Learning how to make perfect pasta is not hard at all! There are just a few keys steps you need to follow.
Course Entree
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 5minutes
Cook Time 20minutes
Total Time 25minutes
Servings 2servings
Calories 261kcal
Author Stephanie Stiavetti
Ingredients
Your pasta saucemade ahead of time
1quartwater
2teaspoonssalt
1/4poundpasta(4 ounces by weight)
1tablespoonbutter
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese(optional)
Instructions
Gently heat the sauce in a saucepan. Turn the heat to very low and cover to keep warm.
Bring water to a boil in a covered pot.
Once the water is boiling, stir in the salt. Once the salt is dissolved, stir in the pasta.
DO NOT ADD OIL.
Stir constantly for 1 minute, then once a minute until the pasta is done.
Test the pasta after 5 minutes of cooking. Is it still a little crunchy? Then cook it a little longer. Test a noodle every 1 minute until the pasta is done. You'll know it's done when the pasta is firm but not hard or crunchy. You should be able to bite through a noodle without any grit inside, but they should maintain a firm yet soft structure — never crunchy, squishy, or gummy.
Dip a cup into the pasta pot and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Strain the pasta through a strainer. DO NOT RINSE THE PASTA. If you need to let the pasta sit in the strainer, give it a good bounce once a minute to keep the noodles from sticking together.
Pour 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water into your sauce and stir well. Immediately add the strained pasta to your sauce and gently stir to coat the noodles. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the extra water is evaporated, stirring the noodles gently. Do no stir the noodles vigorously or you'll smash them. Test a noodle to see if it's done. If you need to add a little more water to the sauce to help the noodles cook completely, add only one tablespoon at a time... or your sauce will become soup.
Add 1 tablespoon of butter, stirring until melted completely. Serve pasta while hot and fresh! Top with grated Parmesan.
Notes
Nutritional analysis is based on just the cooked pasta with butter, does not include your favorite sauce or the optional Parmesan cheese.