National Pasta Day 2016 Freebies: 11 Places With Deals And Discounts On Noodles

What are you having for lunch on Monday? If you didn't answer "pasta," you should rethink your plans.

Monday is National Pasta Day, yet another fabricated food holiday that we love to hate. It is, of course, different from World Pasta Day, which is a real event taking place later this month at a Ritz-Carlton in Moscow.

In any case, people love pasta. The International Pasta Organization (yup) found that, in 2014, Italy was the top producer, creating 3.4 million metric tons of pasta. The United States came in second place with about 2 million. Italians also ate the most, consuming about 25.3 kg per capita.

Luckily, you don't have to use your noodle to find a good deal on pasta on Monday. Check out these promotions:

At Laurenzo's in Texas, get a dish of Mama Ninfa's Sunday Gravy ($18) for half off.

Join the e-club for the Spaghetti Warehouse and score a free appetizer. (Or its text club and get a free brownie supreme sundae.)

Sign up for Olive Garden's e-club and get a free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees.

Buy one pasta die, get one half off at Arcobaleno.com.

Stop by Francesca's Restaurant locations in Illinois and get $6 pasta specials like pasta butera.

Check out Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen on Monday and get half off Mama Mandola's spaghetti and meatballs.

If you mention this Facebook post to the workers at the Old Spaghetti Works in Nebraska on Monday or Tuesday, you'll get a free meatball or sausage link.

Schlotzsky's locations are giving out buy one, get one free macaroni dishes on Monday.

At Bella Vitale Italian Eatery in Indiana, buy one pasta dish, get half off on Monday. Dishes included in the promotion are spaghetti, fettuccine, cannelloni and lasagna.

Buy one pasta dish, get one free at Rizzo's Bar and Grill in Missouri on Monday.

Score bolognese or mezzanine otero for $22 Monday at Pasta Pane in New York.