthy person, eating a bit of pasta a day is one of the common features of the Mediterranean Diet, which we know can offer great health benefits — but know that is not a “diet” as the word has come to be understood. It is a way of life.

Yeah, I’m Still Not Buying that I Could Eat Pasta Every Day and Not Get Sick of It

If you still can’t imagine eating pasta every day, think of it this way: do you eat bread every day? Many people do, in one form or another. Well you can think of pasta as our bread. It accompanies other ingredients and isn’t really the “point” of the meal — although it’s still an important part to be sure (see the discussion of matching pasta with sauce above).

Note also that Italians will generally *not* eat bread and pasta together, so don’t be surprised if you’re in an Italian restaurant and they swipe any bread off the table just as the pasta is served.

But hey, we’re not all created the same, so it very well may be that you would get bored with an Italian diet and with eating pasta every day. So why not come over here and find out?

How often do you eat pasta?

53 Beans of Wisdom to “Do Italians Eat Pasta Every Day?”
  1. I do eat pasta about 4 times a week. I can’t help it, it’s so good. I have learned in the last few months that pasta isn’t always spaghetti and meatballs or cold pasta salad. I love all the various ways to cook and serve pasta. I love how you compared pasta to bread. How true! Thanks for the links in the post as well as the content. Good reading and eating.

    Thanks Michelle; I’m glad you’re getting more and more creative with pasta…it’s always fun to invent a new dish πŸ™‚

  2. Adri
    06.16.2010

    I use to eat at least once a week… Me and my boyfriend love pasta pretty much!

    Mmmm Italians all over the world love pasta…hahaha!

  3. Tina
    06.16.2010

    I’ve eaten pasta almost every day in the 9 months that I’ve been here, and I’ve lost weight. πŸ™‚ Recently I’m eating it less just because it’s suddenly so hot here that all I want is tomatoes and mozzarella and anything that doesn’t involve heating up the kitchen. But otherwise, pasta makes it into my diet every day.
    My favorite quote is the famous one by Sophia Loren, “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti”.

    I’m with you Tina; I’ve lost a lot of weight here, and it’s definitely because of the Mediterranean Diet mixed with lots more physical activity…talk about a lifestyle change! πŸ™‚

  4. 06.16.2010

    Since living here the Mediterranean diet has definitely improved the health and weight of both my husband and myself. We do only eat pasta two/three times a week though and never( or extremely) rarely in the evenings, hen we tend to avoid carbohydrate if we can. We do not eat bread every day either.

    We certainly are both feeling fitter since moving here!

    I actually hardly ever eat bread here, and I used to be a *huge* bread eater; I think maybe my body has just gotten its carb fill from the pasta so I don’t crave the bread. Glad you’re feeling fitter — me too πŸ˜€

  5. 06.16.2010

    My neighbors, Italiani DOC, eat it alsmost everyday. On the days when they occasionally have risotto instead, the husband walks around moaning that he’s been mistreated.

    Haha sounds about right, Judith πŸ˜‰

  6. 06.16.2010

    Pasta every day, of course. After living here for a while, it doesn’t sound strange, but I was pretty much shocked when I first thought about it. There are so many varieties and different types of dishes you can make with pasta that you just can’t get bored with it. Of course, we do have rice once in a while instead….

    We have risotto probably once a month…and *never* polenta, which is funny because I actually had polenta in the States quite a bit when my grandmother was doing the cooking; even though her roots were in southern Italy, we had a sizable group from northern Italy in the area so we ended up eating things like polenta and luganega (a northern Italian salami) too. P has never even tried polenta!

  7. 06.16.2010

    Very well explained, Michelle. I like the analogy that you used with bread.

    Thank you, and thanks for reading πŸ™‚

  8. 06.16.2010

    Nice article! As an Italian abroad, I’ve got the same question many times. Here in Ireland, there’s a bit more variety in pasta sauces (not just meatballs!), but still nothing approaching Italy.

    I wanted to note for your readers that in the north of Italy rice is sometimes eaten instead of pasta. I grew up in Milan and we had rice 2-4 times a week, depending. Mostly risotto, of which there is also a great variety, not just the classic saffron type. The same would apply in most regions of the North, though the proportion of days when you eat pasta or rice would vary from family to family.

