More pasta or more sauce?

[Michiana Mom]

This is an ongoing war in my house. DH makes spaghetti so dry you could clean up spills with it. I hate it, actual hate. He says it's "making the pasta go further". I don't see how when my share will be thrown out. I tried to just eat my garlic bread instead, but after pressing it as hard as I could into the pile of spaghetti it still came out bone dry -not even a grease spot where it might have touched sauce.

About 5 minutes ago I just passive agressively fixed his latest batch by dumping another entire jar of Prego in after he left the room, and was horrified to see that after I stirred it in, the spaghetti that came out was still practically the same color it was before it ever touched sauce (turns out his ratio was 1 jar sauce + 1 entire box of spaghetti + FOUR lbs hamburger).

I get that it's a personal preference thing, but really? Is this just me that thinks spaghetti w/ marinara should include some actual marinara that hasn't soaked in completely?

[HanksMom]

We make the sauce completely separate and everyone adds their own at the table. That way everyone gets what they want and leftovers are much tastier.

[Alli~cat]

Oh I'm laughing so hard :). We use 1/2 lb of spaghetti, 2 jars of Ragu, 1 jar of alfredo sauce, and at least 2 lbs of meat. We usually have more sauce than spaghetti, which is fine w/ me. I like to clean the bowl w/ my bread, and you can't do that w/out extra sauce. And we don't mix our sauce w/ the spaghetti - it stays in separate bowls until we serve ourselves. I can't stand sauce that has soaked into the noodles. Even when I put up the leftovers, if I am going to be eating them, they get put up separately.

[girlysoxfan]

Same here. And I only use 1/2 lb of meat per jar of sauce & 1/2 box of pasta.

We make the sauce completely separate and everyone adds their own at the table. That way everyone gets what they want and leftovers are much tastier.

[Fourboys]

we add ours on top as well- but I dont know how much we make! :-)

[penny-penn]

I don't serve them mixed (and rarely make the sauce with meat) so the person eating can add as little or as much sauce as they would like to their pasta. DH likes a little pasta with his sauce...LOL! DD & I like it kind of in between -- not dry, but not swimming in sauce either.

[Admin Jorelanu]

When I use jarred sauce, I mix 2 jars sauce and 1lb meat. I then separately cook about a 1/2 box pasta.

I like to keep the sauce and pasta separate so if there is more of one or the other leftover it's not a weird mix. If have leftover sauce, I can cook more pasta another day or if I have leftover pasta the kids love it with a lil butter & garlic as a side.

Jore

[Alli~cat]

I don't serve them mixed (and rarely make the sauce with meat) so the person eating can add as little or as much sauce as they would like to their pasta. DH likes a little pasta with his sauce...LOL! DD & I like it kind of in between -- not dry, but not swimming in sauce either.

DH practically won't eat sauce w/out meat. I didn't have any ground beef thawed out the other night, so I threw some frozen meatballs in instead. He barely ate a serving, and refused to eat the leftovers.

That would be me - a lil spaghetti w/ my sauce :D

[meramr]

I never mix the sauce and spaghetti either, we each serve our own according to preference. I use about 1lb hamburger (must have!), the big 45 oz jar of Ragu, and 1 box spaghetti.

When my SIL lived with us and did all the cooking she mixed the spaghetti and sauce together as she was cooking. We all hated it (and spaghetti is my FAVE) but we couldn't figure out what we didn't like. Does cooking them together change the pasta in some way or maybe just because she didn't use the Ragu that I use? I'm not sure what it was.

[Michiana Mom]

I never mix the sauce and spaghetti either, we each serve our own according to preference. I use about 1lb hamburger (must have!), the big 45 oz jar of Ragu, and 1 box spaghetti.

When my SIL lived with us and did all the cooking she mixed the spaghetti and sauce together as she was cooking. We all hated it (and spaghetti is my FAVE) but we couldn't figure out what we didn't like. Does cooking them together change the pasta in some way or maybe just because she didn't use the Ragu that I use? I'm not sure what it was.

I think it's because all the liquid gets soaked into the pasta. Growing up we never mixed it, and when I make it, I only mix it if I'm doing oven baked. DH always mixes it and I never like it when he makes it.

[2boys]

I don't mix it either, I have before and we never like it!

I use 1lb of meat to one jar of sauce, (after I dump the sauce out of the jar, I fill it about 1/4 of the way w/ water, swish it around and pour that in too...thins it out some) and about 3/4 of the box of noodles.

[onehappybaby]

I mix it when I'm being lazy. LOL
I do a box of pasta to one jar of sauce. I will often add water to the sauce to thin it since I cook it down, adding red wine and usually mushrooms and ground beef too.
It isn't dry, it's quite saucy.
Is the pasta cooked okay? Not sure why it's soaking up so much sauce!
I also know that chefs recommend keeping a bit of the cooking liquid for moisture when you drain the pasta, but I don't personally do that.
I say just don't let your DH cook the pasta, as nice as it is of him to cook! LOL

[Renyg11]

You can always open up an extra jar of sauce and just heat it up in the microwave.

I love lots of sauce.

[Admin Randy's Wife]

We make the sauce completely separate and everyone adds their own at the table. That way everyone gets what they want and leftovers are much tastier.

That's how we do it in our house also. We like more sauce that pasta here in this house.

[JBabes~]

I think it's because all the liquid gets soaked into the pasta. Growing up we never mixed it, and when I make it, I only mix it if I'm doing oven baked. DH always mixes it and I never like it when he makes it.

Wait..... are you saying he cooks the pasta in the sauce, rather than boiling it in water first? Or does he cook it too al dente and then add too little sauce?

Other than no-boil lasagna I have never before heard of cooking dried pasta in sauce.

[Michiana Mom]

The latter - too al dente and it turns into a gummy sponge.

[ILuvMoni]

Yuck....I don't mix either...maybe you should just revoke his spaghetti making rights. lol

[JMac]

We don't mix here, mom did growing up and I always thought it was dry. Once we put leftovers up, we usually mix it up then.

[Admin shilton]

We don't mix here either.

[kmiller]

No mixing here either.

I prefer homemade "gravy" but will use a jar of Prego or Ragu in a pinch.

For DH and I, I usually use 1# ground beef to 1 jar or sauce. I usually cook 1/2 box of noodles. This makes enough for dinner and some leftovers to take to work for lunch, or for DH to warm up if I've got an evening meeting.

[candied]

I use Jimmy Dean Sage sausage and 1 jar of sauce to a whole box of pasta. I cook and serve separately. For the leftovers (which is my favorite lunch the next day) I mix them and put it in the fridge. I like lots of sauce with my pasta and DH likes a little less sauce.

[CU82]

We don't mix here, mom did growing up and I always thought it was dry. Once we put leftovers up, we usually mix it up then.

This is us. It gets mixed when the leftovers go into the fridge.

I like more pasta less sauce. DH is just the oppositte. We match well :D

[~Coupon Faerie~]

Ok ask him to rinse water over the pasta before adding the sauce;)
It rinses off some starch and so then won't soak up as much sauce:)

[Admin Irock]

My husband likes to have at least 1/2 cup sauce left on his plate when he's done.:rolleyes: We don't mix it either, although, when people do, I still like it.