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Canadian Owned & Operated🍁
Canadian Owned & Operated🍁

Thick-It® Recipe - Pasta with Marinara Sauce



Try this dysphagia-friendly take on a classic Italian dish—pasta with red sauce. Stir up a pot of your homemade secret recipe or use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce. Served with tender angel hair pasta, these Minced & Moist, Level 5 (MM5) or Pureed, Level 4 (PU4) dishes will have you saying, Mangia!

Ingredients (MM5 – Minced & Moist, Level 5): 
Yields 8 Servings 

  • 12 oz Angel Hair, Dry 

  • 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil 

  • 1 ½ cup Marinara Sauce (Tender particles, 4mm in width and 15mm in leght or less) 

  • 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp Thick-It® Original Food & Beverage Thickener 
     

Ingredients (PU4 – Pureed, Level 4): 
Yields 8 Servings 

  • 12 oz Angel Hair, Dry 

  • 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil 

  • 1 cup Marinara Sauce 

  • 3 fl oz Broth 

  • 3 Tbsp Thick-It® Original Food & Beverage Thickener 

 
Directions (MM5 – Minced & Moist, Level 5): 

  1. Wash your hands before beginning preparation. Sanitize surfaces and equipment (Critical Control Point compliant or CCP compliant).  

  1. Break up dry pasta into thirds and place in a food processor. Pulse until pasta is smaller than 4mm in width and 15mm in length taking into account the size will swell when cooked.  

  1. Boil pasta in large amounts of boiling water until very soft. Drain and rinse with cold water. Stir oil into cooked, drained pasta. Hold at 140°F or higher (CCP). Note: May cook whole pasta and mince by hand with a knife as an alternate method.  

  1. Test particle size per IDDSI Testing Methods.  

  1. Heat marinara sauce and hold at 140°F or higher (CCP).  

  1. Measure 1.5 cups of marinara sauce. Mix in Thick-It® Original Food & Beverage Thickener.  

  1. Stir thickened marinara sauce into cooked pasta so it becomes moist and cohesive.  

  1. Test before serving per IDDSI Testing Methods for Minced & Moist, Level 5 (MM5) using the Fork Pressure Test, Spoon Tilt Test, and No separate thin liquid. Refer to IDDSI.org for how to use these testing methods.  

  1. Hold at 140°F or higher until service (CCP).  
     

Directions (PU4 – Pureed, Level 4): 

  1. Wash your hands before beginning preparation. Sanitize surfaces and equipment (Critical Control Point compliant or CCP compliant). 

  1. Break up dry pasta into thirds and place in a food processor. Pulse until pasta is small, similar to minced in size.  

  1. Boil pasta in large amounts of boiling water until very soft. Drain and rinse with cold water. Stir oil into cooked, drained pasta. Hold at 140°F or higher (CCP).  

  1. Place cooked pasta in a food processor. Do not overfill. Process until it is fine in consistency.  

  1. Add Thick It® Original Food & Beverage Thickener, broth, and tomato sauce. Process until smooth.  

  1. Scrape down sides of processor with rubber spatula and process for an additional 30 seconds.  

  1. Test per IDDSI Testing Methods for Puréed, Level 4 (PU4) using the Fork Drip Test, Spoon Tilt Test, No separate thin liquid. Refer to IDDSI.org for how to use these testing methods.  

  1. Hold at 140°F or higher until service (CCP).


 (Recipe Credit: Thick-It “Better together” Recipe book)