a dish that contains pasta as its main ingredient
"The chef served a creamy carbonara, which is a classic Italian pasta dish."
shaped and dried dough made from flour and water and sometimes egg
"The chef served a steaming bowl of pasta topped with rich tomato sauce."
Dough made from wheat and water and sometimes mixed with egg and formed into various shapes; often sold in dried form and typically boiled for eating.
"The chef tossed the hot, freshly cut pasta in garlic oil before serving it as a quick dinner."
In plain English: Pasta is any of various types of food made from flour and water that are shaped into long strands, small tubes, or other forms before being cooked.
"We ordered spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, which is my favorite pasta dish."
Usage: Pasta refers to the broad category of dough-based dishes, so use it as a collective noun rather than specifying individual types like spaghetti or penne unless you are distinguishing between them. It is commonly served with sauces after being cooked until tender but not mushy.
The word pasta comes from the Italian term for dough or noodles, which itself was borrowed from Late Latin and ultimately traces back to Ancient Greek. In its original Greek usage, it referred specifically to barley porridge that had been sprinkled with salt before evolving into our modern meaning of various noodle types in English.