Tutoni's now offers pasta by the pound to take home and enjoy later.
Italians are famous for big meals that bring friends and family around the dinner table. Instead of reaching for a dried box of spaghetti the next time you host dinner, take a note from your Nonna’s cookbook and serve a restaurant quality Italian dinner at home.
This meal isn’t your ordinary weeknight dinner. Instead, it’s a meal prepared and served with love. So, grab a bottle of wine, call your favorite people and pull out the china – we’re going to show you how to impress your guests with a homemade Italian dinner.
Set the atmosphere
It might be tempting to sit on the couch with a big bowl of pasta and stuff yourself with carbs until you fall asleep. But if your Nonna were watching, what would she say? A homemade pasta meal can take a regular weeknight dinner and turn it into something extraordinary.
Set the table, light a candle and bring out the nice plates and silverware. Put on some Italian music that sets the tone for casual elegance mixed with fun. We suggest Franco Coggiola, Nino Rota or even the classic songs of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
Don’t eat alone
Pasta is delicious on its own, but it’s especially enjoyable when you share it with people you love. There’s nothing quite like sitting around the kitchen table with friends and family to put the comfort in comfort food. So, grab a bottle of wine and pull out the welcome mat: it’s time for dinner.
Select the sides
You really don’t need much to go along with a great bowl of homemade pasta. Because pasta is typically a comfort food, look for a side dish that’s refreshing and light.
A fresh spinach salad with a citrus-based vinaigrette makes a great start to an Italian dinner at home.
You might also want to serve crusty, fresh bread to go along with your meal. There’s no need to waste a drop of the sauce on your plate. Use the bread to mop up leftover tomato sauce or dip it in a small plate of extra virgin olive oil.
Choose your sauce
The type of sauce you choose can depend on a lot of things – including the type of pasta you might be using. Long and skinny pastas, such as spaghetti and linguine go well with a light seafood sauce or oil-based sauce. Shells or tubular pastas, such as penne or rigatoni, are tasty with a heavy cream or meat sauce.
Use Tutoni’s Signature Housemade Pasta
A fresh pasta can make all the difference when it comes to serving an Italian dinner at home. Next time you dine at Tutoni’s in York, Pa., take home a pound of our homemade pasta to eat at your own dinner table. Our pasta has a tender bite that you won’t find in store bought, dried pastas – and it’s made with care by the very chefs who create our farm-to-table inspired restaurant dishes.
Follow the basic principles of pasta cooking
There are two main things you want to keep in mind when making pasta at home. First, make sure you salt the boiling water to properly season your meal. Second, cook the pasta until it’s al dente. The best way to tell if your pasta is al dente is to taste it. It should have enough chew or bite without sticking to your teeth.
Visit Tutoni’s
Once you’ve mastered the art of an Italian dinner at home, we hope you’ll visit us when you need a break from the heat of the kitchen. Schedule your dinner reservation with us today or step into the TT Bar for one of our scratch made cocktails.