For most adults, plan about 2 ounces (56–60 g) of dry spaghetti per person , which cooks into roughly 1 to 1½ cups of cooked pasta when served as a main dish with sauce and maybe a side.

Quick scoop: simple rule

  • Main course, average adult: 80–100 g dry spaghetti (about 2–3 oz) per person.
  • Side dish (with other substantial food): 40–60 g dry spaghetti (about 1½–2 oz) per person.
  • Cooked amount: that usually becomes about 1 cup (140–180 g) cooked pasta per serving.

A handy way to think of it:

  • 500 g (1 lb) pack of spaghetti = 5–6 main-course portions.

Adjusting for who you’re feeding

  • Kids (4–8): aim for ¼–½ cup cooked spaghetti.
  • Pre-teens (9–12): ½–¾ cup cooked.
  • Teens and very hungry adults: go towards 100 g dry or 1½ cups cooked.
  • Older adults or light eaters: closer to ½–¾ cup cooked.

Quick planner for groups

  • 2 people: 160–200 g dry spaghetti.
  • 4 people: 320–400 g dry (about ⅔ of a 500 g pack).
  • 10–12 people: about 1.0–1.2 kg dry (2–2.5 lb). This follows the same 80–100 g per person rule scaled up.

Visual help (no scale)

Many modern guides use a “2-ounce rule,” which is about one standard nest of spaghetti you can grab with thumb and forefinger in a tight circle for one adult portion.

If you’re unsure, slightly overestimate —pasta is inexpensive, and leftovers store well in the fridge for a day or two.

TL;DR: Start with 80–100 g dry spaghetti per adult for a main meal , reduce that for kids or if there are big side dishes, and increase slightly for very hungry guests.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.