    Very true! Thank you for noting this; on our Eye on Italy podcast this week (to be published soon!), our guest Sara Maternini talks about risotto, in fact, and its importance in the Milanese/Lombard cuisine πŸ™‚

  9. Vanessa
    06.16.2010

    I eat pasta everyday, but i don’t do the cooking πŸ™‚

    Also, in my experience my ‘italian family’ who eat very traditionally will often have bread, pasta and potatoes all in the same meal (different courses) and think I! am strange for not eating all three at once. Infact, my MIL asked me once why i didn’t eat bread. I said of course i do and she said well, i’ve never seen you eat it al all! She was shocked when i said i have sandwiches for lunch (not a ‘proper’ meal in her opinion).

    Yes, I can see Italians having bread, pasta, and potatoes throughout a meal; usually not very large portions though if you’re having several courses, so I think it probably still adds up to a “normal” amount of carbs in a given meal. Then again, I don’t know very many Italian families who eat several course meals on a daily basis anymore either. Here they (and P!) eat panini all the time for lunch — you have a frou frou suocera πŸ˜‰

  10. I eat a lot more pasta here (5 times a week if not everyday) than I did in the States. However, despite eating more carbs I’ve lost weight without trying.

    I could never get sick of pasta. There are so many ways to cook it.

    It’s amazing how many people come to Italy and lose weight, isn’t it? For me a lot of that was just getting away from processed foods for the most part….

  11. 06.16.2010

    Wonderful post, Michelle. Reminded me of Gus, my gruff old maternal grandfather, for whom a day without pasta was — well — a totally wasted day.

    Haha, just love your family, Justin πŸ˜€

  12. 06.16.2010

    You are bang on about the Med Diet. A bit of carbs in the form of bread or pasta is paired with more vegetables and fruit than most North American diets.

    Definitely; the olive oil instead of butter or even worse fats also makes a *huge* difference!

  13. 06.16.2010

    It’s too hot to make pasta at the moment, so I’m not eating very much of it – and, strangely enough, feel fatter than I have done in ages. So much for salad! πŸ˜‰

    In the winter, though, I was definitely eating pasta at least once a day, and often twice. In the first couple of months I was utterly sick of it, but then somehow it became second nature. Supplemented with the delicious fish and veg that we get down here it’s always different and delicious. I have to say I’m rather dreading being resident in an English summer school for the summer, and having to go back to eating stodgy English food at ridiculously early times. πŸ˜‰

    I still do pasta in the summer, but our kitchen is actually pretty well ventilated; our last one wasn’t. That sucked.

  14. 06.16.2010

    My Northern Italian husband wants rice several times a week… often with peas or other vegetables. Our rice cooker (Zojirushi, love it!!) gets so much use that we bought a second one for the beach house. When we eat pasta, which isn’t very often, we also usually pair it with a bit of butter and parmesan, maybe some more peas or carrots. Or he asks for pesto, either with pasta or gnocchi. A real favorite of his is Bolognese sauce with farfalle or penne. We only make that once in a while. Usually though, he is content with bread and cheese and fruit. Bread doesn’t last long in our house! πŸ™‚

    Haha P is the big bread eater here; if it were up to me, I’d buy it once a week, but we go through it FAST b/c of him!

  15. 06.16.2010

    I eat a lot of pasta. I change it up and eat whole wheat pasta or the tri-color. Sometimes it’s cooked and sometimes it’s cold. I vary it enough that I am not tired of it and in fact, now that I am thinking about it, I want some! For some people, eating pasta may mean going outside your comfort zone of red sauce and meatballs, but it is so worth it! You’ll find so many new ways to enjoy pasta!

    (And I am a super picky eater, so you gotta trust me on this one!)

    Love it Lori! Thanks for sharing πŸ™‚

  16. Mary DTP
    06.16.2010

    I could absolutely eat pasta every day. My grandfather, who was born in Naples, insisted on eating some sort of pasta dish daily. And, as you said, we eat it more often without red sauce or “gravy.” Pasta with zucchini, pasta with broccoli rabe, pasta and peas, pasta and lentils, pasta with beans and greens. It’s endless. My family never gets tired of it. I want some now!

    Haha all this talk of pasta does make one hungry for it, doesn’t it?!

  17. 06.16.2010

    Some weeks I eat Pasta everyday and I am not it Italy .. I love it.. I try all sorts of recipes too! πŸ™‚

    Good on you, Anne πŸ˜€

  18. 06.16.2010

    It really depends–sometimes I’ll make a mess of it to take to work and it will last 3-4 days, and usually it’s a very simple pasta, either sauceless or only very lightly sauced (as that tends to hold up in the fridge), and there are days when I come home and am on my own for dinner and aglio e olio is my hands-down favorite because it’s fast, easy, and can be modified.

