The Ultimate Gift Guide for the Pasta Lover in Your Life

Pasta Noodles

In Rome (and in most authentic Italian restaurants), the pasta dishes are homemade, from the noodles to the sauce. Unfortunately, churning out homemade pasta noodles is a bit time-consuming — not to mention impractical — for a weeknight family dinner. This is where packaged pasta comes in. While packaged pasta doesn’t taste as authentic as grandma’s famous Bolognese, it’s still pretty good, making it the perfect stocking stuffer for any pasta lover. According to Manhattan-based chef Nick Anderer, it's all about texture. “Bad pastas never have a great texture. Others are a perfect al dente and then immediately fall apart,” Anderer told Saveur. “The best pastas hold their texture for a little longer so they're easier to work with.” The sauce is another a big indicator. According to Anderer, a "good" noodle will have a sticky outer layer that encourages the sauce to cling to the pasta. And how cute are these adorable holiday-themed shapes? 'Tis the season!

Where to buy it: $14, Amazon.

Pasta Sauce

A high-quality pasta dish needs two things: tasty homemade noodles (a good boxed brand is fine, too) and a fresh and hearty pasta sauce. Usually, store-bought sauce has an acidic taste, but this sauce... this sauce is different. Not only is Hoboken Farms pasta sauce healthy, it’s out-of-this world flavorful. Made with 100-percent pure olive oil and fresh home-grown tomatoes, this sauce truly is one of a kind. From the moment that lid is un-popped, you're immediately transported to the magical land that we now refer to as tomato and garlic heaven. The flavors in Hoboken Farms' sauce will literally take your nostril hairs on an adventure through a pasta dish dream world and back. We're talking homemade ravioli, tortellini, fettuccine, linguini — the list could go honestly on forever. Hoboken Farms sells four delicious flavors, including Marinara, Basil Marinara, Low Sodium Marinara, and Vodka Sauce online and in-store at select markets.

Where to buy it: $53, Amazon.

Pasta Machine

Can a pasta lover really be a pasta lover without a pasta machine? This homemade pasta maker is perfect for making fresh spaghetti alfredo, linguine, and more right at home. With nine different thickness settings, detachable blades, and a removable handle for easy storage, this pasta roller is a definite steal. And according to customer reviews, it “rolls like a breeze.”

“After spending and entire evening hand-rolling dough for pierogis, shoulders killing me, back killing me, I said the heck with it, got online, and bought this machine,” Amazon reviewer Susan C. wrote. “I always thought they would be very expensive, but you sure can't beat this price! I got it the very next day, too! Well, let me be the first to say what a fool I was to hand roll dough! This is a small machine, but it rolls like a breeze. I am so happy with it.”

Where to buy it: $25, Amazon.

Personalized Recipe Box

Do you know how many pasta recipes are out there, lonely and waiting for some hungry home chef to make them into a dish? Hundreds, if not thousands. And what's a pasta-lover to do if she finds a recipe to save forever? Store it in her memory bank? No, she's going to put it in this cute little personalized recipe box that you gave her for Christmas. It’s made with a natural wood finish and a lid with a magnetic closure. Bonus: It comes with 40 recipe cards that are just waiting to be filled with noodle notes.

“So fast! I ordered on a Sunday night and received an email the next day that the box had shipped,” one reviewer wrote. “I was a little leery, as the turnaround was so quick, but the box is beautiful. I bought this for my future daughter-in-law for her wedding shower. Was very happy to see that there was also a pack of blank recipe cards.”

Where to buy it: $20, Amazon.

Wine Bottle Holder

Give your pasta lover a home décor upgrade with this bronze, hand-painted wine bottle holder. It's perfect for dining room tables, coffee tables, and kitchen counters. It also comes in a free gift box, so you won't even need to wrap it!

“This little thing is awesome! Stunning looks, sturdy construction, and brilliant design! When I got it yesterday, I was at first blown away by the box,” Amazon reviewer Steve K. wrote. “Beautifully packaged, like an iPhone. The piece itself is really sturdy with decent heft, and it has a pretty small footprint. And at this price I will be buying several more to give as gifts. I absolutely love it!”

