How To Cook Pasta

Related publications: Why are there so many different shapes and sizes of pasta in Italy?

The Do’s and Don’ts for an Authentic Italian Dish

In Italy, pasta isn’t just food—it’s love, tradition, and a way of bringing people together. It’s at the heart of Sunday lunches, festive gatherings, and even ordinary weeknight dinners, turning everyday meals into cherished moments.

But have you ever noticed that pasta always tastes better in Italy, than when you make it at home? The secret isn’t just in the sun-ripened ingredients—it’s in the technique, the tradition, and the deep respect for the cooking process.

When I first started cooking with my Italian mother-in-law, I thought making pasta was as simple as boiling it and adding sauce. But, I quickly learned that every detail matters—the shape of the pasta, the way it’s cooked, and how it pairs with the right sauce. Italians don’t just cook pasta; they honour it, treating every step with care to create the perfect balance of texture and flavour.

In this guide, I’ll share everything I’ve learned about making pasta the Italian way—from choosing the right shape to cooking it just right, pairing it with the perfect sauce, and transforming simple ingredients into something truly extraordinary.

let’s go:

Choosing the Right Pasta: Shape Matters

Not all pasta is created equal! Each shape is designed to hold sauce differently, selecting the right type of pasta ensures that every bite delivers the perfect combination of flavor and texture.

• Long, smooth pasta (spaghetti, linguine, tagliatelle) – is Best for light, buttery, or creamy sauces like carbonara, aglio e olio, or cacio e pepe.
• Short, ridged pasta (rigatoni, penne, fusilli) is perfect for thick, hearty sauces like ragù or arrabbiata because the ridges help hold the sauce best.
• Small shapes (orecchiette, farfalle, trofie) – Ideal for vegetable-based sauces like orecchiette with broccoli rabe, pesto, or salmon with cream.
• Stuffed pasta (ravioli, tortellini) – Best to highlight the filling with delicate sauces like butter and sage or a light broth.
• Tiny pasta (letters, stars, barley) is perfect for broths and soups.

Remember: Choosing the wrong shape won’t ruin your dish, but choosing the right one will make it exceptional!

The Sacred Italian Rules of Cooking Pasta:

The biggest mistake when you cooking pasta? Is ignoring the fundamental rules!

Cooking pasta may seems simple, but if you want to achieve the perfect taste, some sacred rules must not be broken!

✅The cooking pot: Choose a large pot that can hold enough water. It should be wide enough to contain the necessary amount of water—approximately 1.5 liters for every 100 grams of pasta.

✅ Use plenty of water – At least 1,5 liter per 100 grams of dry pasta to prevent sticking.

✅ Add pasta to boiling water – Wait until the water is at a rolling boil before adding the pasta, and keep the heat high.

✅ Salt the water generously—it should taste like the sea (about 10 grams of salt per liter).

✅ Stir occasionally – This prevents sticking.

✅Use wooden spoons, not metal—metal can affect the temperature and taste.

✅ Cook “al dente” – Taste the pasta one minute before the package’s suggested time. It should have a slight bite.

✅ Save some pasta water. The starchy water helps thicken and emulsify the sauce. Add a ladleful to the pan when tossing the pasta with the sauce.

✅ Measure your portions – Standard serving size is 80g per person (100g if it’s the main dish).

✅How to check if the pasta is al dente: Your pasta is ready when it is al dente. A simple way to check this is to break the pasta with a fork. If you see a white ring or spot in the center, it needs to cook for a few more minutes. When the pasta is uniformly colored, it is ready.

❌ Never rinse pasta – Rinsing washes away flavour and starch, which helps the sauce cling.

❌ Never add oil – It prevents the sauce from clinging to the pasta.

❌Don’t break long pasta – Spaghetti should be twirled, not snapped in half. When spaghetti is long, it is easier to swirl on the fork, making it a cleaner and more enjoyable eating experience. Breaking it into smaller pieces makes twirling difficult, leading to a messy meal with sauce all over the face, plate, and tablecloth. Additionally, long spaghetti holds onto the sauce better, ensuring every bite is flavourful.

❌ No ketchup or mayonnaise! – Instead, opt for a fresh, well-balanced tomato sauce.

❌ No Parmesan on seafood pasta – Its strong flavour overpowers the delicate taste of seafood.

Pasta & Sauces: Perfect Pairings: 

In Italy, choosing the right combination of pasta and sauce is an art form that makes both taste and texture better. Each type of pasta has unique characteristics:

• Long pasta pairs well with light, smooth sauces.
• Short and ridged pasta holds creamy sauces better.
• Wide and thick pasta is ideal for rich, hearty sauces.
• Hollow pasta (like bucatini, penne, and paccheri) traps the sauce inside, making each bite more flavourful.

