3 out of 5

**OMG! I cannot believe that these reviews haven't been done! I am so sorry they are so late!!!**

Pasta is a staple in our household, as well as when I was growing up. I would make any of these recipes for my family (more like my husband because he is the cook). I can't wait to try many of these soon!
#Pastafridaycookbook #Netgalley

THE PASTA FRIDAY COOKBOOK by Allison Arevalo sounds like a wonderful tradition: "52 pasta recipes. 16 seasonal salads. A year of gathering around the table to share a meal, strengthen bonds, and make memories." Unfortunately, I think this book is geared to those who may already be celebrating in a similar manner. Many of the terms and ingredients were unfamiliar (I intended to include some examples, but the preview file is no longer available) and if there was a glossary of some type, I missed it, and also do not recall nutrition information (or it could be that the calorie counts per meal were rather high and that is why I did not highlight any meals). In any case, there were very few images, something which seems essential for a cookbook, especially a celebratory one like this. Loved the idea of weekly meals to create in a fun atmosphere, but the recipes and their presentation need refinement to be easier to make and more appealing overall.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book.

This book is a great example of a pasta recipe book. It has recipes from easy to hard and follows seasonal ingredients so recipes can be cheaper if needed. Nice addition to anyone's recipe book collection.

This is a great book with easy to follow recipes and good stories to go along with them. The pasta dishes for the most part as easy and I found the different salads a very good touch. This reminded me of when my father and I would cook every Sunday an Italian meal for our family and he would share the different stories of his childhood and grandparents who came over from Italy with me. The main thing is getting back to sitting down and sharing with family and friends and this is what this book gets you to do. A wonderful book.

This book has 52 pasta recipes, from basic sun-dried tomato to squid ink. What makes it different from other pasta books is turning Pasta Night into a Pasta Party where you invite friends and neighbors and hopefully make it a regular event. This is how pasta should be enjoyed, and the authors do a really fantastic job with the idea.

The book starts with suggestions on how to have your own Pasta Fridays, and it’s a lot more helpful than just “Invite your friends over.” It goes over all the things you’d normally not know until you’ve experienced several disastrous dinner parties. If you read this section first you will avoid many mistakes and I was quite impressed with the information. It really focuses on not going overboard or creating unnecessary work for yourself, and there are several helpful ideas for having kids at the party (which they encourage).

The recipes are divided up within the four seasons so you can enjoy fresh produce in your recipes, and there are salad recipes in each section as well. This was the reason I requested this book. There are endless pasta cookbooks out there, but this one includes the salad that you (and your body) needs when you’re stuffing yourself with delicious carbs. The salads are not complicated, just delicious, and also take advantage of the seasons.

This book picks a specific theme, Pasta Friday, and really sticks to it and covers it completely. I love that it really focuses on keeping things simple. Just delicious pasta, salad and wine, with some bread and butter on the side.

Five stars for some great recipes and sticking to one simple concept completely.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Pasta Friday Cookbook
Let's Eat Together
by Allison Arevalo


With over 70 recipes in this book there is definitely something for everyone! The idea of having one day a week to socialize and to do so using a different pasta and sauce each week of the year is interesting. I have loved pasta since I was three or four and living next door to an Italian woman who made pasta in her kitchen. Anyway, this book was a delight to look through and gave me much food for thought.

Ms Arevalo has given clear cut directions in her recipe and in the first chapter tells why she started this tradition and gives hints on how to be successful should you decide to do this yourself. How much for 2 or 4 or 25 people and how to also figure out how much meat, sauce etc is mentioned. The recipes are set up by season starting with Fall and each season has ingredients that should be readily available. The photography is lovely and made me want to sit down with t he bottle of wine I had brought with me to enjoy a meal with all the others there for the meals.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

A great family cookbook for meals you can have together, without all the entertaining fuss. Very well laid out with easy to follow directions and nice photos.

I grew up in a 'pasta Friday' home so much of this book felt familiar. A different pasta for each week of the year feels fun & the variety keeps things interesting. Splitting the year by seasons & giving recipes for each is a great way to use seasonal ingredients. I might not agree with the 'no dessert' stance or that the amount of pasta is the same for seven people as it is for 10 but this is a solid effort. I can't wait to try many of the dishes, which range from new twists on old standards to the unusual, such as duck lasagna.

Such a wonderful cookbook with tons of recipes I would love to try. I have tried 2 so far and both my husband and I have very much enjoyed them.

I will be trying more in the future for sure and I have already recommended this one to all my friends.

Great book if you are looking for the quick and easy recipes for dinners. The ingredients are mostly affordable and easily accessible. Great ideas of simple pasta dishes.

What a great idea! With social media and a lack of communication with those we care about, Allison Arevalo has come up with an excellent cookbook, The Pasta Friday Cookbook: Let's Eat Together , that gets us together with friends, neighbors, or family for a weekly pasta night. In this cookbook, she not only gives instructions on how to start a group, but what to cook once the group has been formed.

