Pantry Staple: Pasta

I LOVE NOODLES! Who doesn't? And guess what? They don't make you fat.

Great for the kitch: It's a quick and easy meal or side. Even better, it comes in lots of shapes and sizes - fun! My favorites are angel hair, rotini, and shells (especially in a Kraft box). My advice is to keep a couple of your favorites in the pantry plus a fun shape to experiment with. Angel hair and other spaghetti shapes do well with tomato and other thin sauces. Fettuccine often goes with cream sauce. Penne is a hearty noodle and goes with hearty, meaty sauces. Tiny pastas go well in soups. I found a great pasta + sauce guide on Chow.com (also a VERY cool food and drink website) to check out as well. Branch out and make something other than spaghetti for dinner.

Great for the bod: Pasta constantly gets dissed at a fattening food. But like anything, it's healthy and satisfying in moderation. If you really want to up the nutritional value, buy whole grain. It has a lot more fiber and protein than semolina pasta. Barilla is the best if you want to avoid the "wheaty" taste of most whole grain foods.

Store it: However you'd like. But this is what I like.

Just for fun: I think pasta is one of the easiest things to experiment with. There are a billion different shapes and several types: semolina, whole wheat, frozen, egg, rice, glass...the list goes on. Make a goal of trying a different type every other week.

Andy's Asian Noodle Salad

2 bundles Thick Mung Bean (glass or clear) Noodles
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
3 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Drop two bundles of glass noodles into boiling water. Once they become translucent, strain them in a colander. Transfer noodles into a bowl. Combine the oil and vinegar, pour evenly over the noodles, and mix together. Sprinkle liberally with toasted sesame seeds. Chill in the fridge until cold then serve in your favorite stemware (we use martini glasses!).