    We’ve been making a lot of fresh pasta on the weekends lately, often because we keep encountering lovely ingredients to turn into pesto, such as ramps and garlicscapes.

    Sounds wonderful, Elizabeth! I love leftover pasta too; P thinks I’m strange for eating it cold, but hey, then it’s a salad πŸ˜‰

  19. 06.16.2010

    Hi Michelle,
    this is a fantastic post!
    I eat past once a day, every day and this is what most people in Puglia do. It is true that if we eat pasta, we would not eat bread (or other carbs).
    I run a Mediterranean cooking school in Puglia with my sister (a Cardiologist) and we always say to our students how healthy it is to eat GOOD carbs at every meal. Our body needs carbs, but we need to eat the good ones: pasta (or bread) should be made of durum/hard wheat, barley or rye. Also pasta should be eaten in moderation (80 grams of pasta for women and 100 grams for men, per meal) and paired with vegetables, or olive oil and home-made tomato sauce.

    Thanks so much for sharing your Puglian experiences, Cinzia!

  20. Lisa
    06.16.2010

    In my Italian-American home we ate (and still do eat) pasta several times a week paired with either a homemade tomato sauce or vegetables. Meatballs or other meats are always the “secundi piatti,” e.g., eaten after the pasta. My dad’s homemade bread (or other good bread) is used only to scoop up an extra tomato sauce that remains on the plate. I am always a member of the “clean plate club” when pasta is served!

    Haha…love it Lisa! Thanks for sharing πŸ™‚

  21. 06.16.2010

    And for an Asian like me, I eat rice almost everyday…that is, when I’m not eating pasta!!

    As I was writing this, I was actually thinking about Asian cuisine too, and how surely there are people who wonder how Asians can eat rice everyday…hello, because it’s not the rice that makes the meal! Thanks for stopping by, Jen!

  22. 06.16.2010

    lovely topic:-) i am a real risotto-fan, so we have around once a week risotto at home, my stomach does not really support pasta…its funny to be Italy-fan but do not eat pasta…have a great rest of the week!

    Thanks Jana; have you tried gluten-free pasta? That could be the issue and maybe you could still enjoy it πŸ™‚

  23. 06.17.2010

    Noi mangiamo la pasta due volte la settimana – Giovedi’ e Domenica. Saluti!

    Grazie Elisa!

  24. hm, i think this is an easier concept for those of us born into Italian families!!

    Haha probably so, Mimi!

  25. Caterina B
    06.17.2010

    Love that comment by Sophia Loren! She was really packed nicely with pasta and still is.
    I must confess I have never tried making my own fresh pasta. I know it’s easy and I WILL
    do it soon, I promise.

    Enjoy Caterina!

  26. Gil
    06.17.2010

    At home about two or three times a week. When we are vacationing in Italy nearly everyday. Macaroni, wine, dolci and gelato daily for two or three weeks and I loose weight. All due to the portion size(s) lack of junky snacks and all of the walking. Loved this writeup!!!

    Thanks Gil; I thought it might be an issue people would enjoy discussing πŸ™‚

  27. 06.17.2010

    I eat pasta every day w la pasta!!!

    Haha, thanks for sharing your habits, Enrico!

  28. 06.17.2010

    It’s time for P to eat polenta next autumn. Really, it is so good and good for you! Polenta is a whole grain, not so refined. Make a nice spicy braise for it. Plus it’s like a vacuum cleaner for cholesterol. That will count one day.

    It’s not a matter of my wanting to make it — it’s whether he’ll eat it (to this point, I’ve not convinced him). He’s not real fond of new things, even if they’re also Italian πŸ˜‰

  29. 06.17.2010

    You are making me wonder if you are not a victim of the generalization. Does your husband feel he needs it everyday and is that the reason? Don’t mean to sound rude, I’m just wondering why. We don’t eat it everyday; we very our starch intake just for variety, pasta, rice, potatoes, polenta, etc. and often none. This seems pretty much the norm in my wife’s Italian family. And I wonder how one sops up the left over sauce with no bread on the table. I will admit that we tend to eat more American style, that is all the food goes on the table at the same time. That is mostly a choice of convenience and minimizing dirty dishes. My mother in law on the other hand has a bigger dishwasher.

