The Italian export hit par excellence is spaghetti. They are wrapped in fruity tomato sauce while they are hot and steaming, wrapped on the fork, and pushed into your mouth. But which product is the queen of spaghetti? Stiftung Warentest took a closer look at some varieties and found that cheap pasta can even beat branded products!

Testing spaghetti

The Stiftung Warentest tested a total of 25 types of spaghetti in terms of aroma, appearance, smell, mouthfeel, and pollutant content. Among them were 20 durum wheat, three whole grain, and two gluten-free products – both cheap pasta and brand names.

Wholemeal pasta is particularly healthy

Lovers of wholemeal pasta are reluctant to do without the heartier and darker version of the pasta. Anyone who has acquired a taste for it is also doing something for their health by enjoying their pasta dish: Wholemeal pasta has twice as much dietary fiber and more minerals than light-colored varieties. In the meantime, the processing and production of pasta from whole grains have been optimized in such a way that you can hardly taste the difference between light-colored pasta products. The best alternatives to white flour pasta are here, by the way.

Spaghetti or Spaghettini is best known when accompanied by a spicy Bolognese sauce. But the long cords can do much more than that. For example, have you ever tried waffles with the delicious pasta or prepared the pasta in the oven? If not, you should make up for it quickly! We provide you with these and other inspirations for delicious spaghetti dishes here.

Pasta with tomatoes and zucchini

We know pasta with a number of different sauces: Classic and simple are pasta carbonara, spaghettini Aglio e olio (with lots of garlic!), spaghetti alla puttanesca, or simple pasta salad. The noodles are boiled in salted water according to the instructions on the packet and then mixed with the respective sauce. Our first delicious spaghetti creation with Mediterranean vegetables spreads a holiday mood, don’t you think? Fresh thyme and aromatic Parmesan make the enjoyment perfect.

Red mullet fillet on spaghetti

Anyone who only ever serves fish with rice or potatoes is missing out on the best: the tender red mullet fillet and the delicious pasta form a successful combination! The slight kick of spiciness from the chili gives the dish the finishing touch.

Spaghetti with carrots, feta cheese, and sesame

This delicious veggie dish impresses with its contrasts: fruity seasoned carrots and spicy feta cheese form a great taste contrast. The whole thing is perfected with fresh parsley and aromatic sesame. By the way: Instead of feta cheese, you can also use halloumi – it tastes at least as good.

Spaghetti with wild garlic and almond pesto

Pesto is one of the classic pasta sauces – and for good reason: the delicious herb sauce can be varied wonderfully and is quick to make. Why not try this spring-like variant with aromatic wild garlic and crunchy almonds!

Pasta with olives and tomatoes

“Vegan and delicious” – that could be the motto for this dish. The delicacy of spaghetti, olives, tomatoes, and capers is on the table in just 30 minutes.

Spaghetti Shrimp Parcels

These small packages are really something special: because the delicious pasta is tied up with shrimp, tomato sauce, and fresh parsley and prepared in the oven. Practical: This variant is super easy to prepare and then only has to be baked shortly before consumption. With a few extra shrimp, a delicious shrimp salad can be served as a side dish.

Pasta with nut and broccoli sauce

You have to try this delicious pasta with creamy vegetable sauce yourself – it’s definitely worth it! Crunchy nuts and aromatic broccoli complete the quick treat.

Pasta with colorful vegetable sauce

Asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, spring onions, and a slight spiciness from the chili – this pasta clearly stands for healthy enjoyment! If you prefer to enjoy the dish vegan, simply leave out the parmesan.

Spaghetti with meatballs and tomato sauce

Not only do Susi and the Tramp like this spaghetti variant – we also like the spicy meatballs in combination with aromatic tomato sauce and al dente pasta!

Spaghetti waffles with powdered sugar and berry compote

We also have the right spaghetti recipe for those with a sweet tooth: together with eggs, milk, flour, and sugar, the noodles become crispy waffles. Serve with a fruity compote – delicious!

Spaghetti Pizza Bolognese is a heavenly fluffy pizza dough with a bolognese sauce and spaghetti as a topping. This pizza is finished with a layer of cheese. This dish is particularly recommended for connoisseurs of Italian cuisine.

Spaghetti pizza à la Italiano is the tasty combination of a pizza made with real yeast dough and spaghetti with a Bolognese sauce. Especially lovers of Italian dishes and spices will like this dish.

