Honeycomb Pasta Is Dividing the Internet—Would You Try It?
TikTok is full of wonders. Feta pasta, sea shanties, plastic wrap hacks, garlic parmesan pizza rolls, whipped coffee—you get the idea.
But the latest craze to sweep the internet is a little more controversial than dropping a block of feta in with some tomatoes and garlic. It’s called honeycomb pasta, and right away we can see you’re confused, because we were too.
Honeycomb pasta is not actually made from honeycomb, and there is no honey in the ingredients list. It’s essentially a big ole pasta pie that resembles a honeycomb. In one of the original videos, user bananalovesyoutoo stacks up rigatoni in a springform. She stuffs each tube with some string cheese, then covers the whole thing in pasta sauce. She tops it off with ground beef and shredded cheese, and then bakes it in the oven. What could possibly be wrong with that? Well, it depends on who you ask.
Some commenters said it was “bussin’” (the youngins’ latest term for cool) and “awesome.” Another said it, “Beats lasagna. Easy, quick, fast. I will be trying this.” A few others called it kid friendly and inexpensive, which depending on your recipe, is certainly true.
Then there are the pasta purists who aren’t quite as convinced. “My Italian grandmother is spinning in her grave,” one person wrote. Another said, “Somewhere an Italian watched this and cried out in pain.” A few other were in agreement that she basically “low key made lasagna” and thus weren’t that impressed.
To that we say, there are other ways to make honeycomb pasta that might be more attractive to the naysayers. So far there’s a Greek take on it, one with a vodka sauce, and even a feta pasta version. Does that make it better?
We pulled ThePioneerWoman.com team to ask that very question, and here’s what they had to say:
"It’s definitely fun to watch someone else make this, but I can’t see myself whipping it up on a weeknight—I feel like wide, flat lasagna noodles were invented for a reason. Having to line up smaller noodles feels a little tedious. BUT! I would absolutely consider making it for a special occasion or if I had guests over, because I think it’s a cool presentation and people would get a kick out of it. It’s one of those dinner party showstopper things. And those definitely have a purpose!!" —Rebekah Lowin, Lifestyle Editor
"As my mother always says, ‘Presentation is everything.’ I’m sure she’d think this is genius, and if she made it, I’m sure I’d love it. But would I spend time creating a vertical rigatoni display? No. Hard no." —Kelly O’Sullivan, Senior Editor
"That’s just baked ziti standing up. And once you serve it, it doesn’t keep its presentation. Too time consuming!" —Kelly O’Sullivan’s mom, Lisette O’Sullivan
"I've never been one for pasta in pie or cake form, or going the extra mile to make my noodles stand up. Overachieving honeycomb pasta is not for me—I like my noodles lazily sitting down—but I appreciate the effort here." —Ivy Jacobson Ford, Executive Editor
"I love a good baked pasta that's oozing with cheese and at first glance this looks like it would be a fun party trick to impress your friends. But it’s SO disappointing when you cut into it and the whole thing just falls apart. What a mess!" —Kara Zauberman, Associate Editor
"Seems like a fun idea, but it would be way too much effort for me to stand every single piece of pasta up, especially if I’m hungry... I’d rather just make regular pasta or manicotti which would be just as cheesy. Although I would like to eat the pasticcio one right this second." —Erin Cavoto, Editorial Assistant
"It looks like it would be pretty good, but my problem is with the string cheese. It might taste nice when it’s melted, but it won’t probably be as good when it solidifies." —Nick Arguijo, who’s speaking in my place, since I have to remain neutral for the sake of good journalism.
So that's the scoop, people! It doesn't seem like it'll be top of our to-do lists, but are you excited to try? Let us know in the comments!