Here’s a easy guide to the best pairings:

Tomato-Based Sauces: Fresh and versatile tomato sauces are at the heart of Italian cuisine:

• Amatriciana (tomato, guanciale, pecorino, black pepper) – Best with bucatini, which holds the sauce inside its hollow shape.
• Puttanesca (tomato, olives, capers, anchovies, chili, garlic) – Ideal for spaghetti, linguine, or vermicelli, which wrap around the flavorful sauce.
• Arrabbiata (spicy tomato sauce with chili and garlic) – Pairs perfectly with penne rigate, whose ridges grip the bold, tangy sauce.
• Bolognese Ragù (slow-cooked meat sauce with tomato, wine, and vegetables) is best served with tagliatelle, pappardelle, or paccheri, which hold the thick sauce well.
• Marinara (cherry tomatoes, garlic, oregano, olive oil) is a simple yet flavorful dish for spaghetti, linguine, or fusilli.
• Norma (tomato, fried eggplant, ricotta salata, basil) – Pairs well with rigatoni, paccheri, or ziti, which absorb the rich sauce.
• Plain tomato sauce goes with most pasta shapes and also with gnocchi, ravioli (dumplings), paccheri, etc.

Egg-Based Sauces: Rich and creamy, egg-based sauces are perfect for hearty dishes:

• Carbonara (eggs, guanciale, pecorino, black pepper) is traditionally served with spaghetti, rigatoni, bucatini, or linguine, which hold the silky sauces best.
• Eggs & parmesan (beaten eggs with grated cheese and black pepper) – Best with candele, bucatini, or mafalde, pasta shapes that soak up the creamy sauce.

Seafood Sauces highlight the freshness of the ingredients and pair best with long or porous pasta:

• Spaghetti alle vongole (clams, white wine, garlic, parsley) is a light yet rich dish perfect with linguine, spaghetti, or vermicelli.
• Frutti di mare (mixed seafood with tomato or white sauce) – Ideal with tagliolini, spaghetti, or chitarra, which absorb the sea flavors beautifully.
• Salmon & cream (smoked or fresh salmon with cream and lemon): This dish is Best served with farfalle, tagliatelle, or penne, which hold the creamy sauce.
• Anchovy Sauce (olive oil, anchovy extract, parsley, chili, garlic)—This simple but umami-rich dish pairs well with spaghetti or linguine.

Herb & Pesto Sauces: fresh and aromatic, these sauces enhance the pasta without weighing it down.

• Pesto Genovese (basil, pine nuts, parmesan, pecorino, olive oil) – Traditionally served with trofie, trenette, or gnocchi.
• Sicilian Pesto (fresh tomato, ricotta, almonds, basil, olive oil) – is best with casarecce, fusilli, or busiate, which hold the creamy sauce well.
• Arugula Pesto (arugula, almonds, parmesan, olive oil) is great with penne, farfalle, or strozzapreti for a bold, peppery flavour.

Cheese-Based Creamy Sauces: rich and velvety, these sauces pair best with pasta that can hold their thickness.

• Fettuccine Alfredo (butter, cream, parmesan) – Best with fettuccine, which enhances the creamy texture.
• Gorgonzola & Walnuts (melted gorgonzola with crunchy walnuts)—This sauce is ideal for gnocchi, conchiglie, or rigatoni, which fill up with it.
• Cacio e Pepe (pecorino romano and black pepper) is traditionally served with tonnarelli, spaghetti, or rigatoni for a sharp, creamy taste.
• Four Cheese Sauce (melted mix of gorgonzola, parmesan, fontina, and taleggio) – Perfect with gnocchi, penne, or fusilli.

Autumn & Winter Sauces: Deep, warming flavors, perfect for the colder months.

• Porcini Mushroom & Cream (porcini mushrooms, cream, parsley, garlic): This dish is Best served with tagliatelle, fettuccine, or pappardelle, which absorb the earthy aroma.
• Truffle and butter (butter, black or white truffle, parmesan)—This Pairing is perfect for tagliolini or ravioli and adds a gourmet touch.
• Chestnut & Speck (chestnuts, crispy speck, cream): This is Great with pici, fusilli, or paccheri.

legumes and Pasta Pairings:

• Pasta e Fagioli and dishes with potatoes, peas (piselli), or chickpeas (ceci) are best enjoyed with pasta mista, a mix of broken pasta and other shapes that create a rich, textured dish.

Pasta meals for Kids: Preparing pasta-based meals for kids can be a creative experience! The variety of shapes stimulates their imagination, making mealtime more enjoyable. In Italy, small pasta shapes like stelline (little stars), letterine (tiny letters), and patina are introduced from a baby’s first bites, becoming a staple in childhood meals.

