In a recent TikTok video shared on her official account, the renowned 54-year-old chef and restauranteur, Giada De Laurentiis, presented a childhood favorite dish that has left many in awe. This unique creation has sparked a mix of reactions among her followers.

Discover the Delightful World of Giada's Chocolate Pasta!

De Laurentiis's Chocolate Pasta Adventure

In a recent TikTok shared to her official account, the renowned chef and restauranteur, 54, showed friends and fans alike a childhood favorite dish that’s making many do a double take. The recent video shows De Laurentiis and two other women taking turns trying out the chocolate pasta. “Alright, this is a childhood favorite of mine,” she says while holding the dish on display as the clip starts. “When I was having a bad day — chocolate pasta.” De Laurentiis then sat the bowl down, saying, “Ladies, wanna try?” as two others joined her. “I don’t know how I’m gonna feel about this,” one of the girls said as they grabbed their spoons to dig in. After both had taken their bites, they agreed it was like eating “Nutella toast” or a “Nutella crepe,” adding that it was “really good.”

The Mixed Reactions on TikTok

Her TikTok comment section was met with mixed reviews. “This is like from Elf,” one user wrote, referring to Will Ferrell’s 2003 Christmas comedy in which his character Buddy ate spaghetti, maple syrup, chocolate syrup, M&Ms, marshmallows and a chocolate fudge Pop Tart mixed together for breakfast. A couple of commenters said they thought De Laurentiis and her friends were eating snails.

De Laurentiis's Recipe Tutorial

In a second TikTok shared earlier this week, the former Food Network star replied to a user who asked for the recipe on her original post. “Bowl of pasta, topped [with] a little chocolate,” she said in her response video, which once again included the sweet dish. “Honestly, nothing is more comforting and more of a hug.” De Laurentiis admitted her recipe is “not the sexiest of dishes,” but insisted it was “dang good” before proceeding with a tutorial. She began with a clip of her boiling pasta shells before adding a chocolate spread once they were ready. For added flare, she also topped the dish with shaved chocolate as her substitute for “parmesan cheese.”

Giada De Laurentiis's New Cookbook

Giada De Laurentiis's new cookbook, Super-Italian, highlights six flavorful, but healthy superfoods such as olives and olive oil, beans and legumes, cruciferous vegetables, small fish, vinegar and tomatoes. The author told PEOPLE her book Eat Better, Feel Better inspired her upcoming one. “After doing that book tour and being in COVID, I realized part of my upbringing was not so rigid,” De Laurentiis told PEOPLE. “We ate pasta and we ate desserts and we drank some wine. It’s more of finding that balance, and I think I was able to do that during COVID when I wasn’t traveling so much, and I could really focus on going back to my roots a little bit more and without being in the rat race of my everyday life.” Super Italian: More Than 110 Indulgent Recipes Using Italy’s Healthiest Foods will be released on March 4, 2025, and is available for preorder now.