Ingredients for the spaghetti pizza

– 500g flour
– 1 packet of dry yeast (or fresh, depending on your preference)
– 2 tablespoons of oil
– a bit of salt
– a cup of lukewarm water

Ingredients for the pizza topping

– 400g of spaghetti
– 400g Hackepeter (seasoned minced pork or beef)
– 1 can of pizza tomatoes (unseasoned)
– (olive) oil
– Salt
– oregano
– Pepper
– some curry
– grated cheese to sprinkle on the pizza (make it yourself or buy ready-made)
– Pizza seasoning (optionally also oregano)

Preparation of Spaghetti Pizza Bolognese

1. Place the flour and yeast in a large bowl along with the oil. Add some salt and then add the not too hot, lukewarm water.
2. Now knead the dough lightly (preferably with your hands)
3. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 2-3 hours (can also be used in the oven at 50° Celsius)
4. Cook the spaghetti in hot, salted water (about 10 minutes) and place it in a colander to drain.
5. Now the minced meat is fried in the saucepan and made small until it is well done and has a grayish color.
6. Add the can of tomatoes and stir well.
7. Now add some olive oil and season with oregano, pepper, some curry, and salt to taste.
8. Now that the dough is ready and has risen, it needs to be rolled out on the baking sheet. Then let the dough rise again for about 30 minutes.
9. Now the sauce can be spread on the pizza dough, then the spaghetti is spread over it and the pizza is sprinkled with cheese and pizza spices.
10. The pizza can now be baked in the oven at 180° for about 25 minutes.

Side dishes spaghetti pizza

The pizza can be served in combination with an Italian salad.

We recommend a sweet red wine as a drink or, as a non-alcoholic variant, a grape juice spritzer.

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe is a simple and classic Italian recipe that doesn’t require many ingredients or time. We will show you a basic recipe and a vegan version.

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe means spaghetti with pecorino and pepper. Cacio is a special Roman pecorino made from sheep’s milk. You can get it in Italian specialty shops or, for example, at a cheese counter. Pay attention to organic quality in order to guarantee species-appropriate animal husbandry.

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe: basic recipe

For Cacio e Pepe for three people you need about:

400 grams of spaghetti
200 g Pecorino
Salt
black pepper (freshly ground)
Note: Note that pecorino is usually made with animal rennet. These are enzymes that are taken from the stomach of calves. Accordingly, Pecorino is not vegetarian.

How to prepare Cacio e Pepe

Place the spaghetti in boiling salted water. Don’t use too much salt in the pasta water, as the pecorino is already very salty.
Grate the pecorino.
Put the grated cheese in a cold pan. Now add a few tablespoons of the hot pasta water and stir the cheese into a creamy paste. Caution: In a coated pan, you should use a wooden spoon to stir, otherwise the coating could break.
Generously grind the black pepper, add it to the pan and stir the mixture well again.
About 2-3 minutes before the spaghetti is al dente, drain and reserve the pasta water.
Add the pasta to the pan with the pecorino mixture. Now add enough pasta water by the spoonful so that the spaghetti Cacio e Pepe can simmer gently for the remaining minutes.
At the end, the noodles should have soaked up the water and there should be almost no liquid left in the pan.
To serve, you can grate some fresh Pecorino over the portions of your fresh Cacio e Pepe.

Vegan variation of the spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

If you want to make spaghetti cacio e pepe entirely without animal products, you can make a vegan nut-based cheese sauce.

For 300 to 400 grams of spaghetti you need:

25 grams of almonds
25 g cashew nuts
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
4-5 tbsp yeast flakes
1/4 tsp salt
60 g sauerkraut brine
120 g unsweetened plant drink
1 tbsp olive oil
freshly ground pepper

This is how the vegan version of Cacio e Pepe works:

Roast the almonds, cashews and sesame seeds in a pan without fat until lightly brown and fragrant.
Put the nuts, yeast flakes, salt, sauerkraut brine and plant-based drink with about 250 milliliters of pasta water in a blender and puree the ingredients into a creamy sauce. If the sauce is still too thick, you can add more pasta water in between.
Heat the oil in a pan and grind in some pepper.
Let the pepper roast briefly and then add the cheese sauce.
As described above, add the almost-cooked spaghetti and pasta water and let the pasta simmer in the pan until done.

Tip: Although almonds, cashews and sesame provide the creamy cheese note of the vegan Cacio e Pepe, they are problematic from an ecological perspective: They have to travel long distances to Germany and therefore have a bad ecological balance. Alternatively, you can replace them with the same amount of walnuts and sunflower seeds from German cultivation. When buying the products, also pay attention to organic goods if possible in order to avoid chemical-synthetic pesticides.