# The Bite With Mark Bittman Vol. 4: Exploit the Vegetables, Make the Pasta Irrelevant - Made In

In keeping with many a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier, Mark Bittman believes in less pasta—more sauce. Here’s why (and how to try it yourself).

I’ve been preaching the “more sauce, less pasta” sermon for longer than I care to remember – or, at least, since 2007, when I wrote about it in the _Times_. And you know what? I love it now more than ever.

When I’m cooking pasta for people, I always ask “how hungry are you?” Depending on their answer, I measure the pasta out in grams, but it’s often less than you think. (For example: a “snack” is 60 grams; a first course is 75; a main course is 100 and up – some people want 125 or even more, but that’s a lot. Of course all of this is less than I ate when I was young, so judge accordingly.) And then, no matter what, I put a boatload of sauce on top.

Because: The sauces I make are usually veggie-centric: mushrooms, squash, hearty greens, beans. (Canned tomatoes, chickpeas, bagged spinach also work well; you don’t need a summer day at the farmers’ market to make this happen.) Just turn the proportions around. Focus on the sauce and drastically cut your pasta. This is also a great way to increase your daily intake of vegetables. (Generally, you don’t want to use this method with creamy, cheesy, or meat-centric sauces.)

I’ve talked about meat as a condiment; think of this as pasta as a condiment. If you make a really wonderful squash and tomato sauce (this works so well with canned tomatoes), the pasta becomes a (welcome) afterthought. Or what about chickpeas and broccoli rabe with a ton of garlic? Or a pile of mushrooms with wine and garlic and parsley? You get the picture.

Another way to use pasta as a condiment is to put it in a frittata, a dish that in general is one of the easiest dinners to get on the table. A while back, my colleague, Kerri, came to visit, and we conducted a “less pasta” experiment. Our goal was to cook a few dishes that involved an ounce of pasta per person. And you know what? That was plenty of pasta.

This month's recipe, [One-of-Everything Pasta Frittata for One](/recipes/one-of-everything-pasta-frittata), is a result of that visit. And I think you’ll be surprised by how satisfying it is.

_I am so thrilled to be sharing my thoughts and experiences with you for Made In, one of my favorite brands. I’ll be back next month!_

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URL: https://madeincookware.com/blogs/the-bite-with-bittman-less-pasta