Would You Try Giada De Laurentiis' Favorite Childhood Chocolate Snack?

Chocolate is one of humanity's greatest inventions. It's versatile and goes with almost everything. Hot chocolate with cheese? Amazing. Chocolate meat marinade? Yes, please. Chocolate with pasta? Mmm, we're not so sure, but we might be convinced to at least try it after seeing Giada De Laurentiis' viral Instagram video, in which she talks about how her mom used to make her this dish when she was little. 

According to the celebrity chef (who's Italian-American), her mom would spread Nutella or chocolate chips over pasta for a sweet snack. Today, she still feels "nothing is more comforting and more like a hug" than this dish. After explaining how to make it, De Laurentiis challenges viewers to try it sometime. Honestly, it's not complicated: Simply cook some shell pasta, drain it, and add a hazelnut chocolate spread on top.

The internet was definitely divided. Cooking influencer and cookbook author Yumna Jawad (better known as feelgoodfoodie) replied with enthusiasm: "Challenge accepted!!" Maxine Sharf, another recipe influencer who has 3 million followers on her Instagram account, maxiskitchen, said, "I need to try it!" Others were not as convinced. "No, I'm sorry, but this looks completely disgusting. There are just some things that shouldn't go on pasta and chocolate is one of them," user fittyfoodlicious stated. Others, like dangelzone, took a more dramatic approach: "Delete this Giada...please." Regardless of what people think, we're sure De Laurentiis is completely unbothered and will continue to enjoy the snack she's loved all her life.

We wouldn't say this chocolate pasta recipe looks particularly appetizing, even with the bit of grated chocolate replacing Parmesan cheese. The issue is not so much the taste, but the texture. Pasta's softness doesn't seem like it would mix well with a chocolate hazelnut spread. An entire bowl of this also seems like it would be overly sweet, since there's not much to contrast the spread. Overall, we're not very excited about this recipe. Still, you shouldn't knock it till you've tried it. Cooking is about experimenting and trying new things, after all. It's not uncommon for something seemingly weird to end up being surprisingly delicious.

We'd also be open to following some of the ideas on the comment thread, particularly gigilarose_'s advice to add real Parmesan for a bit of saltiness and crushed walnuts for texture. This would probably make the dish more appetizing — or completely ruin it. Either way, it's quick and easy enough to make it worth the risk. Perhaps our take is best reflected by Instagram user's byzareefa's comment: "This is absurd. I'm trying it."

If diving straight into sweet pasta is too much for you, you can dab your feet into it by following De Laurentiis' carbonara recipe, which calls for a bit of cinnamon. Or skip the sweetness altogether and make savory chocolate pasta noodles following traditional Tuscan and Umbrian recipes.