    John, what exactly do you mean by a “victim of the generalization” when this is actually, truly my life (and the lives of many judging from comments here and the people I know in Calabria). Remember, you’re in the North — if one thing has been established about the so-called Italian lifestyle, it’s that life in the North and South is *very* different, especially regarding food. The Mediterranean Diet really doesn’t extend to the North with all the butter and cream and lesser availability of certain local, fresh produce year round; we (your family and mine) just have different styles of eating — and ours happens to be how both Paolo and I grew up (he more so than I), so I think it’s normal to keep those patterns as you get older. And why would we change them? It’s the healthiest diet around! So is that a victim of generalization, or, you know, centuries-old tradition? Hmm….

    But more basic than that, why do we have pasta every day or nearly every day? Because we like it! Why do some people (including me) drink coffee or tea every day? Because we like it. Why do you have bread with your pasta? Because you like it. I don’t. Paolo doesn’t. We don’t all share the same tastebuds, so there are bound to be differences in eating styles too.

    Also, regarding the pasta/bread thing, (again, see other commenters who also don’t eat pasta and bread together), we don’t really have leftover sauce on the plate because we don’t drown our pasta in it; what’s mixed with the pasta tends to stick to it (thus the importance of choosing the right pasta as discussed above!). Any smears of sauce leftover and/or what’s left in the pot gets scraped with a spatula into a bowl and may go for another meal if there’s enough or to the dogs over their dog food if it’s something that’s OK for them to eat. If not, compost/chickens. I actually hardly ever eat bread at all unless it’s a panino or pizza– and you can ask Paolo and his family about that as they’ve been suspicious of me and my lack of bread-eating for years πŸ˜‰

  30. 06.17.2010

    Michelle, in my house growing up with Sicilian parents we had pasta everyday, meat of some kind, salad simple redwine and olive oil, and fruit! Most importantly there had to be bread everyday!
    Our pasta wasn’t soaked in sauce either and I used the bread to sop up the salad dressing after I ate my salad (mouth watering right now). No butter on the table we never had it with bread and when I went to my friend’s houses they would eat their bread with butter and thought it odd we didn’t.
    Also, there was cheese too on the table, Fruiliano or Assiago. Sometimes provalone or swiss.

    Haha yes butter with the bread is definitely not a southern Italian thing either; although fresh bread with just olive oil and salt is delicious πŸ™‚

  31. The Food Hunter
    06.18.2010

    Great post. We eat pasta at least 4x per week. Meatsauce is usually reserved for Sundays.

    It’s so interesting to hear how many of Italian heritage who live outside of Italy eat pasta so often!

  32. Gil
    06.19.2010

    Lisa said, “My dad’s homemade bread (or other good bread) is used only to scoop up an extra tomato sauce that remains on the plate. I am always a member of the β€œclean plate club” when pasta is served!”

    My family is from Naples and Sicily and we did the same thing. I think it was called “a scapetta” or something like that!

    Mary DPT, We also used the term “Gravy” for sauce. Cristina over at Expats in Italy told me that was a term used by Italians in the Eastern US states. Nice hearing it again!

    Yes, we had gravy too, and my family in the States used bread to scoop up sauce…to be honest, I think that’s more Italian-American than Italian, but maybe it’s more common around Naples…definitely not the norm down here in all the meals I’ve eaten out and about!

  33. 06.19.2010

    Commenting on Vanessa’s MIL’s statement, my boyfriend says the same thing. He said that Italians believe that eating a sandwich once in a while is ok, but eating it often is bad for you. (I often eat sandwiches) I guess they’re right since they’re the gods of food with their Mediterranean diet. LOL

    To answer your question Michelle, I eat pasta almost everyday. My boyfriend’s family eats pasta every day as well. His sister eats smaller portions as she thinks she is more susceptible to gaining weight. (I think she’s actually thin) So like you said, all should be in moderation – whether you eat it every other day, every day, or just eat smaller portions if you eat it every day.

    In any case, buon appetito!

    Thanks for sharing your experiences! And buon appetito to you as well πŸ™‚

  34. 06.19.2010

    I could bath in pasta every day, I love it so much! I think a lot of people are afraid of putting on too much weight with pasta but I think everything in moderation is fine. Pasta is one of those things that could never get boring with all the shapes and sauces and endless possibilities!

    Agreed Jane; plus it’s so fun to match the pastas and sauces and just play around and create new combos too πŸ™‚

  35. 06.19.2010

    I eat it pretty much every day, too…a lifelong habit from having an Italian nonna, but also because it’s so easy, varied, and delicious. I don’t eat much bread anymore, though I used to sit and eat half a loaf of it in a sitting!

