Let me guess. When you decide you want pasta for dinner, you throw the pasta in the boiling water for 5, maybe ten minutes. Then, you strain it. You then dump on some pasta sauce that you may or may not have taken the time to heat up.
I would bet a lot of you do this, because I definitely did! This is how I would make pasta All. The. Time. I thought that there was absolutely nothing wrong with cooking pasta this way. It tasted good, I was usually starving, and it was perfect in a pinch.
I finally listened to things I’ve read about not over cooking your pasta and finishing it off by cooking it in the sauce. Guys. This is the best pasta I have ever made in my life. And it only takes like 1 minute longer than cooking it, straining it, and saucing it.
With this new trick all you have to do is cook it, throw it in sauce, add some butter and some pasta water and….ta da! Restaurant worthy pasta will be staring you in the face. Don’t believe me? Just try it. I dare you.
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HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT PASTA
Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Step 2: In another medium-ish pan or skillet, add your favorite Ragu pasta sauce and turn on low heat.
-My rule of thumb is 1½ cups sauce to ½ lb pasta
Step 3: Add your favorite pasta to the boiling water
-I’ve found that ½ lb pasta feeds 3-4 people
Step 4: Cook pasta for 1 minute less than package instructions
-My favorite pasta to cook is angel hair and I only cook it for 3 minutes
Step 6: Using tongs (do not dump out pasta water) remove pasta from the water and add to the warmed sauce and turn off the heat.
Step 7: Mix the pasta in the sauce.
Step 8: Add in butter
-I use 3-4 tbsp per ½ lb pasta
Step 9: Add in pasta water
-I use ¾ cup per ½ lb pasta
Step 10: Continue mixing until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth.
Feel free to top with fresh parmesan cheese and basil 🙂 enjoy your restaurant style pasta!
