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This Sunday, January 4, is National Spaghetti Day.

Usually, "National Spaghetti Day" brings to mind images of grandmothers rolling out fresh dough and simmering sauce for eight hours.

But let’s be real. It is January 4. You just survived the holidays. You are tired. The idea of chopping an onion feels like a personal attack.

But you still need to eat.

So this Sunday, we are celebrating with the "Lazy Chef’s Guide to Spaghetti."

Here is how to make a jar of sauce taste like you spent all day at the stove, plus the one tool that makes your kitchen feel like an Italian restaurant.

The Tool: The "Make It Rain" Grater

You know the feeling at Olive Garden when the waiter asks "Say when?" and you just let them keep grating cheese until your pasta is buried?

You need that power at home.

Stop using the dangerous box grater that scrapes your knuckles. You need a Rotary Cheese Grater.

• The Pick: The Zyliss Classic Rotary Grater.

• Why it wins: It’s restaurant quality. You put a chunk of parmesan in the hopper, squeeze, and turn. It produces fluffy, airy mounds of cheese that melt instantly on hot pasta. It is fun to use, kid-friendly, and dishwasher safe.

  Shop the Rotary Cheese Grater on Amazon 

The Hack: The "2-Minute" Sauce Upgrade

If you buy a $2 jar of sauce, it will taste like a $2 jar of sauce.

But if you buy a good jar and use this chef's trick, it will taste homemade.

1. Buy the Good Stuff: Splurge on Rao's Homemade Marinara. It has no added sugar and uses real olive oil. It is the gold standard of jarred sauce.

2. The Secret Step: When your spaghetti is almost done, scoop out 1/2 cup of the cloudy, starchy pasta water before you drain it.

3. The Emulsification: Drain the pasta. Put it back in the pot. Pour in the jar of sauce AND the pasta water. Stir vigorously on high heat for 60 seconds.

   • Why? The starch in the water marries the sauce to the noodle so it doesn't slide off.

4. The Finish: Turn off the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of cold butter. This gives it that glossy, velvety restaurant finish.

A Little History (Table Talk)

While you are twirling your noodles, impress your family with this fact:

Thomas Jefferson is basically the reason we are eating this.

While in France, he fell in love with pasta. He bought a pasta machine (macaroni machine) and shipped it back to America, serving "macaroni and cheese" at state dinners. He was the original foodie.

Eat the Carbs.

The diet can start on Monday (or never).

This Sunday is for comfort, family, and way too much parmesan cheese.

Share your delicious photos and tag us on Instagram and TikTok @onmanyoccasions so we can celebrate with you. Don't forget to use #NationalSpaghettiDay and #OnManyOccasions—we might feature you on our page! 🍝✨

Happy Spaghetti Day!

What’s Next?

The first full week of January is kicking off!

We have National Tempura Day (Jan 7) and National Apricot Day (Jan 9) coming up.

Stay ahead of the schedule by downloading our Free 2026 Celebration Calendar.