How much pasta is a single serving?

Figuring out how much pasta makes a single serving depends on what course it's for and how hungry the diners are. I'm a little bit obsessed with my wonderful purple electronic scale and prefer to weigh everything, but measuring is just as good, but varies a lot depending on the shape of the pasta. You can also buy a contraption with holes in called a pasta measure where you fit long pasta like spaghetti through holes.

Single serving by weight:

• 2 oz (57 g) of dry pasta for a first course or side dish. 
• 3 to 4 oz (85 to 113 g) of pasta for a main course. 

Single serving by volume:

• 2 oz of spaghetti, fettucini, spaghettini, capellini, fedelini or vermicelli will fit in a ⅞" (24 mm) diameter circle between your thumb and forefinger, about the diameter of a Canadian quarter.
• A 2 oz (56 g) measure of elbow macaroni is a ½ cup of dried pasta.
• A 2 oz (56 g) measure of penne pasta is ¾ cup of dried pasta.
• A 2 oz (56 g) measure of ribbed lasagna is approximately 2½ pieces of dry lasagna sheets.
• A 2 oz (56 g) measure of egg noodles is 1¼ cup.

Ginger Citrus Soba Noodles

Part 1
4 oz soba noodles (100% buckwheat soba if gluten free - other types of noodles are ok.)
1 cup edamame

Part 2 - The sauce
juice from approximately 1⁄2 of an orange (about 1⁄4 cup)
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
½ tsp hot sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsps minced fresh ginger

Part 3 - The rest
1 cup snow peas
Mild vegetable oil
2 to 4 oz mushrooms
¼ cup chopped scallions or chives
Extra orange & lime wedges to squeeze in at the end
a few teaspoons of sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Bring a small pot of water to boil and add edamame. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, remove from the heat source, and let stand until the rest is ready.
2. While this is happening, start the water for the noodles. Throw in a pinch of salt. 
3. While the water for the noodles is coming to a boil, string the peas and slice the mushrooms.
4. Put a pan on the stove with a splash of oil and turn on the heat to medium high.
5. While the pan heats up, start mixing together the ingredients for the sauce, which all go in at once and get whisked together.
6. Once the pan is so hot that the first snow pea will sizzle when it hits, add all the snow peas and a pinch of salt, turn down the heat to medium and stir fry for few minutes, until tender and they get a slight char on both sides. Keep shaking the pan or stirring and flipping the peas to make sure they get cooked on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. 
7. Do the same for the mushrooms.
8. Now, turn off the heat and let the pan cool down for a few minutes. Add the noodles to the boiling water while you wait.
9. The reason to cool the pan a bit is that it is relatively hot and dry. The next step is to add the sauce, and if you add it while it's too hot, it may spit dangerously. Regardless, stand back when you pour in the sauce. It should still be hot enough to bubble just a little bit. Stir continuously as it thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. If it doesn't bubble a bit, turn the heat back on to low. The sauce should reduce to a light syrup. Don't let it burn or reduce too much.
10. Add the cooked noodles, snow peas, mushrooms and edamame to the pan. Stir to mix everything together with the sauce. Add a good squeeze of lime, and cook a few minutes more. Taste & adjust. If necessary, add more soy sauce, another squeeze of orange or lime, perhaps more hot sauce if you want more heat. Top with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, scallions (or chives) and sesame seeds.