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Knowing how to cook pasta properly is the foundation for many a great meal. Simply follow a few basic rules: use a big pot with lots of water, more salt than you think you need, and watch the clock. Below I’ll share my easy technique for cooking pasta perfectly whether to serve in warm dishes or a salad.
Pasta is affordable, has a long shelf-life (two years!), and is low in fat. Yes, it’s a carb, but eaten as part of a balanced diet it’s a great source of energy. Choose the whole wheat varieties for more protein and hunger-killing fiber.
How to cook pasta perfectly
According to legendary Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan, the spaghetti or pasta itself should be the final thing you cook when making a pasta dinner. Everything else, sauce, etc., should be ready to go. That way, the spaghetti can be drained, tossed with sauce for proper sauce-noodle adhesion and served pronto!
Cooking pasta for warm sauce
Fill a large pot with six quarts water. Bring to a boil. Add salt. Be generous, this salt seasons the pasta as it cooks and penetrates into the noodles.
Add the dried pasta. Stir until the water returns to a boil. Set a timer for one minute less than the package instructions recommend. Test for doneness at this point. If you like your pasta very firm (al dente) or are going to be simmering for a while in sauce, check and remove even sooner.
Now, strain and cool briefly, but do not rinse. Rinsing washing away the starch that helps the sauce stick to the pasta. Toss in olive oil instead.
When ready to use, add to warm sauce, toss and finish cooking or chill for later use.
Cooking pasta for salads
As above, fill pot with six quarts of water, bring to a boil, add salt, followed by dry pasta. For pasta salad, cook according to packaged directions.
Next, strain and cool briefly, but do not rinse. Toss in olive oil immediately when it’s still warm.
Finally, cool to room temp and refrigerate covered.
Favorite pasta recipes
- One Pan Pasta
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Arrabiata Pasta with Shrimp
- Hummus Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Garlic Lemon Tuna Pasta
- Baked Pasta with Ground Turkey
- Pasta Bolognese
- Pasta in a Mug
- Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Frequently asked questions
Technically, yes, but it takes a good two to three minutes longer than the stovetop and has to be done in a large microwaveable container. Save as an emergency method if you find yourself without a stovetop .
Store cooked pasta in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator where it should last up to five days.
Frozen plain pasta can be mushy when thawed and reheated. Freezing works best for sauced dishes, especially baked pasta recipes like lasagna.
Pasta is one of those foods that can go beyond its expiration date but it might taste very bland. However, egg noodle pastas like papparadelle and tagliatelle may become rancid. Use the sniff test.
If you read the back of 1 lb. box of spaghetti, it is likely to say it contains eight servings – two ounces per serving. But realistically, it is better to plan for three to four ounces per adult.
A key ingredient in everything from easy pantry meals like spaghetti with marinara to time-intensive special occasion fare like lasagna, pasta is a kitchen MVP: warm and soothing comfort food that is always in the cupboard!
For more cooking resources:
- How to Cook White Rice
- How to Cook Brown Rice
- How to Cook Quinoa in a Pot
- How to Peel Garlic
- How to Cook Chickpeas
- How to Make Oatmeal
- How To Cut Cabbage
- How To Make Oat Flour
- How To Cut a Mango
- How to Make Pesto
If you’ve found this cooking resource for How to Cook Pasta helpful or if you’ve tried any recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience with this technique. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
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How to Cook Pasta
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta dried
- 6 quarts water
- 3 tablespoons salt
Instructions
- Fill a pot with six quarts water, bring to a boil.
- Add the salt, followed by the dried pasta.
- Stir until the water returns to a boil.
With a Sauce or Cooling For Later
- Cook for one minute less than the packaged instructions.
- Strain and cool briefly, but do not rinse. Toss in olive oil.
- When ready to use, add to warm sauce and finish cooking or chill.
With a Cold Salad
- Cook according to packaged instructions
- Strain and cool briefly, but do not rinse. Toss in olive oil.
- Place in refrigerator covered.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
One important step you omitted in your pasta cooking primer: always save a cup or two of pasta water to use in tempering some pasta sauces.
Thank you for the feedback, Bert. I don’t consider that part of how to cook pasta, but that is a good tip for how to make pasta sauce!
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how do you break up the spaghetti and do you usually cook the whole package. I am a lousy cook and need baby lessons-really Norm P,S, my wife recently died and I have never boiled an egg.
It helps to toss in olive oil to break up the pasta/ spaghetti strands. The amount I cook is based on how many I’m about to serve and what recipe I’m making. Hope that helps!
I use Whole Wheat Pasta. Much better for you as the white one raised the blood sugar and there are a lot of diabetic out there.
You can definitely switch it up based on your preferences!
This recipe doesn’t make sense. it appears to be incomplete. Nothing in the ingredients about olive oil but its in the instructions.
Then its says add to warm sauce and finish cooking? how? and how long?
The olive oil is optional – using or not using it will depend on what recipe the pasta is being used in. The same goes for the sauce. This tutorial teaches you how to cook pasta, and the pasta can then be used in pasta recipes according to those instructions.
Thank you, easy and simple to follow. How do I make pasta sauce?
You’re so welcome! Check out my How to Make Marinara Sauce post: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/marinara-sauce/
cool
Thanks!
Very helpful ,nice and looks Delicious
Thank you so much!