A useful little tool
How much pasta? A portion calculator.
Adjust the eaters, the sauce style, and the course — get the dry-pasta gram total and the number of 500g Cibo packs. No scales required at the checkout.
Working rule: 80–100g of dry pasta per adult for a main; 50–60g for a starter or side. Heavier sauces eat fuller, so we trim 20g. See the full pasta-101 guide for the reasoning.
Why these numbers
The base values come from the working portion rules we use across our recipes — 80–100g per adult for a main, 50–60g for a side. The calculator trims 20g for heavier sauces (cream, cheese, ragu) because those add their own calories per bite. Children's portions follow the same proportional logic at 60% of the adult main.
Cibo di Italia packs come in 500g (Classic and Whole-Wheat ranges) and 300g (Gluten-Free). The pack-count number above rounds to the next whole 500g pack — there's no point half-opening a bag if you have to eyeball it.
For the full discussion, including a quick reference chart and how to portion without scales, see the pasta portion size guide .
Keep going — three useful guides
Got the portions sorted? Here's what to read next.
- How to cook pasta perfectly al dente every time — the exact water-to-salt ratio, timing by shape, and the one step most home cooks skip (saving the pasta water).
- What pasta shape goes with what sauce? — why penne rigate grabs tomato, fusilli is built for pesto, and conchiglie rigate scoops up chunks.
- How much pasta per person — the full guide — the reference chart, handy fistful trick, children's portions, and context adjustments for iftar, bakes and pasta salads.