What is the perfect ratio of noodles to sauce?

[greylord]

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[BigBallsLarry]

Neither of these.

In a traditional, regular pasta, it should be 65% noodle - 35% sauce. That's the most ideal ratio that is taught in gastronomic schools.

The noodles shall be the thing that dictates the sauce. Each noodle shall be covered but never too chunky.

Of course, it depends on the pasta you're making. For example in spaghetti - the sauces are light, and would only amount to maybe 20-25% of the entire dish instead, with noodles (and in some cases, meat) coming out on top. But in something like fusilli or rigatoni, where the noodles are hallow and the sauce is heavy and dense, the ratio could even go into 50-50, depending on the person making it.

But in reality, the art of making the ideal pasta doesn't come from set-in-stone ratios or proportions, it comes from the heart of the chef. You can both visually and gustatorily tell whether it's pleasing or not, and a master chef can make a wrongfully proportioned pasta taste like heaven on earth.