“This is a beautiful wine bottle holder.” Amazon reviewer M. Wilson added. “I love having nature-inspired accents in my home, and this fits perfectly. I can't think of any negatives. It holds the bottle perfectly and snugly — don't have to worry about it slipping.”

Where to buy it: $20, Amazon.

Pasta Bowl Set

The Maxwell & Williams Trattoria pasta bowl set is elegant yet understated, and the absolute perfect size to spoon in heaps of steaming hot pasta. This set comes with one 11-inch serving bowl, and four eight-inch pasta bowls embellished decorated with several genres of the best Italian pastas, like tortellini and bucatini. The pasta set is made from porcelain and is both dishwasher and microwave-safe. Like the wine bottle holder, this pasta bowl set also comes pre-wrapped in a stylish gift box. According to customer reviews, you can serve more than just your favorite carb-filled meals in the dishes.

“Excellent product! Items were exactly as described,” amazon reviewer Ly F. wrote. “Our family of four loves this set's elegance, size, and how versatile it is to use. Besides using it for eating Italian dishes, we also use this set to serve salad and other foods. I am thinking of buying another set!”

Where to buy it: $50, Amazon.

Pasta Spoon

With more than 105 reviews, this stainless-steel pasta ladle is the perfect gift for your pasta-loving friend or loved one. Not only is it stainless, but it's also ergonomically designed, dishwasher safe, and has a (limited) lifetime warranty.

“Very sturdy. I have been hearing about the All-Clad brand, but this was my first purchase from them,” one Amazon reviewer wrote. “I eat a lot of pasta, practically every meal for dinner or lunch has some sort of pasta in it. I had some other pasta forks that bent when trying to lift the pasta from the bowl or even when stirring. This one is amazing and perfect. It doesn't bend, has virtually zero give to it, and is all one-piece construction. I will be ordering several more of these and probably other All-clad products if all are this sturdy.”

“This is a great pasta ladle if you're looking for one,” Amazon reviewer WendyWoman added. “It's nice and sturdy and I'm sure it will stand the test of time. It works really well and sure beats the plastic one I've been using for years. And it's easy to clean, too!”

Where to buy it: $24, Amazon.

Cheese Grater

Grating cheese is probably one of the worst tasks to tackle in your kitchen — tiny bits of cheese get all over the counter and you're left with a mess to deal with. This five-piece cheese grater set, however, will eliminate that problem completely. With interchangeable blades and a snap-on storage container for cheese leftovers, grated cheese leftovers, or you know, just a few random pieces of leftover cheese, there's no way any self-respecting pasta lover wouldn't want this grater in their gift box.

“This is an amazing Cheese Grater for the price,” Amazon reviewer Maria Elizalde wrote. “I purchased this as a housewarming gift for my niece that just moved into her first apartment. This cheese grater comes with different type blades, so you can use with cheeses, vegetables, and even chocolate. It also comes with a container for storage, which is great for small apartments. You can use the container to also grate your cheese and store in the fridge. This is the perfect gift at the perfect price. Plus, Vremi always has fun packaging which was a hit with her friends.”

Where to buy it: $11, Amazon.

Pasta Pot

Straining pasta can be dangerous, especially if you don't have the proper equipment. But this Gotham Steel Pasta Pot comes with a twist-and-lock built-in straining system, making it the ultimate gift for any spaghetti-or-ziti lover (or for anyone who just generally likes to avoid burning themself with pasta water).

Just twist the handle-knobs inward and the pasta lid will click in place, allowing you to flip it completely upside down without burning yourself. Designed with small and large draining holes, the tempered glass lid is perfect for draining grease, water, and fat.

“It's more tall than wide, which works well when stirring pasta because then you don't splash boiling water all over you and the stove top,” Amazon reviewer Margaret Roth wrote. “The swiveling top locks on the handles do stay in place when you're draining the pasta, and they move easily when closing and opening. When draining the pasta, I noticed that the water was coming out not only from the pour spout, but also from under the lid on the side, means it drains faster and I didn't lose any pasta. Bonus points, the steam didn't blow back into my face and fog up my glasses or hit my hands, which is really nice change.”

Where to buy it: $21, Amazon.