About the art of pairing pasta and sauce:

Choosing the right pasta for the proper sauce is an art that enhances flavours and respects Italian culinary traditions. With the perfect pairing, you can create balanced, delicious, and authentic dishes, keeping the history and soul of Italian cuisine alive!

How to Combine Pasta with Sauce for the Perfect Taste?

While your pasta is boiling, get the sauce ready. The key is to mix them while the pasta is still hot so it can absorb all the flavours. Once it’s cooked, drain it, but don’t forget to save a bit of the pasta water – it’s liquid gold! Heat the sauce in a pan, add the pasta, and stir quickly so everything blends well. If your sauce is dairy-based or tomato-based, sprinkle in some Parmesan – it’ll make the dish creamier and even more flavourful. And voilà – your perfect pasta is ready!

The simpler the recipe, the better the pasta!

How to Recognize the Good Quality Pasta: A Simple 3-Step Guide

With so many pasta brands available on the market, how do you choose the best one? Here’s how to spot high-quality pasta:

Look at the Colour:

• If dry pasta looks too yellow, it was dried at ultra-high temperatures quickly, affecting the taste and texture.

• Good-quality pasta should be pale, golden-yellow in colour—a sign of slow drying at a low temperature, which preserves the wheat’s natural flavour.

Look at the Texture

• High-quality pasta has a slightly rough surface, which comes from being made with bronze dies rather than Teflon.

• This roughness helps sauces cling better to the pasta, enhancing the overall taste experience. Always look for bronze-cut pasta on the label.

Look at the Cooking Time

• Good pasta holds its shape after cooking. If it turns mushy or falls apart, it’s a sign of poor quality.

• Don’t be discouraged if the package indicates a cooking time of over 10 minutes! This usually means the pasta is made from high-quality durum wheat and was correctly dried, resulting in better texture and flavour.

• Check the ingredients on the package of pasta; the good pasta should be made of Italian Durum flour.

Recommended Pasta Brands:

Some of the best commercially available pasta brands include Garofalo, La Molisana, Rummo, and any pasta made in Gragnano—a town in southern Italy renowned for its exceptional production.

Believe me, not all dry pasta tastes the same! Factors like wheat quality, drying process, and production methods make a big difference. Following these simple steps will ensure you always choose pasta that delivers authentic flavour—and perfect texture in every bite.

Italian understanding of eating good is that the food should be fresh, simple, and in season.

Less (but better), simple (but savour):

Regarding cooking, there’s no room for shortcuts—ingredient quality is key. Forget industrially grated parmesan or store-bought pesto. Choosing fresh, seasonal ingredients isn’t just about taste—it’s a way of respecting nature, honouring culinary traditions, and preserving the rich heritage that makes every meal special. Additionally, following the Mediterranean diet and eating in season contribute to better health, balance, and longevity.

• Summer – Sun-ripened, juicy tomatoes picked at their peak create rich, velvety sauces bursting with natural sweetness—perfect for pasta, bruschetta, and slow-simmered ragù.

• Autumn – Pumpkins, Earthy mushrooms and luxurious truffles add depth and sophistication, transforming even the simplest dishes into gourmet delights.

• Spring – Delicate artichokes and tender asparagus and broccoli rape infuse recipes with lightness and a touch of elegance, making them ideal for fresh, vibrant meals.

• All Year Round – Fresh fish is the cornerstone of Mediterranean cuisine, bringing a taste of the sea to every dish with pure, clean flavours.

• Winter—Slow-cooked ragù, with its deep, comforting aroma and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, is the ultimate dish for warming the soul and gathering loved ones around the table.

The Golden rules for perfect pasta:

• Never rinse pasta after draining—it needs that starchy layer to hold onto the sauce.

• Use wooden spoons, not metal—metal can affect the temperature and taste.

• Save pasta water—this “liquid gold” is the secret to velvety sauces.

• Never break spaghetti!

• And remember – pasta and sauce must come together in the pan right before serving! Don’t just pour the sauce on top!

Remember, anyone can cook pasta, but it takes desire to create a dish that is inspiring, beautiful, healthy and mouth-watering. If you make bolognese sauce but don’t follow the authentic recipe, don’t call it bolognese – call it pasta with mince and tomato sauce. The true Italian flavours lies in respecting the traditional recipe.

Final thoughts: Pasta is Love

In Italy, pasta is never just a meal—it’s a tradition, a gathering occasion, and a way to show love. A warm bowl of pasta brings people around the table, fills the home with comfort, and turns an ordinary meal into an unforgettable memory.

So, the next time you make pasta, take your time. Salt the water properly, stir it carefully, let the flavours combine, and most importantly – make it with love.

Italian food is always shared with those you love because love and family are everything.

That’s the true Italian way.

Buon appetito!