Italians Give Verdict on Meghan Markle's Pasta Dish

Meghan Markle's one-pot pasta dish has been cooked and reviewed by two "self-proclaimed ambassadors of Italy's vibrant culture."

Matteo Salvatori and Emiliano Santoro review Italian recipes cooked by American influencers in mock accents and then give a verdict at the end of their videos.

And they turned their attention to Meghan's tomato and chard one-pot pasta dish, which she cooks in her Netflix show With Love, Meghan.

Why It Matters

The review went viral on TikTok where it was viewed 2.2 million times and liked 101,400 times having been posted with the message: "We try MEGHAN MARKLE'S spaghetti!"

Meghan's show was criticized by American reviewers predominantly for being either uninteresting or out of touch, so she could use any supportive endorsements she can get.

What To Know

The video began with a TikTok clip by chef My Nguyen, posing the question: "Why are people hating on Meghan Markle's new show and her cooking?

"I see nothing wrong with her one-pan pasta recipe. I mean, the whole point of a one-pan meal is convenience."

The pair cook the meal adding first garlic and then chopped cherry tomatoes into the pan before Salvatori states: "The next part is a little bit controversial because she add the cheese into the pan. I don't know why but we follow the recipe."

Later, they add uncooked spaghetti and Santoro says: "At this point, if you are an Italian grandmother close your eyes, because we're gonna put the spaghetti inside the pan without cooking them first."

They add water and Salvatori then asks: "Meghan, I want to know why you put the spinach in the pasta at this point?"

"It's a pasta? It's a salad? It's a soup," the pair say at the end. However, despite a few low-level swipes, they conclude by giving Meghan a "half-approved" rating.

"I've eaten better pasta, but I've also eaten worse pasta," Salvatori said.

My Nguyen's Review

Nguyen, author of Healthy, My Way, said in her own TikTok video: "Martha Stewart did it a few years ago and I didn't see her get any online hate for it.

"I even shared a one-pan pasta recipe and so did many other food creators before me.

"Look, we all know with shortcut recipes like these that you have to compromise some flavor and quality when you're trying to save some time, but overall, the recipe is still good."

The video was viewed 9 million times and liked 758,000 times after being posted with the message: "Testing out Meghan Markle's one-pan pasta recipe. I tweaked it a bit for our taste preferences. She adds Swiss chard and kale and I swapped out with spinach."

Who Are Matteo Salvatori and Emiliano Santoro

The pair's Lionfield website describes them as: "Working, full-time as content creators, songwriters, and live-streamers, Matteo and Emiliano have cultivated a global online community.

"The duo's magnetic charm reaches diverse audiences internationally, with a substantial fanbase in the USA. As self-proclaimed ambassadors of Italy's vibrant culture, they portray and share the essence of .Made in Italy' through art, cuisine, and craftsmanship."

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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