Does pasta with 'stir-through' pasta sauce constitute a meal?

[Geri]

Never seen pasta with sauce sold like that, so not a meal.

Have you never been to an Italian restaurant?

 

[mentalchik]

The way that people dislike something being called a meal if it's something that they don't approve of. A bit like refusing to call something 'art' because you don't like it.

Exactly !

 

[tarannau]

I think it's more than that to be fair. It's more that it seems insubstantial or missing something.

Maybe I'm a greedy bastard, but I have to at my least hungry and most lazy mood to just want sauce and pasta. A few extra chunks of something else thrown in or some bread and I generally feel more sated.

 

[Geri]

I went to an Italian restaurant and ordered some rigatoni pasta in a tomato and basil sauce. When it came, it looked and tasted like they had poured a tin of Heinz cream of tomato soup over the pasta. I was not impressed.

 

[Herbsman.]

You may think it's a meal, but it's not a complete meal. If you think that, then you're deluded.

 

[toblerone3]

This thread has made me feel hungry so I'm having a meal of spaghetti, pesto sauce, parmesan and fresh tomatoes.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

pasta, leeks and carrots braised in tomato sauce, hackney salad bag leaves and toms

that's what i call a meal

 

[moonsi til]

This is a bonkers thread..

Pasta and a shop bought or home made sauce is def a meal. I often make small portions of a tomato sauce and freeze them for quick meals and I buy them when I see a decent one at a reduced price in the supermarket.

A fallback meal for me is pasta, sauce,tinned sweetcorn,olives from a jar and a pitta bread that gets defrosted in the toaster. I always have these ingredients to fall back on when I'm to tired/busy and cos it's easy and tasty.

 

[paolo]

You must have led a curiously sheltered life.

I'm an insular Londoner, I admit.

It's possible that Birmingham, Manchester, New York or even Rome and Paris are awash with restaurants selling pasta and sauce as main courses. I don't know. Are they?

 

[EastEnder]

It's possible that Birmingham, Manchester, New York or even Rome and Paris are awash with restaurants selling pasta and sauce as main courses. I don't know. Are they?

I've had curry in Birmingham, cheesy chips in Manchester, pizza in New York & pasta in Rome - all as "main" courses. Strictly speaking, in Italia, pasta is normally served as "il primo" (first course, after starter), rather than "il secondo" (second/main course), but the genial natives never seemed to mind. I can't comment on Paris, never been there, but I suspect there may be garlic involved.

 

[paolo]

I've had curry in Birmingham, cheesy chips in Manchester, pizza in New York & pasta in Rome - all as "main" courses. Strictly speaking, in Italia, pasta is normally served as "il primo" (first course, after starter), rather than "il secondo" (second/main course), but the genial natives never seemed to mind. I can't comment on Paris, never been there, but I suspect there may be garlic involved.

So, generally, Pasta and a sauce is not served as a main dish.

(Or did I misunderstand?)