This is your ultimate guide to making perfect pasta noodles. In this blog post, I will cover how to:
- Purchase a good pasta
- Choose the right pasta for the right sauce
- Measure the right amount of pasta for you and your company
- Cook perfect al dente pasta
- Avoid overcooking pasta
- Best side dishes to pair with spaghetti
What should I look for when purchasing pasta?
A good pasta will be made with 100% semolina flour. Semolina is a type of flour made from durum wheat and is typically used to make pasta because it has a high gluten and protein content. This allows pasta to keep its texture and consistency throughout the cooking process. Semolina flour provides a lot of nutritional benefits. In addition to being high in protein, semolina also provides energy and selenium.
If you have Celiac disease or are gluten sensitive, there are plenty of gluten free pasta options available on the market. However, because these pastas are typically made with corn or rice flour instead of semolina, they will not retain their shape as well. For these pastas, it is best to decrease the recommended cooking time by at least 1-2 minutes.
How do I choose the right pasta for my dish?
As a general rule of thumb, you want to use long pasta for thin sauces. Spaghetti or angel hair will go best with a marinara sauce (get the recipe for mine here). The best pasta for more hearty, robust sauces such as alfredo or pesto are a longer, thicker cut such as fettuccine. Fun shapes like bow ties and pinwheels work well in chunkier sauces, such as a meat sauce.
How much pasta do I make for myself?
The answer to this question will of course depend on how hungry you are. Two ounces of dry pasta is typically the serving size suggestion on a box of spaghetti, which equates to about one cup of cooked pasta. If you are planning to have company over, I would recommend cooking at least enough for each person to have 1½ servings.
So for example, if you were cooking for yourself and 4 friends, you would want to make 15 ounces of dried pasta. Keep in mind that if pasta is your main course, you may need to cook more for your friends with larger appetites.
What is the easiest way to cook perfect al dente pasta?
1. Fill a LARGE pot with cold water and boil.
Put your pot of water on the stove and turn the dial to high heat. You’ll want to make sure that you have enough water to completely cover the amount of pasta you plan to cook and that there is enough room for the pasta to expand. If your pot is too small, you’ll run the risk of clumpy pasta.
2. Once the water comes to a boil, add a generous helping of coarse salt.
Many people swear by adding oil to the water, but this can actually decrease your pasta’s ability to cling to the sauce that you want to use. Instead, you want to stick to the basics and add a coarse salt, such as kosher or sea salt. Since salt can increase the boiling point of your water, you’ll want to add it just before you put your pasta in. I recommend adding plenty of salt to your water, at least 1-2 tablespoons per pound of pasta for optimized flavor. You’ll want your water to taste like the sea. And don’t worry about putting too much salt, as most of it will be lost when you drain your pasta.
3. Add your pasta
Add all of the pasta you plan to cook at once into the boiling water and stir with a wooden spoon. If you were using a lid to boil your water, you’ll want to leave it off your pot during this process. This is because a covered pot will quickly boil over.
4. Test for doneness
The amount of time it takes to cook will depend on the type of pasta used, so do NOT go by the times on the pasta packages. The quickest pasta to cook is angel hair pasta, which is usually ready in about five minutes. Most pastas will be done after about 10 minutes, but if you want an al dente texture you would cook it for less time. Al dente means that your pasta will be cooked, but still firm when you bite it.
If you are a beginner cook, you’ll want to start your timer once the water comes back to a boil after you put your pasta in, and test the texture about 4-5 minutes in. Unfortunately, there is no guide for exact cooking times. The best way to test for doneness is to just take a strip out and taste it! If it is still super hard or has a white interior, it probably needs a few more minutes.
5. Drain the water
Once the pasta is cooked to its desired consistency, you’ll want to quickly drain it with a colander. Unless you are preparing a cold pasta salad, making lasagna, or using your pasta at a later time, you should not rinse your pasta. This step is only used to prevent the noodles from sticking together, but if you are using your pasta immediately this will not be an issue. Not rinsing your pasta will also help your sauce adhere to your pasta better.
6. Top with pasta sauce
Top your pasta with tomato sauce or your a sauce of your choosing and enjoy!
And that’s it! Now you should have a good idea of how to cook perfect pasta!
Troubleshooting: How do I avoid undercooking or overcooking my pasta?
When pasta is overcooked, it can adopt a clumpy and/or gummy texture. Once it gets this way, there isn’t any turning back, so the only way to avoid this is by watching your pasta as your water boils. Undercooking pasta is not as big of an issue, as you can always give your pasta more cook time. So if you’re nervous about overcooking your pasta start trying strands every minute once that four minute mark hits.
Potential Pairings
Angel hair and spaghetti pairs really well with roasted vegetables, such as broccoli sprinkled with parmesan cheese, brussel sprouts, asparagus or zucchini. Heavier, thicker pastas pair well with salads.
PRO TIP: Reserve some of the pasta water to use for your sauce for added flavor!
Conclusion
Making pasta may sound simple, but as you can see there is actually a lot that goes into perfecting the technique. I hope this guide will come in handy for you the next time you want to cook spaghetti!
If you liked this post, be sure to check out my Beginner’s Guide To Cooking Oils!
Now i want to hear from you!
Do you have any tips for making the perfectly tender spaghetti?
What pairings would you suggest with pasta?
Let me know by leaving me a comment down below!
