Fresh vs Dry Pasta: Which one is better?

What is the difference?

To put it simply they are two completely different pastas made of different ingredients. Fresh pasta cannot be dried out to make dry pasta and dry pasta will not taste like fresh pasta after water is added. The texture and durability of each pasta serves a purpose.

Fresh pasta is made with water, flour and eggs and dry pasta is made with flour and water. Dry pasta needs to have a longer shelf life and can come in different fun shapes and sizes that fresh pasta cannot pull off. Dry pasta has little taste on its own and fresh pasta has more flavor before adding a sauce. 

Fresh Pasta

Fresh pasta is best used with buttery, creamy or cheesy sauces like alfredo or butter and parmesan. Fresh pasta is soft and tender and cooks quickly, but it does not hold up well in rich oil based or meaty sauces. It is not good for your baked ziti or your hearty marinara sauce. Buttery sauces can bring out the full flavor of the noodles and keep them from falling apart. 

You also do not want to use fresh pasta in soups or casseroles or any baked dishes unless you want mushy pasta. Fresh pasta typically only lasts a few days to a week. If you are a busy person who likes to stock up on staples you are not going to want to buy fresh pasta unless you plan to use it quickly. 

In short, fresh pasta takes less time to cook but it doesn’t hold up well in hearty sauces, soups or baked dishes. It is great for creamy or buttery sauces and has more flavor on its own.

Dry pasta

Dry pasta has a lot going for it these days with busy people who want a quick easy meal to put together. While it takes longer to cook it can stay on the shelf for years and still be usable. There are many jarred marinara based sauces that have long shelf lives as well. You can throw together a meal in about 20 minutes if you stock up on nonperishables and throw in meat or cheese. 

You can make all kinds of dishes with all shapes and sizes of pasta, including soups and casseroles with it.  You can also use the cream and butter-based sauces on them; you just will not have the full flavor you would have with the fresh pasta.  You can throw cooked noodles in a stir fry to replace the rice. Dry pasta is extremely versatile and holds up well in most dishes you can imagine. 

Which is better?

Some people say fresh is always better and others disagree. The consensus in the cooking world seems to be that it simply depends on this dish that you are cooking. Some say you absolutely cannot use fresh pasta with marinara sauce and others say it is fine.  The lesson learned here is it is a matter of taste and knowing your noodle. If you make a mild marinara sauce and want to throw it over fresh noodles go ahead. If you prefer to stock up on dry noodles for all your pasta dishes, then that is the best pasta for you. The best pasta fits your tastes and lifestyle.