The recipes are mostly simple to make, with easy-to-find ingredients, and easy-to-follow instructions. Everyone loved the Pappardelle with Roasted Pork and Mushrooms, and it is sure to become a standby at our house. Another new favorite is Spicy, Cheesy Shrimp with Lanterne and Breadcrumbs. Zia Bruna’s Spaghetti with Meatballs is also excellent. There are dozens of other mouthwatering dishes in the queue, including Crispy Chickpeas with Cencioni and Sausage, Cannelloni with Swiss Chard, Ricotta, and Béchamel, Bavette with Fiery Shrimp, and Calamarata with Braised Short Ribs and Saffron.

The variety of good, unique pasta dishes makes it so that everyone, no matter what their tastes, can find something yummy to serve on their pasta night. Every recipe so far has turned out picture-perfect, and there have been no complaints from adults, children, or even the picky eaters (they seem to exist everywhere, constantly trying to ruin everyone else’s food experience). One of the best parts about the recipes is that most require only crusty bread and a salad to make a complete meal. Even those who aren’t having a weekly pasta night will definitely want to make these recipes for their own families and friends. While there are photographs of most of the dishes, every dish isn’t pictured, with is unfortunate.

The suggestions for a successful get-together are very good, and anyone, whether a beginning cook or advanced, will find it easy to plan and carry out a simple night filled with friends and pasta.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I love anything with pasta recipes! If you’re ready to step up your cooking skills, get this book. Great photos and easy to follow.

A comforting, gorgeously illustrated cook book that delivers a variety of classic as well as exotic pasta recipes - although I personally cannot warm up to idea of inviting more than half a dozen people to my house to cook spaghetti for, let alone doing that every single Friday, despite Arevalo's tips. Recommended to social eaters.

Pasta Friday was originally the author’s way to gather friends, family, and neighbors together for pasta and salad at the end of the work week. The evening at her home was a casual and supportive, and from those experiences grew The Pasta Friday Cookbook.

The cookbook is filled with ideas for creating your own Pasta Friday – whether it be just for your family or for a larger group. It includes information on how to prepare, the ingredients to have on hand and how to increase your recipes to feed a crowd.

Organized by seasons, the recipes also include wine pairings, the type of pasta appropriate for each recipe, and suggested condiments (pepper flakes, bread crumbs, etc) that can be served with the meal. Salad recipes are also included with each season.While not every recipe is accompanied by a photograph, the photos that are included are enticing.

This is a very specific cookbook but it should appeal to any cook who is looking for a variety of pasta dishes and how to serve them

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Yes! Are we allowed to eat pasta again. Fabulous cookbook let’s be neighbors, friends and family and it pasta. Fun, simple to slightly complicated recipes. Many wonderful, and yummy. I’ve made 3 so far and was not disappointed.

Unfortunately, in general, I have to say this cookbook didn't work for me. But I like the design, photos and the whole idea of this book (52 recipes and recipes divided into seasons). I like wine pairings and pasta shape suggestions. I also found a few new recipes I have to try.

I love pasta. I prepare it once a week, but usually during weekdays, when I don't have much time. So I prefer simple and easy to make recipes. Recipes in this book are not like that.

I would prefer that there were large photographs of each meal right next to the recipe and that recipes included simple ingredients that I maybe already have at home. I also like to have information about cooking time and difficulty. I know what to expect this way. Another thing I missed was photos of different types of pasta.

3/5 for the idea, wine pairing and pasta shape suggestions.

The first thing that strikes you are the beautiful colour photographs.
I loved the explanation & history of "Pasta Friday" - such a personal, heart-warming introduction into an even more amazing book. That first chapter has a whole bag of useful tips and tricks.
I love the idea of "building a community" through the simple act of cooking - THAT'S what food is all about.
The recipes are well laid-out. I especially like the fact that they are divided into seasons - very handy as you utilize in season produce but also use the weather to influence your choice of dish - hearty or light.
The "Wine Pairings"; "Pasta Shapes" and "Serve With" are a nifty addition too.
I had to Google quite a few of the pastas and some of the ingredients as they are not so well known here in South Africa and a lot of the pasta is not available locally. But the addition of the "Pasta Shapes" with alternative pastas for each recipe becomes very useful in adapting the recipes to suit what's available.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

I received this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. Great pasta recipes for big family gatherings along with salad and other dishes. Looking forward to my next pasta night.

There is surprisingly a lot to say about The Pasta Friday Cookbook. First of all what attracted me to this cookbook is pasta of course! I absolutely love pasta and salad. When I saw the description boast of including 52 pasta recipes and 16 salad recipes I knew I was in! I liked how they are separated into seasons and that each recipe includes alternative pasta shapes and wine pairings. It also was nice that the wine pairings included a selection for both red and white. No matter how well it may pair, some people just do not like certain wines so it is nice to have a second option. Last but not least I enjoyed that there were lots of gorgeous photos of the food, pasta types, and people.

There were some things I was not as crazy about. Since the book not only has recipes, but also talks about trying to create weekly "Pasta Friday" gatherings I assumed the recipes would be fairly simple (since you would be cooking these every Friday). Some of the recipes were a bit out of my skill range and some of the ingredients tended to have names I have never heard of before. One such recipe states green beans in the title yet I did not see them listed as an ingredient. Upon further inspection after not recognizing one of the ingredients listed as 'haricot verts" I looked it up and found out that it was in fact the "green beans".

Overall this cookbook was both a hit and miss for me, While I did find several yummy recipes I'd love to try, I will probably steer clear of anything too complicated or with ingredient names I would have to look up.