Pasta Chips

Pasta chips are crispy-fried broken pasta pieces tossed with salt and seasonings, ready to eat straight from the pan or piled into a bowl. They come together in under half an hour and taste nothing like the starch you boil for dinner. The key is breaking the pasta small and frying it until it browns all over, which turns it crunchy and nutty.

Ingredients for Pasta Chips

Spaghetti or any thin dried pasta is broken into pieces and fried until crispy. Vegetable oil provides the heat needed to brown the pasta evenly. Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper season the chips right after frying, when they are still warm and will absorb the flavors.

Why This Pasta Chips Works

Dried pasta is mostly starch, which fries up the same way potatoes do. When you break it into small pieces and submerge it in hot oil, the outside browns and crisps while the inside stays light and airy. The pieces puff slightly as the moisture inside turns to steam, creating a texture that is crunchy all the way through.

The seasonings stick best when sprinkled onto the warm chips right out of the oil. The residual heat helps the salt and spices cling to the surface instead of sliding off. Letting the chips cool for a minute before eating lets them harden to full crispness.

Mistakes To Avoid

Frying at too high a temperature browns the outside before the inside crisps. The pasta will taste burnt and bitter, and the center stays soft. Keep the oil at 325°F (163°C) and adjust the heat as needed to maintain it.

Leaving the pasta pieces too large means they will not crisp all the way through. The center stays chewy while the outside is hard, which gives an unpleasant texture. Break the pasta into small pieces, no bigger than a dime.

Seasoning the chips after they have cooled means the salt and spices will not stick and will pile at the bottom of the bowl. The chips taste bland and unevenly seasoned. Always season immediately while the chips are still warm.

Storing the chips in an airtight container without letting them cool first traps steam and makes them soggy within hours. Let them cool completely on the paper towel before storing so they stay crispy. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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Ingredients

• 6 ounces dried spaghetti
• 3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Break the spaghetti into pieces roughly the size of a dime or smaller by holding the bundle over a bowl and snapping it by hand or with your fingers.
2. Pour the oil into a medium heavy-bottomed pot and place it over medium heat.
3. Heat the oil to 325°F (163°C), checking the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Adjust the heat to keep it steady.
4. Carefully add a small handful of broken pasta to the hot oil, about 1/4 cup at a time, and stir gently with a slotted spoon.
5. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta pieces turn golden brown all over and smell toasted.
6. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the chips to a paper towel to drain for 1 minute.
7. While the chips are still warm, transfer them to a shallow bowl and sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
8. Toss gently to coat evenly.
9. Let the chips cool for 2 to 3 minutes before eating so they harden to full crispness.
10. Repeat with the remaining pasta in batches, letting the oil return to 325°F (163°C) between batches.