Iconic Pasta Scenes in Movies and TV
For us, noodles are the star of many of our meals — hey, we’re pasta people, what can we say? We like to think this is also the case in pop culture; pasta makes lots of appearances in movies and television! In some instances, pasta is just a background player, something to signify family dinner. But, in other cases, pasta steals the scene and becomes the central focus of the cinematic moment.
This winter as you cozy up for some binge watching sessions, consider revisiting these movies and TV shows that feature iconic pasta scenes. Just make sure you have a bowl of your favorite ZENB pasta on hand, as the cravings are sure to strike!
Eat, Pray, Love
This memorable moment in the film Eat, Pray, Love opens with the protagonist, Elizabeth Gilbert (played by the ever-charming Julia Roberts), sitting in an outdoor trattoria in Rome. Across the street, she notices two young lovers embracing just before a beautiful plate of Pasta all'Amatriciana is set down in front of her. In a sort of echo of the couple’s make-out session, she enjoys her own expression of love, devouring the pasta while an aria from Mozart’s opera Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) crescendos in the background. While the music builds, we watch Liz rapturously slurp bite after bite of pasta, punctuated with close up shots of showers of Parmesan cheese.
This scene encapsulates the power of food in teaching Liz to be present and savor life’s small pleasures. It also just might have you looking up airfare to Italy!
Get your own Italian vibes going with our Spaghetti Amatriciana recipe, which pairs perfectly with this movie!
Lady & the Tramp
Perhaps the most famous spaghetti movie moment comes from Lady & The Tramp, a 1955 animated musical from Disney. This famous opposites-attract romance follows the unlikely connection forged between a high-society cocker spaniel, Lady, and a charming rough-and-tumble mutt, Tramp.
In this adorable scene, the canine couple sits down for a date at an Italian restaurant, where they order two “Spaghetti Speciales” which the server refers to as “the best spaghetti in town.” The duo ends up being serenaded by the restaurant staff playing a song called Bella Notte. As Lady and the Tramp eat their pasta, they each start eating one long strand that eventually connects them in a quick kiss.
Whether you are watching this with your boo or with your main character boo (yourself!), you can share along in the culinary fun with our ZENB Spaghetti with Turkey & Veggie Meatballs recipe.
Home Alone
In this 1990 John Hughes classic, 8-year-old Kevin McCallister not only survives, but seems to thrive, when he’s accidentally left at home during Christmas. Free from the patronizing attitudes of his loud, boisterous family, especially his villainous brother Buzz, Kevin enjoys (at least for a little while) his independence: sleeping in his parent’s bed, watching his favorite movies, going grocery shopping, and even cooking dinner for himself.
That’s where we find him in this clip: sitting down to say a prayer over his “highly nutritious, microwavable macaroni-and-cheese dinner” — complete with a wine glass of milk!
We know Kevin would have loved how easy our One-Bowl Mac & Cheese recipe is to make. And maybe Kevin’s mom might not have screamed so loud if she knew the cupboards were stacked with ZENB Pasta Agile. 🤷
Friends
Each character on the seminal sitcom Friends is a bit of a personality archetype, from snarky Chandler, to intense Monica, to free-spirited Phoebe. In the season where Joey and Rachel live together (you know the one), Joey opens Rachel’s eyes to a whole new way of living. When you’re at Joey’s, it’s ok to spill food on the floor! Just don’t purposely drop the spaghetti and leave it there — like Joey says, don’t waste it, it’s still food. Jeez.
If you want to fuel your laughter while watching season after season, try our Drunken Spaghetti recipe. It may have you saying “How you doin” 😊.
Elf
If you haven’t already fallen in love with Buddy the Elf by the time he fixes his new family breakfast spaghetti, that scene is sure to win you over with his earnest sweetness and desire to be accepted. Though his Manhattanite hosts aren’t thrilled about eating pasta doused in maple syrup (or taking a bag to-go for lunch), Buddy is more than happy to tuck into his own spaghetti creation, topped with candy, marshmallows, chocolate syrup, and toaster pastries. It’s an absurdist creation that Buddy eats with joy and delight, which is how he does pretty much everything!
Like Buddy, we love to keep our food full of color, and if you do too, try our Creamy Pink ZENB Spaghetti!
Check out the ZENB blog for more articles about pasta, including cooking hacks, recipe round-ups, lifestyle tips, and more! For kitchen inspiration, explore our collection of recipes and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
