A Simple Homemade Pasta Recipe from an Inspired Taste Chef

Inspired by Taste offers homemade pasta recipes that cater to home cooks of all abilities, even those just starting out. Chefs Joanne and Alex Gallagher utilize fresh egg pasta dough to create various types, including spaghetti, fettuccine, pappardelle, capellini, and even lasagna sheets.

From a love for spaghetti to a passion for penne, pasta preferences across the U.S. show some interesting cultural divides. Recent research aimed to uncover the favorite pasta shapes of each state, revealing some unexpected local choices and surprising national trends.

Interestingly, spaghetti emerged as the top pick in states like Mississippi, where it accounted for a striking 26% of overall votes, and 55% of residents favored the classic choice. Meanwhile, penne closely follows, representing about 25% of the votes and being the favorite in 17 states, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.

Joanne Gallagher, co-founder of Inspired Taste, shared her surprise at how close the competition was between spaghetti and penne, noting it was just a 1% difference. “It really shows how much people care about their pasta choices,” she said.

On the other hand, the elbow macaroni, despite being the fourth most popular shape nationally, surprisingly wasn’t anyone’s top choice in any state. Arizona notably stands out as the state with the highest preference for penne, boasting 50% support from its residents.

Fettuccine takes the lead in California at 33%, while Hawaii and New Mexico showed a preference for angel hair or capellini. A few states, such as South Dakota, Alaska, and Montana, chose rotini as their favorite.

It seems that orzo and angel hair are tied as the least preferred shapes, with each being disliked by 18% of survey respondents. “Everyone has a pasta shape that speaks to them, and that’s part of the joy of cooking pasta,” Gallagher added.