    I’m with you Valerie; I used to be a *huge* bread girl…funny how our body knows when we no longer need something πŸ˜‰

  36. 06.19.2010

    Even though I knew the answers, I really enjoyed reading your post. In fact, I’ve added it to my Top 10 this week over on http://www.italytutto.com.

    Grazie mille!

  37. 06.19.2010

    I would love to eat pasta every single day! Wait…we usually do too and we aren’t even Italian! LOL πŸ™‚ We love pasta of all kind – but our favorite find has been Kamut Wheat pasta…OMGosh is it gooood. Great post!

    Thanks! And thanks for giving people an idea about a new pasta they can try!

  38. We grew up eating pasta at least 4 times a week. And sometimes in the truck, it’s the same thing. And I make it a lot of different ways too; with peas, broccoli, vodka sauce, alfredo, in soup, with sausage and peppers…I can’t imagine a life without it. πŸ™‚

    It has taken Ed some getting used to since he thinks a meal without meat isn’t a meal, but since I’m the one who cooks, he just has to deal.

    As for all the people who poo-poo the carbs or think they’ll get fat eating it – they’re just missing out. And what they don’t eat means more for me. I happen to be on the full figured/chubby/fat side but it’s not because of pasta – it’s all the other stuff I eat. But even when I’m “dieting” I never eliminate pasta – I just count it in my calories or points or whatever the hell diet I happen to be doing at the time.

    My mother is one of four girls and they at a LOT of pasta growing up – and every one of them had smokin’ hot bodies – so I wouldn’t blame getting fat on pasta. That quote up there by Sophia Loren is spot on. πŸ™‚

    Thanks for the great post!

    Thank you for sharing your experiences! Too funny that even on the road you manage to have your pasta…and really you’re doing Ed a favor by not having meat all the time. His arteries will thank you some day πŸ˜‰

  39. dr burpenstein
    06.20.2010

    Not having spaghetti on Sunday would have been sacriligeous to my Grandma who was Calabrese. My step-grandfather who was also Calabrese, ate hot peppers eggs and every morning and pasta every day. I eat pasta at least once a week. Pasta is Nature’s valium, and you can quote me on that.

    And I did quote you — on Twitter πŸ™‚ Thanks so much for your comment!

  40. 06.20.2010

    That was an absolutely awesome post that I really appreciated! I love pasta but here in Canada, it seems everyone things pasta is spaghetti. It’s not the same thing! I’d love to try more pasta dishes. I love different pasta salads.

    Glad you enjoyed, Callista…there are so many fun ways to make pasta. You’ll have to introduce your fellow Canucks to some!

  41. 06.20.2010

    OK, Michelle. I was thinking that I probably didn’t want to eat as much pasta as I’ve been serving since I have been “trying to eat like a vegetarian.” You’ve inspired me, and given me affirmation that “it’s OK.” Now, I’ve got to go see what recipes you have listed, and if a doofus like me can cook them!

    Shelly, most of my recipes are easy, I promise…most are Calabrian, and Calabrian cuisine is known for its simplicity. That, of course, means that you must work with the best ingredients possible b/c not a lot of different ones ever go into a dish…the better quality the ingredients, the better the final product. Enjoy!

  42. 06.21.2010

    Your diet (southern Italian) and ours (South Croatia) are quite similar, maybe because only the Adriatic Sea separates us? we eat pasta about 3 x/week. Other days we eat fresh fish, More during the summer and ots of fresh veggies. And you are right, we hardly ‘drown’ our pasta with sauce. I cook frequently with cooking cream and add fresh basil, it sticks quite well to the pasta. so not much need for bread. In fact, I’m not much a of bread person, growing up in Mexico, our daily bread was corn tortillas, moving here I don’t find the corn flour to make my own tortillas so I just go without them, I still can’t get used to eating bread Every single day!!

    Yes I think sometimes people forget about Croatia being similar to southern Italy…even the layout of it is really similar looking at photos (I haven’t been). My friend Cherrye at My Bella Vita got a good tortilla recipe recently, I think, so you might ask her about it. She’s from southeast Texas so she’s a big Tex-Mex fan πŸ™‚

  43. 06.22.2010

    My kids are swimmers so they eat a lot of pasta. I fall back on macaroni and cheese many times, but I also try to make a cold pasta salad which is good to take along to swim meets. My favorite pasta dish is a bow tie pasta with goat cheese, peas and chunks of ham.

