This TikTok Chef Just Gave Pasta Chips A Serious Upgrade

Have you joined in on the pasta chips trend? In many homes, the air fryer has been in constant use as pasta has been transformed into crunchy, dippable snacks. TikTok has been flooded with variations on this crunchy creation — such as adding Buffalo seasoning or switching up the pasta shape — as more and more people looking for the tastiest and most innovative riff.

Recently, Chef Danilo Cortellini took to TikTok to offer a more elevated version of pasta chips. This recipe shows the chef filling cooked pasta shells with a bechamel sauce, dipping them into a seasoned bread coating, and deep frying them. The result? Ooey, gooey, crispy stuffed pasta. While this idea is inspired by the pasta chips trend, it isn't as simple as other TikTok recipes. Even some comments on Cortellini's video noted that their version will never look as good or come out as easily as the chef's. Not only does a home cook have to know how to make a bechamel sauce, but they need to be able to deep fry the pasta. It doesn't seem likely that this recipe would work in an air fryer. Although this upgraded snack looks delicious, it is definitely more of a complex dish than another food hack.

As more and more TikTok recipe inventions and food hacks go viral, it raises the question: Are these culinary creations really that innovative, or are these videos just new presentations of a familiar food? Pasta chips is one good example. A quick search can produce numerous fried pasta recipes that go back far longer than the TikTok trend, like Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond's version, which dates back to 2019 (via Food Network). Often the difference is the use of the air fryer to "fry" the pasta versus deep frying in oil.

In some ways, the obsession with pasta chips sparks a conversation about TikTok's influence on food trends. The appeal of pasta chips isn't just their flavor and texture, it is the ease of the snack. Boiling pasta takes little time. Seasoning the al dente pasta is easy. Using an air fryer to make food crunchy in a short amount of time is simple. Just like a the zippiness of a TikTok video, the snack goes from prep to plate in a flash. When it comes to TikTok food trends and recipe invention, pasta chips might not be a new or original recipe, but the methodology and preparation makes a classic idea fresh.