Pasta Party: Easy Christmas Pasta Recipes

Whether it’s for a potluck or just a simple meal at home, here are some easy Christmas pasta recipes

In the Philippines, pasta has become a Christmas staple. Whether it’s the typical sweet Filipino spaghetti or a hearty and rich lasagna, it’s always a crowd-pleaser, especially when it can be a meal by itself. Foodie parents may have even found ways to sneak some vegetables in the sauce so that there’s some semblance of health among the usually heart-attack-inducing selection of meals. Besides, these Christmas pasta recipes can also be incredibly easy to make!

Here are some Christmas pasta recipes that are so easy to make for the next potluck:

Creamy Truffle Pasta

As a luxury ingredient, no Christmas spread goes without it now. Truffle is often mixed in a creamy pasta and often served with some shiitake mushrooms tossed in to add some “meat.” Often served as a source of carbs, this Christmas pasta recipe’s appeal comes from the mildly cheesy sauce and the quality of the truffle.

Ingredients

• Spaghetti noodles
• Truffle oil
• Parmesan cheese
• Butter

Instructions

1. Boil noodles.
2. In a pan, melt the butter and then mix it with Parmesan cheese and truffle oil.
3. Add noodles once done and a bit of the pasta water.
4. Garnish with a bit of Parmesan cheese.

In Italy, they often melt the cheese into the butter so the truffle taste still shines through. But if that’s too much of a hassle, just get all-purpose cream and mix the truffle oil in it.

Arrabiata

Made from the humble tomatoes and chili flakes, Arrabiata is a tomato-based pasta which helps cut through the rich and oily flavors of the other meats like roast beef or that lechon we’ve been “behaving” for the whole year. Besides, the red-colored Christmas pasta recipe works well in the Philippines, where tomatoes grow all year round.

Ingredients

• Quartered tomatoes
• White onion (minced)
• Garlic (minced)
• Tomato sauce
• Penne or Spaghetti noodles
• Chili flakes
• Cherry tomatoes (for chunky texture)

Instructions

1. Boil the noodles with salt.
2. Separate tomatoes into those that’ll serve as the chunks and those other for the sauce.
3. Those for the sauce, use a knife and draw a line against the tomatoes’ skin. That way, while sauteeing, it becomes easier to remove.
4. Mince white onion and sauté. Once they become translucent, throw in the tomatoes you drew lines on. Add a little salt to increase the heat.
5. Once their skin starts peeling, scrape them off. Add the garlic.
6. Mash with the spatula and add the chili flakes.

For those who truly have embraced their inner kitchen goddess/witch, they even make the tomato sauce themselves. The trick lies in the tomatoes used—for the sauce, they skin the native tomato (or what we call the kamatis) and then add some cherry tomatoes that they’ve either air-fried or roasted with some salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Plus, if we eat a lot of take-out pizza, we probably have some chili flakes lying around.

Chili Garlic Pasta

If we eat a lot of Chinese food for take-out, then we most likely have an overflowing recycled jar filled with chili garlic from every Chinese restaurant within the metro. A fusion of Italian and Chinese, the chili garlic pasta has a kick that appeals to both those who want something rich but spicy at the same time. The ingredients for this possible Christmas pasta recipe are pretty simple, too!

Ingredients

• Chili garlic
• Spaghetti noodles
• Minced garlic
• Sliced leek whites
• Butter
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Boil noodles
2. In a separate pan, melt butter.
3. Toss in Parmesan cheese, sliced leek whites.
4. Add minced garlic.
5. Drizzle the chili garlic.
6. Toss in noodles.
7. Use the pasta water to thicken the sauce.

For those who don’t want it too rich, some do away with the Parmesan cheese and butter and just do a soy sauce slurry. The slurry is a mixture of cornstarch with water.

Tuyo/Sardine Pasta

It’s so common in Filipino fusion restaurants that it should be easy to make! It actually is—the only problem with turning this into a viable Christmas pasta recipe is the presentation. After all, it can look a little simple compared to the roast beef, lengua, lechon, prawns thermidor, and a Caesar salad. But its appeal lies in the simplicity and how mild it feels in the mouth.

Ingredients

• Bottled Tuyo/Sardine (it doesn’t matter if it’s in olive oil or corn oil.)
• Spaghetti, Angel Hair, or Linguine noodles
• Tomatoes, diced
• Garlic, minced
• Chili flakes
• Red onions, diced

Instructions

1. Boil noodles in salt.
2. Sauté onions and tomatoes. Add salt to extract some of the water from both.
3. Once the onions are translucent and the tomatoes are soft, add the garlic.
4. Toss in the tuyo and sardines.
5. Add the noodles and mix.
6. Garnish with chili flakes.

The best part about this dish is that the ingredients don’t break the bank. What matters is how we assemble the dish.

Tips for Cooking Pasta

Pasta, being so simple, unfortunately, doesn’t hide the chef’s or the home cook’s mistakes well. It becomes glaringly obvious in terms of texture and sometimes, flavor. Here are some tips for cooking pasta:

• Don’t boil the pasta harshly. If the water is already boiling violently, then turn off the heat. Let the pasta rest in hot water. It’ll prevent it from getting mushy.
• Use broth for boiling pasta. Ever wonder why the pasta in restaurants can taste so flavorful? It’s because they boil their noodles in broth.
• Wash the onions in cold water or refrigerate them overnight. Want to stop them from making you cry? Run it under cold water or refrigerate it. The acids won’t be so strong when you do.
• Don’t cook onions and garlic at the same time! Garlic browns so much faster and nobody wants bitter pieces of garlic in their food.
• Refer to the color wheels for presentation. Honestly, that’s how chefs make dishes look pretty. They use a color wheel. Feel free to refer to Adobe’s Color Wheel for reference.

An easy contribution for Christmas party menus

Pasta is a timeless Christmas dish. While Filipinos have their pancit and the like, some prefer to splurge during these holidays. There’s nothing wrong with it; after all, it’s one of the few reasons why Filipinos are such a party-loving bunch: we love to eat. Food is our love language.

So, if we’re struggling to find something for the menu this upcoming potluck, maybe these Christmas pasta recipes can help!

More about holiday feasts?

Easy Party Tray Recipes For Last Minute “Toka”
Christmas Brunch Recipes For The Family
Delicious Leftover Lechon Recipes To Spice Up The Dinner Table