For cost-effective, easy-to-cook meals, pasta is always a menu saviour. But do you really know how to cook it properly? To simplify the preparation of a good spaghetti or macaroni, a few basics should be kept in mind. Here are some tips for successful pasta, in addition to some ideas for varying your next dinners—without making it complicated.

Calculate servings

You might have heard of the myth that a serving of spaghetti is the circumference of 25 cents or a 1-dollar coin. Keep your change in your pockets, because if you really want to calculate an equal portion of pasta for each person, it’s best to determine it in grams: about 110 grams of pasta per person, regardless of the pasta’s shape. If you decide to eyeball it and end up cooking too much, keep some to make a pasta salad the next day for lunch.

Master the cooking

For perfectly cooked pasta, it’s simple: Just follow the instructions on the packaging. But as the notion of al dente varies for everyone, it is essential to taste the pasta to check that it’s to your liking. You can set an alarm to notify you two minutes before the end of the recommended cooking time, to test it. If the pasta requires a second cooking in the sauce, you can remove it from the water while it is very al dente—tender, but still firm when bitten. 

Adjust the amount of water

The amount of water you put in the pot matters. There must be enough so that the water does not cool too much when the pasta is added once it’s boiling. A fairly high water level also prevents the pasta from sticking together. The pasta must have space to move in the water during cooking. 

Salty as the sea

By salting the water, you are seasoning the pasta. The recommended amount of salt varies depending on where you are in the world, but in North America, pasta manufacturers recommend using 15 ml (1 tbsp) of salt and 5 litres (20 cups) of water per 500 g (1 lb) of dry pasta. Salt the water once it boils to prevent the salt from settling to the bottom of the pan and corroding the metal.

Pair the right types of pastas with sauces 

It’s not an exact science, but some types of pasta go better with specific sauces. For example, long pasta such as spaghetti, tagliatelle or linguine naturally combines well with smooth sauces such as tomato sauces, cream sauces and light sauces. Short pasta, on the other hand— rigatoni, tubettini or penne—retains the chunks in meat sauces, vegetable sauces or sauces based on crushed tomatoes. 

Vary the menu with different types of pasta

Sometimes you just have to change the shape of the pasta in one of your recipes to get the impression it’s a whole new meal. Swap spaghetti for bucatini, macaroni for gemelli, or try a beautiful twisted pasta like tortiglioni. But there are also a host of new varieties of pasta on grocery store shelves as an alternative to those made with wheat. Here are some other options:

• Konjac noodles: These come from a perennial plant whose bulb is transformed into a flour and is suitable for people who are gluten intolerant. They have a neutral flavour and a gel-like texture, making them perfect in Asian noodle dishes. 
• Legume pasta (chickpeas, lentils, etc.): These are similar to traditional wheat pastas, but are gluten free. They have a high fibre content and are a good source of protein, making them beneficial from a nutritional point of view.
• Spelt pasta: This rustic-looking pasta with a strong taste goes well with sauces that have character, such as tomato or cheese sauces. You can find it in the organic section.

Stock up

When pasta is discounted on grocery store shelves, it’s time to fill the pantry. As it keeps for a very long time, there is no risk of waste. If it is kept in a cool, dry place such as a cupboard or pantry and the “best before” date is respected—which differs depending on the manufacturer and the product—it will last for several months, or even years.