Meghan Markle, in her boundless wisdom, has decided that centuries of Italian culinary tradition are merely suggestions rather than sacred rules.
Her new Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan, premiered with an episode that left Italians and food enthusiasts worldwide in utter disbelief. In it, she introduced a dish she called "Skillet Spaghetti"—a creation that many true Italians would argue is nothing short of a culinary crime. The controversy began the moment she referred to pasta as "noodles," an offense that, to Italians, borders on blasphemy. Pasta, a cornerstone of Italian cuisine, is not to be lumped in with instant ramen or any other generic category. But that was only the beginning of the gastronomic offenses.
Instead of following the time-honored method of cooking pasta in a pot of salted boiling water, Meghan opted for a shortcut that defied logic. She simply placed dry spaghetti in a pan, poured in three cups of water, and let it sit—no boiling, no stirring, just what she described as "vibes." Somewhere in Italy, a nonna likely clutched her chest and collapsed at the sight.
As she casually explained her unorthodox technique, she reassured her audience that this is how she prepares meals for Prince Harry and their children, Archie and Lilibet. One can only assume this is also why they never ask for seconds. Social media wasted no time in tearing the episode apart. One viewer sarcastically noted, "Netflix really paid a fortune just to show us Meghan Markle doesn’t know how to cook pasta." Another quipped, "Next, she’ll teach us how to make frozen pizza." The critiques didn’t stop there—many lamented the dish’s unappetizing appearance, with one user describing it as overcooked, slimy, and resembling soup. Another summed it up bluntly: "She cooked the vegetables to oblivion, tossed in spaghetti, and called it a meal."
Just when it seemed things couldn’t get worse, Meghan grated cheese over the dish, mispronouncing it as "Paragan" in the process—an error that likely sent a collective shudder through Italian chefs everywhere. One can only imagine Gordon Ramsay drafting a scathing tweet at this very moment. Adding further insult, she proudly shared that she makes this dish in such large quantities that she packs the leftovers in her children’s lunchboxes, as if she had just revolutionized the concept of meal prepping. Truly groundbreaking.
The final flourish in this culinary catastrophe came when Meghan attempted to make the dish more relatable by comparing it to Beyoncé’s pasta. One can only assume this meant it was overcooked and drowning in liquid. But perhaps the most egregious offense of all was the underlying implication that Italians have been doing it wrong for centuries. Generations of carefully perfected techniques, sacred family recipes passed down through time, and Meghan arrives with her lackluster dish, essentially saying, "No, no, just pour some lukewarm water on it."
What’s next—telling the French they’ve been making croissants incorrectly? Explaining to the Japanese how to properly prepare sushi? Meghan, we get it—you’re trying to be quirky and authentic. But maybe, just maybe, leave pasta to the professionals and stick to whatever Americanized fusion experiment this was supposed to be. Italians deserve better. Honestly, so do we. Arrivederci. And for the love of all things al dente—put down the skillet.