    Yum! Big fans of goat cheese here, as you might imagine πŸ˜‰

  44. 06.23.2010

    Hi Michelle!
    Your blog is great!! πŸ™‚ I discovered it by chance and I immediately thought: β€œWow, she really knows what we are like!” πŸ™‚
    You’re totally right about pasta! It’s part of our DNA! I love it (any shape, any size, almost with any sauce except fot cheese!) and, if I had to choose, I would give up bread rather than pasta (except for the delicious crambly sesame bread they make in Sicily, where my mother was born! :-D) As you say, we eat pasta as a part of a more complete meal (pasta with vegetables, pasta with legumes, pasta with tuna) and usually it’s so nourishing that we don’t need anything else to feel satiated. Which is why we are not the size of a house (!) and we can maintain a healthy weight (and even lose weight!) by following a mediterranean eating style. I have quite a lot of american friends who got back in shape when they came to Italy and started eating the mediterranean way! Actually, I also tried out a mediterranean diet for a while (www.italiandiet.com… maybe you feel like sneaking a peak into it), just to get back on track after a period of wild overindulging! And I did lose weight despite my 4 servings of pasta a week!! I love italian food!!! πŸ™‚
    By the way, take a look at my food blog if you like… It’s just a little place where I like posting my favorite recipes every now and then, but maybe you’ll find something yummy to experiment!

    Thanks so much for coming by, Tiziana; will have a look at your place for sure πŸ™‚

  45. I don’t think I would ever get tired of pasta either.

    Mangia, mangia! And thanks for stopping by πŸ˜€

  46. 06.30.2010

    I am very behind in commenting but had to comment on this post.

    I had to laugh when I first read this post because in Hawaii many people eat rice every day, sometimes three times a day! When I first moved here, I was eating a lot of rice. My mom was worried that my stomach was going to turn into a rice ball (and I was no where up to the daily rice intake). After the initial fun of rice (since I rarely ate it and let me tell you Uncle Ben’s rice is nothing like the rice we eat in Hawaii), I missed pasta.

    I grew up eating lots of pasta so I don’t think it is strange at all to eat it every day. That is one of the things I love about traveling to Italy. The pasta!! When I am in Italy, I have sometimes ordered two pasta dishes for a meal – a pasta for the primi and then a different pasta for the secondo. Of course I get strange reactions from the waiters but I don’t care. I don’t think I would ever get sick of eating pasta even if I ate it ever day for a year. I love love love pasta! πŸ™‚

    Good on you for following your pasta instincts! That’s one thing I tell people all the time when they’re coming here — do what you want! You may only be here once in your lifetime, so don’t be overconcerned with what’s “right.” I mean, there’s a line between being carefree and being disrespectful, but I think most adults can find that. Maybe? πŸ˜‰ Anyway same thing bugs me about the cappuccino after 10 a.m. “rule.” Please. Drink it when you want!

  47. 07.07.2010

    When I’m in Italy I pretty much want to eat pasta every day!

    Must be something in the water πŸ˜‰

  48. Carleyrae Weber
    01.10.2011

    I live in Macerata, Italy… we eat pasta every single day. usually for lunch though, dinner is light, salad, bread and meat. i lost weight eating the italian way.

    Thanks so much for sharing your experience Carleyrae! Hope life in Macerata is going well πŸ™‚

  49. dust
    03.30.2012

    I’m having 200 grams of pasta with ‘pesto’ right now, and life feels so good! πŸ˜€

  50. Roda
    07.10.2012

    I LOVE PASTA !!!! I eat it almost every day at lunch with all kinds of ingredients and I am skinny ! It’s all about moderation like everything else πŸ™‚ .

    I have a questions though, do italians eat pasta with bread , like in the same time ?!?!?!?!

    I envy you for living there ! lol πŸ™‚ Hope someday I move back to Europe.

  51. larry ravettina
    09.09.2012

    eat everyday cause it’s cheap and tasty

  1. [...] Speaking of pasta, Michelle at Bleeding Espresso has a fabulous post about pasta and how often Italians ... italianmamachef.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/friday-favorites-2

Recipes

 

Homemade apple butter
Green beans, potatoes, and pancetta
Glazed Apple Oatmeal Cinnamon Muffins
Pasta with snails alla calabrese
Onion, Oregano, and Thyme Focaccia
Oatmeal Banana Craisin Muffins
Prosciutto wrapped watermelon with bel paese cheese
Fried eggs with red onion and cheese
Calabrian sausage and fava beans
Ricotta Pound Cake