Chefs Love to Hate This Controversial Pasta Shape
For years now, angel hair pasta has been a thing chefs and food media love to rag on. A food trend left behind in the ’90s, the pasta shape is often criticized for its tendency to become a goopy, overcooked mess. The noodles are so thin, even a few seconds too long and it’s game over. But guess what? Angel hair, aka capellini, has its place and just like ’90s fashion, it’s so back.
What Makes Angel Hair Pasta So Good
Everything old is new again, but this time, we’re learning from our mistakes. I love toothsome pastas like rigatoni and bucatini just as much as the next girl, but sometimes you just want to eat 1,000 tiny noodles. And sometimes, you just want pasta that cooks in two-ish minutes. The reason angel hair was so maligned over the past few decades is because it often came out mushy and overcooked. The extremely obvious solution? Don’t overcook it! It’s simple, it’s comforting, and you won’t wander off and forget to take it off the stove because it cooks so quickly.
And don’t put a thick, heavy sauce on top that the poor little angel noodles can’t support. Angel hair goes best with lighter sauces, which means it also lends itself more to quick, easy dinners. This is a great pasta to have on hand when you just need to get some dinner on the table, maybe with some roasted broccoli on the side (that’s my move).
I should probably also give my mom, a lifelong angel hair lover, a call and apologize. She’s been right all along.
How to Do It Right
If you’re going to make angel hair, set yourself up for success by following these rules:
Undercook it slightly. Residual heat will keep cooking pasta after you pull it from the water, and angel hair already has a tendency to overcook. Drain it about 30 seconds earlier than the shortest cook time on the box to ensure you get the ideal texture in your bowl.
Use the right sauce. Delicate angel hair isn’t meant to hold up heavy sauces like creamy alfredo or meaty ragu. Instead, opt for a light toss of basil pesto, buttery white wine sauce, or even a light toss of olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Toss it right before serving. Because it spends so little time in the water, I like to drop in the angel hair when the pasta sauce is already done. Then, I just give it a quick toss and bring it straight to the table! Avoid any stirring over heat in the pan, as this can make your pasta mushy.
This is not the time to meal prep! Because it overcooks so quickly, angel hair is much less reheat-friendly than thicker pasta shapes. If possible, only cook what you need for the meal. You can always make more the next night since it takes such little time to cook!
More Recipes to Try with Angel Hair Pasta
Summer Garden Pasta (You can use jarred roasted tomatoes or artichoke hearts in the colder months!)
Further Reading
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
